Sermon Tone Analysis

! Introduction

/Review of last week: /

!! A.                  The Clear Command of God to Totally Destroy the Amalekites (v.1-9).

!!! 1.

The source of the command (v.1-2).

!!!! a)                   Heed the voice of the Words of the Lord (v.2).

!!! 2.                   The reason for God's judgment (v.2).

!!!! a)                   The behavior of the Amalekites-were beyond repentance, change.

!!! 3.                   The History of Amalek.

!!!! a)                   Where did the Amalakites come from?

!!!! b)                  The Amalekites attacked Israel shortly after they had come out of Egypt (Ex.17:8-16).

!!!! c)                   Amalek – A Type of the Flesh.

His name literally means “I will overcome”!

!!!! d)                  Man is either ruled by the flesh or by the spirit.

!!!!! (1)                 I Must Rule Over My Bodily Appetites, Not My Bodily Appetites Ruling Over Me. 

!!! 4.                   The command (v.3).

!!!! a)                   To totally destroy everything-not sparing anything (v.3).

!!! 5.                   The refusal of Saul and his army to destroy everything (v.8-9).

!!!! a)                   An unwillingness to completely obey God (v.9)

!!! 6.

The story of Esther and the almost eradication of the Jews (Esther 3:1-6).

!!!! a)                   Haman was a descendant of Agag.

!!!! b)                  If you do not crucify your flesh, your flesh will destroy you.

*Introduction:*

!! A.                 The Sins of Saul and His Failure to Obey God (v.10-21)

!!! 1.

The message of God (v.10-11a).

!!!! a)                  Saul's disobedience grieved, broke the heart of God (v.11a).

!!!!! (1)                 Disobedience grieves the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).

!!!!! (2)                 Grieving can lead to quenching (1Thess.

5:19).

!!!!! (3)                 He can be tested (Acts 5:9), lied to (Acts 5:3), resisted (Acts 7:51), insulted (Heb.

10:29), and blasphemed (Matt.

12:31–32).

!!!! b)                  God regretted having made Saul king (v.11a /cf.

v.35/)

!!!!! (1)                 Saul had turned back from following the Lord.

!!!!! (2)                 Saul had not performed the commandments of the Lord.

!!!!! (3)                 Saul had rejected the Word of the Lord (v.26).

!!! 2.                  The agonizing prayer of Samuel (v.11b-12a)

!!!! a)                  Cried out all night to God (v.11b)

!!!!! (1)                 Samuel shows that he has God’s heart.

It hurt God to reject Saul, and it hurt Samuel to see him rejected.

!!!!! (2)                 When the things that grieve God, grieve us, and the things that please God pleas us, then we know that we are close to the heart of God. 

 

!!!! b)                  Arose early in the morning to go find Saul (v.12a)

!!!!! (1)                 Samuel wanted to find Saul to tell him the message of God.

The prophet that anointed Saul as king, is now coming to discipline the disobedient king.

!!! 3.                  The terrible sins of Saul (v.12b-21)

!!!! a)                  The sin of /pride /(v.12b)

!!!!! (1)                 Built a monument in his own honor (v.12b).

Instead of Saul being grieved over his disobedience to God, he was actually pleased with himself.

As we will see later, God will raise up another man to replace Saul.

!!!!!! (a)                 David, in contrast to Saul, was a man after God’s own heart (1Sam.13:14).

Even though David sinned against God as king of Israel, David felt the guilt and shame we should feel when we sin.

!!!!!! (b)                Saul didn’t feel it.

His conscience was dead to shame and his heart was dead to God.    

!!!!! (2)                 Built at Carmel (v.12b).

Apparently, the monument was to commemorate the recent victory he had achieved over the Amalekites.

Note that this monument was not built to honor the Lord but Saul.

Saul was taking credit for the victory over the Amalekites.

He was not giving credit to the Lord!

The Lord warns us against such pride.

*Jesus said that *"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

(Matthew 23:12, NKJV)

*John wrote about the pride of life saying* "Do not love the world or the things in the world.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”

(1 John 2:15-16, NKJV)

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

“  (Proverbs 16:18; /cf.

Prov.

/11:2; Obadiah 4)

 

!!!! b)                  The sin of /boasting /(v.13)

!!!!! (1)                 Samuel reached Saul (v.13a).

!!!!! (2)                 Saul greeted him with a boast of obedience (v.13b).

!!!!!! (a)                 Spiritual jargon, “Christianese”, watch out for people who speak like this!

!!!!!! (b)                Saul’s pride had led to self-deception.

!!!! c)                  The sin of /blaming others/: /Seeking to justify oneself /(v.14-15a)

!!!!! (1)                 Samuel asked about the animal noise he heard (v.14)

!!!!! (2)                 Saul blamed the soldiers (v.15a /see also v.21/).

!!!!! (3)                 Saul’s excuses are revealing:

!!!!!! (a)                 *First *he blames the people, not himself… /they have brought them… the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen/

!!!!!! (b)                *Second* he includes himself in the obedience… /the rest we have utterly destroyed.

/ 

!!!!!! (c)                 *Third* he justifies what he has kept because of its fine quality… /the best of the sheep and oxen.

/

!!!!!! (d)                *Fourth* he claims to have done it for a spiritual reason… /to sacrifice to the Lord your God.  /  

 

!!!! d)                  The sin of /deception/, lying (v.15b-16)

!!!!! (1)                 Saul claimed the best animals were spared so they could be sacrificed to the LORD (v.15b)

!!!!!! (a)                 Pride and disobedience make us blind-or deaf-to our sin.

What was completely obvious to Samuel was invisible to Saul.

!!!!!! (b)                We all have blind spots in our lives and we need to constantly ask God to show them to us.

*We need to sincerely pray the prayer of David *"Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”  (Psalm 139:23-24, NASB95)

!!!!!  

!!!!! (2)                 Samuel interrupted and commanded Saul to stop making excuses, to stop lying and trying to deceive: Saul must hear the Word of the LORD (v.16)

 

!!!! e)                  The sin of losing the spirit of /humility /(v.17)

!!!!! (1)                 Saul was now arrogant (v.17).

!!!!! (2)                 In the beginning Saul was a great man of humility.

!!!!!! (a)                 *1 Samuel 9:15-24* /Saul couldn’t understand why he was being chosen!/ 

!!!!!! (b)                *1 Samuel 10:22 */Saul was hiding among the equipment/.

(i)                   Saul shows a healthy embarrassment and humility.

He was not looking forward to being “center stage” in front of the nation; he seems to be dreading it.

Saul was not made king because of his own personal ambition, or to gratify a desire for the limelight.

(ii)                 *Spurgeon, in his sermon /Hiding Among the Stuff/*, shows how both believers and unbelievers can be *hidden among the equipment*, avoiding the crown God has for them.

!!!!!! (c)                 *Luke 17:7-14* Jesus Speaks of this Humility.

(i)                   Humility brings about productivity (James 4:10).

!!!!! (3)                 Saul had forgotten that it was the LORD who had appointed him king (v.17)

!!!!!! (a)                 Many today take pride in their economic status.