Sermon – King Saul’s Tragic Downfall
Scripture: 1 Chronicles 10:1-10, 13-14 “Now the Philistines attacked Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them. Many were slaughtered on the slopes of Mount Gilboa. The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed three of his sons—Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua. The fighting grew very fierce around Saul, and the Philistine archers caught up with him and wounded him. Saul groaned to his armor bearer, “Take your sword and kill me before these pagan Philistines come to taunt and torture me.” But his armor bearer was afraid and would not do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When his armor bearer realized that Saul was dead, he fell on his own sword and died. So Saul and his three sons died there together, bringing his dynasty to an end. When all the Israelites in the Jezreel Valley saw that their army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their towns and fled. So the Philistines moved in and occupied their towns. The next day, when the Philistines went out to strip the dead, they found the bodies of Saul and his sons on Mount Gilboa. So they stripped off Saul’s armor and cut off his head. Then they proclaimed the good news of Saul’s death before their idols and to the people throughout the land of Philistia. They placed his armor in the temple of their gods, and they fastened his head to the temple of Dagon. But when everyone in Jabesh-gilead heard about everything the Philistines had done to Saul, all their mighty warriors brought the bodies of Saul and his sons back to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones beneath the great tree at Jabesh, and they fasted for seven days.” ‘’So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord’s command, and he even consulted a medium instead of asking the Lord for guidance. So the Lord killed him and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.”
Introduction: The truth is that God chose Saul because he was a good man with a good heart. Young's Literal Translation of the Bible puts 1 Samuel 9:2 like this: “There is not a man among the sons of Israel goodlier than he.” Saul had a good heart but struggled with feelings of inadequacy. Saul’s foolishness and indifferent attitude toward God’s Word contributed a great deal to his tragic downfall. Saul’s story is one of the most shocking stories in Israel’s history. There was not another person with so much promise who failed so far, and so fast.
The rise and downfall of Saul convey both practical and spiritual lesson to every man especially to believers who want to glorify God continually and live up to their full potential. In Saul’s story we see the transformation of a man who was small in his own eyes grow into a man who become proud, arrogant and disobedient. His call to kingship was confirmed by prophecy and a series of supernatural signs. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul, he prophesied among the prophets, and he was turned into another man. However, Saul was turned into another man only in terms of his role as king and the boldness in which he exercised that office.
1 Samuel 10:9-11 “As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
God gave Saul a new heart, a transformed mindset, and anointed him for the challenges ahead. Those around Saul could see his transformation. The Lord was with him and Samuel was his advisor, yet Saul fell from grace. Shortly after Saul’s exaltation, his character flaws begin to surface. The man who begins his journey hiding among the baggage at his coronation became a man too proud to obey Samuel or God. Proverbs 16:18 reminds us that “Pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Put another way, be humble or you’ll stumble. Pride is the oldest sin in the universe, and if this cancer of the soul is left undiagnosed and untreated, it will destroy spiritual life. And the cure for this deadly disease is humility.
God gave Saul several special victories that caused his reputation and acceptance to rise higher and higher. He seemed to be a good man and a great king. Yet nothing could cover Saul’s feelings of inadequacies. Every applaud, every cheer increased his desire to please the people. All of us want to be celebrated and loved. King Saul wanted to please the people more than he wanted to please God. This was the beginning of his fall. King Saul’s spiritual blunders led him to the place he deserved. He pleased other people but overlooked to please God. There is always the danger of pleasing men because there is a great tendency to ignore the Lord in many ways. It derails believers from their God-given course of service. In Romans 8:1, “it is written, So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”
Seldom can we please God and man at the same time. It is impossible to serve two masters. God raised up Saul and made him King to rule over Israel, but Saul himself was not careful concerning God’s statutes. Saul’s foolishness and indifferent attitude toward God’s Word contributed a great deal to his tragic downfall. Even when Saul was reprimanded for his sin, he would not take responsibility for his actions. Saul disobeyed Samuel and offered up an unlawful and unacceptable sacrifice to God. He blamed Samuel for being late. Then he blamed the people for scattering from Him. In fear, he said he forced himself to offer up the sacrifice. He never accepted responsibility for his actions.
The Lord God gave Saul a clear command, “Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.” Saul disobeyed God, sparing Agag the king, the best of the livestock, he took for spoils. Then erected a statue in his honor to celebrate his victory. When Samuel confronted Saul, listen to his reply.
1 Samuel 15:19-23 “Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?” “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.” But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
The Lord really wants His people to be sensitive and obedient to His commandments so they may experience His continual blessings. He expects every believer to serve Him in sincerity and truth. The life of Saul is a heartbreaking story with a serious warning not to be ignored. Saul considered partial obedience as obedience and blaming others exonerated him.
1. Sinful Pride Led to Saul’s Rejection. Pride is extreme love and focus on oneself. “That kind of pride that stems from self-righteousness or conceit is sin, however, and God hates it because it is a hindrance to seeking Him. Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty Spirit before a fall.” Pride led to partial obedience. Partial obedience is always disobedience and passing the bulk never works. Blaming others can never cover our sin and shortcomings. Saul could have been and should have been an example for the nation, but he misused his authority and used government resources as his own. He used his position to settle a personal score with his perceived enemies. Saul thought that killing David would solve his problem of being rejected. Saul never realized that his jealousy and rage against David did not change God mind. Things could have been different but when the anointing left, rage entered him. Peace was replaced by agitation. He served the balance of his days as a rejected king still sitting on the throne.
2. Saul’s Rejection Was Instant, Though His Reign Continued. You can be disqualified and rejected with people still following you. 1 Samuel 15:28-30 “Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you. He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.” Saul replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.” So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.”
Samuel knew God had rejected Saul and Saul knew he was a rejected man, yet he wanted the people to think everything is okay. Saul knew the elders would still follow him, his army would still obey and the people would still celebrate him. Saul had lost his throne, his anointing and his peace, but if he could smile and worship it will be okay. Soon Saul was acting like an unbeliever, trying to find an answer with witches and wizard. He even tried to consult with Samuel after Samuel had died. The witch saw through Saul’s disguise and prophesied His doom. Tomorrow, you and your sons will fall, the army will scatter, the nation will be in peril and the witness of God’s name will be silenced.
3. Saul’s Rejection Was Final and Fatal. 1 Chronicles 10, says, “So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When his armor bearer realized that Saul was dead, he fell on his own sword and died. So Saul and his three sons died there together, bringing his dynasty to an end. When all the Israelites in the Jezreel Valley saw that their army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their towns and fled. So the Philistines moved in and occupied their towns. The next day, when the Philistines went out to strip the dead, they found the bodies of Saul and his sons on Mount Gilboa. So they stripped off Saul’s armor and cut off his head. Then they proclaimed the good news of Saul’s death before their idols and to the people throughout the land of Philistia. They placed his armor in the temple of their gods, and they fastened his head to the temple of Dagon.
God’s chosen king ends in defeat, the Idol Dagon is magnified, the Philistines unbelievers were exalted, and the believers and their were looked on as inferior. Saul was to rule as a bright and shining light for his people. He was called to lead them out of oppression to victory. Saul did not fall alone, his sons fell with him, the nation fell with him and his enemy is living in their houses and possessing their land.
It is the duty of every believer to shine for the Lord and lead other people to put their trust in Him. In the case of Saul, it was reversed, and God was not magnified. The Idol God Dagon was lifted up and the unbelievers’ false belief was strengthened. Their pride progressed unto more wickedness. Worst of all, believers seemed inferior and great opportunity to blaspheme God was given to the wicked. What a shameful position on the part of God-chosen people. Sin and disobedience caused Saul’s tragic downfall.
I Chronicles 10:13-14, “So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord’s command, and he even consulted a medium instead of asking the Lord for guidance. So the Lord killed him and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.”
Saul died for his transgression. He died for his disobedience to the Word of God. He died for asking counsel from a medium and for not inquiring from God. We strongly believe that the blessings of the Lord are prepared to be poured to all believers, but because of sin, many blessings are withheld. Disobedience to the Word of God robs our blessings from above. Obedience to the Word of God opens heaven’s windows of blessings.
In I Samuel 15:22-23, it is written, “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”
Bear in mind that God wants His children to become victorious so they may display His power and glorify His name. Saul’s sad downfall could have been avoided. The God who called him and anointed him was more than able to keep him. Saul was unwilling to be kept and willfully followed his own mind down the path of pride, arrogance and self-indulgence. He ignored every warning and disobeyed God’s commands. God rejected Saul because Saul disqualified himself. Samuel wept for Saul and prayed for Saul, but nothing could save Saul from himself. God providing all spiritual wisdom needed for Saul’s success, yet Saul refused to obey. Believers have a wonderful opportunity to follow God and obey His direction so we may experience God’s wonderful working in our lives that will lead to His honor and glory. Amen.
