Wednesday Night Bible Study (10/8/25)

1st Samuel 15

Worship

Prayer & Welcome

Recap -

I love that we get to flow out of Chapter 14 and into Chapter 15 this evening. I always try to stop in a stopping place, but it doesn’t always happen that way. Sometimes we just have to focus on the lessons we can learn from the Old Testament that are very applicable in our lives today. Often, I will tell my girls, “I don’t want y’all to make the same mistakes I made”. Anyone in here ever said that to someone you love dearly? Well God loves His children dearly too, He loves us more than our human minds can process.

In that love, I believe that Scripture, all of it Old & New Testament, contains stories that highlight the issues and mistakes that plagued God’s people. We see rises and falls Amen? Now I’m not going to spend long on this but just so I can share with you all how I study this Word.

First, why do we study the Bible, and let’s assume all of us know because we have to do so. When we study there are at least three things we should be doing...

LEARNING, FINDING APPLICATION IN OUR LIVES TODAY, HIDING THE SCRIPTURES IN OUR HEARTS THAT WE CAN SHARE.

All of those things are WORSHIP UNTO GOD! It pleases God that we want to learn HIS ways, it pleases Him that we search for how His purpose for our lives needs to be a daily charge, and Scripture tells us that when we share the Word and it gets through and that sinner comes home, HEAVEN REJOICES!

One last thing to mention here is the Bible is grouped into 4 Metanarratives, now that is just a fancy word for theme or meaning and you likely will not hear me say it again. Those are in order...

CREATION, FALL, REDEMPTION, & NEW CREATION OR RESTORATION

We are all created and surrounded by everything that was and is created by GOD! Amen?

There was a transgression against God that led to a period of fall after fall after fall. Amen?

There is a Savior, Jesus Christ, that brings us REDEMPTION and tore the veil between us and our Father that THE FALL brought about Amen?

There will be RESTORATION and a NEW CREATION in which there will be no sin, no pain, no sorrow, no agony. JUST THE LORD AND WORSHIP OF HIM! HALLELUJAH!

I say that to say this, FATHER, SON, & SPIRIT have always been with us. The Old Testament points to Jesus and our need of Him as a broken people. These themes that theologians break the Bible down into aren’t separate. They are all woven together to give us our FAITH. FAITH IS THE CERTAINTY OF THINGS HOPED FOR, and our HOPE lies in the completed work of Jesus on the Cross. But it weaves even deeper, Jesus isn’t on the cross today, our HOPE IS HEAVEN, and we receive that when we receive Jesus into our hearts because we are sealed with the Holy Spirit!

So as we get into the next few weeks of Bible study here let’s all remember that what we are studying is a group of life trials that leads to life lessons and life redeemed, that leads to life everlasting. AMEN?

NOW LET’S GET INTO CHAPTER 15 TONIGHT....

Chapter 15 - Saul is Rejected As King

Opening in Chapter 15 we see Samuel is conveying the message of the Lord to Saul 1 Samuel 15:1–3 “Then Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the Lord. This is what the Lord of armies says: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, in that he obstructed him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and completely destroy everything that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ””

A harsh punishment for an evil group of people. If you will recall the Amalekites were the first group to attack the Israelites when they came into the Promised Land. They were a war loving group of people that had no mercy. They destroyed anything any anyone in their path so God ordered Saul and the Israelite army to do the same.

Saul began by listening, I’ll say again, HE BEGAN by listening. He called 200,000 men plus 10,000 more from the tribe of Judah. Saul still had military prowess. He knew how to organize a fight. He set a ambush in a ravine and then he even showed mercy to the Kenites because they showed mercy to the Israelites in the times of the Exodus from Egypt. Saul’s doing GOOD right? The Kenites listened and fleed the area.

Saul wrecked havoc on the Amalekites, destroying almost everything. Did yall catch that? Almost everything, Saul was doing GOOD and then he went back to being Saul. He took Agag, king of the Amalekites captive and spared the best of the livestock and the Bible says everything that was good. This is one of those Cmon Man moments. You know? Saul you had ONE JOB and still you think you know better than God!

We don’t get to have selective obedience to God. Can we stay here for just a second? God said destroy all of it, Saul said well I’m just going to destroy the bad things. Today’s world, God puts it on your Spirit to help that homeless woman at the next light and give her everything in your wallet. Think about it this way, God said stop the car I blessed you with and roll down your power window I blessed you with and reach into the wallet that has currency that I blessed you with and share all of that WHICH I HAVE BLESSED YOU WITH! You’re carrying two $20 bills and you start thinking about everything you had planned for that $40, boy I’m on my way to Texas Roadhouse and the rolls are free but that Ribeye ain’t. I need at least $20 to get that thing bought and in my belly. $20 is more than she had before I got here…

And you only give her half of what you had. You decided to only be partially obedient to the Lord, which is to say YOU WERE NOT OBEIDENT AT ALL!!!

Do you think for a second that, that $20 or that steak dinner was more important or needed than what God told you to do??? Do you think that if you would have obeyed completely that God would not have seen that and said well done? You may have been eating Ramen noodles instead of a beautiful medium-rare cooked Ribeye Steak, but what organ in your body are you more concerned with filling??? YOUR STOMACH OR YOUR HEART?

Proverbs 3:1–2 “My son, do not forget my teaching, But have your heart comply with my commandments; For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you.” Have your heart OBEY ALL THAT I SAY AND YOUR LIFE WILL BE ADDED TO. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ABUNDANCE BEING A PRODUCT OF OBEDIENCE!

You were already blessed rolling up to that stop light, let your blessings pour out to those in need, because...

HE PREPARES A TABLE FOR ME

HE ANOITS MY HEAD WITH OIL

HE CASUES MY CUP TO RUN OVER

And SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY WILL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE.

WHY? Because the LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, and MY SHEPHERD TELLS ME WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO.

WHEN HE TELLS ME TO COME I COME, WHEN HE TELLS ME TO STAY I STAY, WHEN HE TELLS ME TO GIVE I GIVE. THIS IS THE BEHAVIOR WE ALL WORK TOWARDS.

WHEN HE TOLD SAUL TO DESTROY TOTALLY, SAUL SHOULD HAVE DESTROYED TOTALLY!!!!

But he did not.....

Now Saul’s true demise and fall steps into full frame....

1 Samuel 15:10–11 “Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was furious and cried out to the Lord all night.”

When God tells Samuel I regret making Saul king, he’s not using regret like we do today. Regret in the context of God is DEEP SORROW. We see this here and in Genesis 6:6 when God regrets creating humanity. He’s not saying I made a mistake, God doesn’t make mistakes. He is saying I’ve lost the heart of this child of mine and I am in deep sorrow over that loss. Same applies to Genesis 6:6, humanity had fixed its heart on everything BUT GOD.

In Verse 12 Saul has created a monument to HIMSELF! Saul was his OWN IDOL.

When people start down this rabbit hole of sin it can become the Grand Canyon in a hurry, ask me how I know. This is why the truth of the Gospel is so critical TODAY, RIGHT NOW.

DAWN ON TARP SLIP N SLIDE STORY....

That is how slippery the slope is becoming for Saul

Verse 13

Saul lies to Samuel - 1 Samuel 15:13 “So Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.”

Samuel is like your parents here, you know like when you weren’t supposed to touch that chocolate cake till after supper but when your mama went to the bathroom you drug you finger around the cake plate to “clean up the icing”. Who will know right? Except for that smear of chocolate you left coming up out of the corner of your lip. Lying right through that chocolate smile talking about “I didn’t touch it mama, ain’t you proud of me?” I’m not saying that is a personal story but I will gladly describe to you the consequences of what would happen if you did that.

Samuel says if you did what God said then why do I hear all these animals???

Saul says well I kept the best to give it to the Lord as a sacrifice, that’s like saying I only stole that new keyboard so I could donate it to the church.

God didn’t tell you to steal a keyboard and God didn’t tell Saul to keep the best of the livestock for a sacrifice. HE SAID UTTER DESTRUCTION OF ALL THINGS.

Good intentions DO NOT outweigh bad actions. I’m gonna say that one, one more time, GOOD INTENTIONS DO NOT OUTWEIGH BAD ACTIONS.

God elevated Saul’s station in life, he went from the least of tribe of Benjamin, chasing donkeys down and was anointed King of God’s people. Samuel reminds him of this truth in verses 17-19.

And the next thing we see is Saul just repeats the lie. I did what the Lord said. Y’all ever been around someone who you know is lying, but they say the same lie so much they got you questioning if you know what you’re talking about. That’s a dangerous person that can lie so often they believe its truth. That’s the people that can LIE AND LAY DOWN AT NIGHT.

And I want to read from the Word of God Samuel’s reply to Saul’s repeated lie....

1 Samuel 15:22–23 NASB 2020

Samuel said, “Does the Lord have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than a sacrifice, And to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. “For rebellion is as reprehensible as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as reprehensible as false religion and idolatry. Since you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.”

Ouch. It just got real, Saul knew his kingdom would not endure but he had victory after victory after victory, but God can’t lie, so it is now coming to pass...

IF WE DO NOT STEWARD WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN US THEN HE WILL TAKE IT AWAY. SAUL FAILED TO REALIZE THAT AND HIS REJECTION WAS PROOF OF THAT.

Again here Saul see’s his wrong, but has ZERO accountability. Just like we he didn’t wait for Samuel for the sacrifice, he blames the men with him.

When we make a mistake, own up to it. Repent, which is to turn from that mistake and get yourself in right relationship with God.

Another repetitive issue with Saul we see next, he wants Samuel to go back among the people with him so they don’t think less of him. Saul wanted all the accolades without the stewardship, and I want to read this verse as well and see if you catch it here…

1 Samuel 15:30 “Then Saul said, “I have sinned; but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before all Israel, and go back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.”

All over what we have studied Saul says the Lord or the Lord of Hosts. But here he clearly says THE LORD YOUR GOD.

Saul knows he is far from God, his heart is not chasing after God, its after preserving his image. He can’t bring himself to say the Lord MY God here because Saul is worried about worshipping himself, the act of worship he’s proposing here is not for the Lord as far as Saul is concerned, it to have the people worship him.

So tonight as we leave here, let us thank the Lord OUR GOD for all that he has done and will do.…

Prayer ....