1 Samuel 31; Another Serpent Falls
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Image
12 “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. 14 You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. 16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.
Need
We need to live humble lives that seek the glory of God and obedience to him in all things.
Referent
1 Samuel 31
Organization
Saul’s Shame
Jabesh-gilead’s Honor
Sermon in a sentence:
Sermon in a sentence:
I will live in humility.
Saul’s Shameful Death
Saul’s Shameful Death
The author of 1 Samuel is describing the fall of Saul like the fall of Goliath (a serpent).
(vs. 1) -Mount Gilboa - sounds similar to gibea
1 Samuel 2:3 “3 Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.”
1 Samuel 9:2 “2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.”
(vs. 4-5) Saul turns to his armor-bearer to kill him. Like his last armor-bearer (David), this one is unwilling to raise his hand aganst God’s annointed.
Saul dies by his sword. (1 Sam 13:22- Saul and Jonathan, 1 Sam 17:39 - David and Saul’s sword
(vs. 9-10) Saul’s head is cut off and the news spreads to the rest of nation.
(vs. 9-10) Saul’s belongs are put into the temple of a false God. David did this with Goliath’s sword.
1 Chronicles 10:10 “10 And they put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.”
(vs. 11-12) the last time we heard of Jabesh-gilead was when Saul saved them from Nahash.
Instead of being the savior that Israel wanted, he became a serpent. They would have to wait for another king to save them.
Saul was called to defeat the Philistines but look were we are now. Saul is being defeated by the Philistines standing on a mountain of pride.
Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us that all that live by the sword will perish by it. (Matthew 26:52)
Pride, arogance, and disobedience are the same way. They will kill you and destroy you. Saul reigned for 42 years in Israel. You may think, I’ve gotten away with it so far. It doesn’t matter. Look at Saul’s life. He was tormented for most of his reign by an “evil spirit”. And he did not have God’s blessing or leadership for years. Saints, have you been living with pride that has brought destruction into your life? Your marriage? Your relationship with others or God?
Jabesh-gilead’s Honor
Jabesh-gilead’s Honor
The men of Jabesh-gilead have not been “valient”.
The last time we saw the men of Jabesh-gilead, they were cowing before a serpent, Nahash (1 Sam 11)
The time before that, Jabesh-gilead is mentioned in Judges 21:8.
Judges 19-21 tells us of the Levite and his concubine and the near destruction of the tribe of Benjamin.
The mission itself was dangerous. These men were brave and no longer cowing.
The men of Jabesh-gilead have not been honorable.
Again, them not participating in the fight against Benjamin shows that these men had no honor.
Here, they give the king a fighting burial that honorable.
We see the king of Israel lays buried under the tamarisk tree. Yet,
Conclusion
Conclusion
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Friends, let us learn from the example of king Saul. Pride comes before the fall. If we put our hope of salvation in any king besides the perfect Lord Jesus Christ, we will die. He is the only king that came truly offer salvation to his people. Today is the day to put your faith in Jesus Christ for the salvation of your soul!
Saints, let us also look to our savior as our example this week. Use the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to kill any pride that we may have. This week, as we fight against our pride, let us look to Jesus, the perfect example of humility.
