1 Samuel 13 & 15 The Sacrifices that cost Saul His Legacy

Today we are in our 7th sermon in our series called a Prophet and 2 Kings.

We are continuing on following the story of King Saul.

Saul, is interesting because his life is marked with ups and downs,

victories and great defeats.

Many of us I am sure can relate to some of struggles he faced.

Ultimately,

Saul’s life is important to study,

because there are so many lessons to learn in order not to make the same mistakes.(Learn from losses than victories)

Before we get into our text this morning and look at Saul’s life.

I want to ask you a question...

What is greater in the site of God.

Obedience? or Sacrifice?

In our text this morning we are going to see this questioned answered.

We are going to begin this morning in 1 Samuel 13:8.

I will give you a brief overview of what has just happened.

Saul selects an army of some 3,000 men.

Saul takes 2,000 men,

and the other 1,000 men places in the charge of his son Jonathon.

Jonathan proves to be a mighty warrior and is an important part of the overall story in the book of Samuel,

and the first time we hear about Jonathon is in chapter 13.

In verse 3 of chapter 13 we get our first taste of the character of Jonathan.

What happens is Jonathan leads his 1,000 men to go and attack the Philistines at Geba.

Jonathon leads a successful campaign,

but int he process the Philistines regroup and muster up a huge army to attack Israel.

Because of this the men of Israel become greatly afraid and begin to go into hiding.

Pick up the story with King Saul in…

1 Samuel 13:8–14 (ESV)

8 He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. 11 Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12 I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” 13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

Saul was given instruction to wait for Samuel.

And Samuel is running a little late… (funny brother)

Saul is faced with the task of trusting God and walking in obedience even when things are difficult. (We are all faced with this at times?)

Saul is facing difficulty,

as his troops scattering, Samuel not there yet, and the Philistines are soon approaching he begins to create a man made solution.

What I find is most if not all people,

when they are loosing control of a situation,

begin to try and take control in one way or another.

Saul tries to take control and in the process disobeys God.

In a moment of panic,

Saul goes against the commandment of the Lord by making a sacrifice.

The sacrifice was to be done by Samuel,

but Saul does what he thinks is best and starts the sacrifice to the Lord.

It is an ironic scene,

because in Saul’s effort to gain the Lord’s favor,

he is disobeying the one in whom he is trying to gain favor.

(speaks to his lack of a relationship with God)

Saul is finishing up the sacrifice and Samuel arrives.

Samuel skips all pleasantries,

and immediately say's to Saul “what have you done?”

(example parenting… my boys...)

[excuses vs taking responsibility]

Favre Vs Rodgers… leadership

Saul shows his lack of leadership by making excuses....

troops scattering… Samuel not there… Philistines coming…

After Saul makes his excuses in why he disobeyed,

Samuel informs him that because he was disobedient...

his legacy will end....

While Saul is on throne making excuses for his disobedience,

there is a boy in the wilderness walking faithfully in obedience.

V14 “The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart”

(elaborate…)

As the man after God’s own heart is being prepared,

King Saul is still on the throne.

We move unto to chapter 15....

King Saul is given instructions to be an agent of judgement to the Amalekites.

God has seen the wickedness of the Amalekites and how they treated Israel when they left Egypt…

So God commanded them to wipe them out…

Destroy everything…

(other nations attacked to gain wealth)

1 Samuel 15:9 (ESV)

9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.

What Saul did was perfectly acceptable by the worlds standards.

(kept what was good, destroyed what was worthless)

But Saul was not being judged by the worlds standards,

he was judged by God’s standards.

(WE can think we are OK because we are doing what the world does…)

In the process of King Saul doing what other Kings do,

he was walking in disobedience to God.

V10 this is what happens…

1 Samuel 15:10–11 (ESV)

10 The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night.

(Last week talked about Righteous anger vs wordly anger)

[Samuel is angry because the King of Israel has turned his back on God]

What would happen if we prayed “Lord, break my heart for what breaks yours”

(we get mad when the world asks worldly, but when the church acts wordly we find it ok)

After Samuel spent all night broken before the Lord...

1 Samuel 15:12–13 (ESV)

12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.” 13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.”

I have found that Guilty people usually start a conversation to steer the conversation and set the narrative in the direction they want it to go.

Guilty conscience betrays them…

kid “I did not eat any cookies”

Police pulls someone over “no drugs in my car officer”

story...

Derick Bender “I have been bunting”

Saul… “I did what the Lord said to do”…

(Saul trying to start the narrative) lie…

1 Samuel 15:14–15 (ESV)

14 And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.”

It is always interesting to me how people will lie even though the lie is so blatant and obvious ....

sports stories…

Pastor… hands going up everywhere…

Saul’s lie is so obvious,

and Samuel holds him accountable…

(Both times Samuel asks a question to Saul)

Both times,

Saul’s immediate response is to make an excuse on why he did not obey the Lord.

This time he says that his army kept the best of the sheep and oxen to make a sacrifice to the Lord your God.

(which is very telling in itself… not our God your God)

[Saul is turning away form God]

1 Samuel 15:16–17 (ESV)

16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”

17 And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel.

I want to step back for a second and look at Saul..

Least significant in the tribe of Benjamin… (1 Samuel 9:21)

Hiding out in the Baggage… (1 Samuel 10:22)

Little in your own eyes… (1 Samuel 15:17)

Saul-challenge to walk in his calling or revert back...

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:” (Proverbs 23:7)

(Saul’s thinking… has hindered him walking gin his calling)

What is interesting about Saul thinking poorly of himself,

is that if you were on the outside looking inn,

you would never guess that Saul is so insecure.

Saul in verse 12 set up a monument to himself.

(Man looks on the outside, but God looks at the heart)

[Giving his new heart back to the old pattern of thinking)

Samuel continues on and says…

1 Samuel 15:17c–23 (ESV)

17 The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” 20 And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22 And Samuel said,

“Has 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 listen than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination,

and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,

he has also rejected you from being king.”

I started this morning with a question....

and the question was…

What is greater in the site of God.

Obedience? or Sacrifice?

Saul tried to reason why he did not obey… Sacrifice

Samuel said obedience is better than sacrifice...

(Good works at the expense of obedience is always a sin…)

[disobedience comes down to be rebellion against God]

Rebellion against God is as sinful as witchcraft....

The moral is Saul is rejecting God and placing himself above God...

Paraphrase the rest of the story…

Samuel said to Saul

V26 “you have rejected the word of the Lord and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.

God rejected Saul because of his disobedience.

Close with this...

Importance of obedience..

Hebrews 11:6

Without faith it is impossible to please God.

Faith and obedience go hand and hand…