A TIME OF TESTING
Notes
Transcript
A TIME OF TESTING
“But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you.
THE WARNING AGAINST TRUSTING OUR OWN POV
Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty- two years.
Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.
Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, “Let the Hebrews hear!” So all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines.” And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven. When the men of Israel saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.
Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
“What have you done?” asked Samuel.
Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
“You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.
THE DISASTER AGAINST AMALEK
Saul is 30 YEARS OLD
Jonathan attacks
Saul Assembles the men
they are out numbered (double the inequality of Gideon in a similar situation!)
Hebrews get fearful and run away and begin to hide
USING OUR HEAD LOSING OUR HEAD?
SAUL USES HIS HEAD: HE REASONS
“This is bad, the men are fleeing, I may lose this battle. I guess I better seek the lords favor.”
remember: offerings were the exclusive providence or priests and those chosen by God to offer them!
Bring the the offerings. Saul is Interceding on his own behalf: Literally taking matters into his own hands.
“JUST AS HE IS FINISHING”...
1: Will he obey Samuel, his “father in the faith” and the known prophet of Israel
2: he has twice the number of men Gideon Had
3: A Sin of impatience, like the sin of Adam, wanting something before it’s time. This is often the source of our trouble
This sin is insidious: I know what I need, and I know what God said; so I will proceed.
There is enormous presumption in this kind of Sin
Do we believe God will come through?
If I give my heart, will I get it back?
If I give my money to God, will I be ok?
If go all the way in my faith, will God take care of me.
If I stand up for something at my school, will I be accepted, and if I am not, will God provide for me in another way?
4: This is the crucial test of our faithfulness: can we listen?
Do we hear when God speaks, when a prophet tells us the truth? Can people tell you things? Can you hear it?
Are we willing to do as God asks, and change our course when we are challenged to see things another way?
The people had earlier seen Saul Prophesying and said “he is among the prophets”
See he spoke like a prophet, but did he have a prophetic heart? He made the noises.
Or do we find ways to deflect, diminish, preemptively strike
ANATOMY OF A FAITHLESS DECISION
1 Samuel 13:11–12 (NIV84)
“What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
1: what have you done? hoping for him to say, I sinned? I offered the offering too soon? I did not do as you asked?
Instead there is RATIONALIZATION:
THEY WERE LEAVING
I TRUST MY OWN UNDERSTANDING OVER GODS EXPLICIT COMMANDS
YOU DID NOT COME WHEN I NEEDED YOU
I KNOW THE TIMING BETTER THAN GOD
THE ENEMY WAS AT MY DOOR-STEP
I AM AFRAID YOU WILL NOT PROTECT ME
I HAVE NOT SOUGHT THE LORDS FAVOR!
THIS ONE IS SCARY BECAUSE IT SOUNDS SPIRITUAL.
GODS WORD DOES NOT APPLY TO ME.
I WANT THE OUTCOME GOD PROMISES BUT I DONT NEED TO OPERATE WITHIN GODS LIMITS AND TERMS FOR ME
WE JUST WANT THE LIFE OF GOD WITHOUT A SURRENDER TO GOD.
SHARE ABOUT BASEMENT INCIDENT WITH GENIE BEFORE WE WERE MARRIED
CLOSE:
CHECK OUR DECISIONS
ARE WE USING OUR HEAD OR GODS WORD?
LOOK FOR RATIONALIZATIONS; WHAT ARES OF MY LIFE TO I RATIONALIZE THAT GODS SPECIFIC DIRECTION IS MORE OF A GUIDELINE, AND THAT AS LONG AS I AM “DOING IT WITH THE GOD IN MIND” IT IS FROM GOD