Leading God's People
More than just music: Songs of unexpected reversals • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 37 viewsNotes
Transcript
Consequences of a halfhearted faith
Consequences of a halfhearted faith
Leadership is a topic on which everyone has an opinion. It is a pretty common human experience to be disappointed by our leaders. We probably remember the leaders who failed much more vividly than we do the leaders who have succeeded. Leaders make judgement calls and sometimes they fail to make needed decisions…
It seems like many times we actually expect leaders to fail. So, when they do, its not big surprise to us. And then… every now and then when a leader actually succeeds, we are skeptically shocked....
Why is that? Those with a Biblical worldview rightly understand that it is because of our sin nature. Mankind's rejection of God has left us morally weak and vulnerable… that includes everyone. Those who lead and those who follow.
A wise leader will put a system of checks and balances in place… and have the proper amount of accountability to make sure that his sinful human nature… stays in check. A whole-hearted trust in the Lord is at the center of a wise person’s ability to lead.
The leader who does not fully trust in (by faith) the Lord… leads his people down a slippery slope.
Leadership is a huge task to undertake.
You have the task of leading people (who may not want to be led) through a process of achieving a goal (that they might not want achieve).... all the while being the one who is held ultimately responsible.
But what happens when the leader fails? Or, worse yet… he leads.. but in the wrong direction?
1 Samuel is a narrative of great upsets and unexpected reversals… but it is also a lesson in leadership.
The events in Saul’s life serve as a case study in how not to lead the people of God… whom God had chosen as His people… and through whom He would eventually bring blessing to the entire world.
As you open your bibles to 1 Samuel 15, we are presented with the final piece of evidence in the case study of Saul’s leadership of God’s people.
The end of chapter 14, (47-52) gave us an overview summary of Saul’s entire reign. Now as we move ahead, we will see:
1. Saul miss an opportunity for redemption (1-9)
2. God will clearly proclaim what he wants… and what he doesn’t want (10-23)
3. Saul’s half-hearted response.... and the consequences that come with it
We have made it to the halfway point in 1 Samuel. We also find ourselves standing on the edge of a super important moment in Saul’s life.
Saul is at a turning point in his role as ruler. Today he must choose which path he will follow. He can either choose to be faithful to the Lord, submit to Him… which will lead to eternal blessings. Or, he can choose to act in rebellion, and fail to submit to the Lord… which leads to rejection (of the Lord.... and by the Lord.)
Samuel begins chapter 15 by reminding Saul of his unique kingship… and then informs Saul that the Lord is giving him a second chance… an opportunity for redemption.
I. An Opportunity for Redemption (1-9)
And Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord.
Samuel starts out by reminding Saul of the reality that he is not king because of his acts of courageousness or his royal lineage..... Saul is king ONLY because God had chosen him to be the king. As we have walked through the last few chapters, it seems like Saul has given little thought to that fact.
In verse 1, Samuel is emphasizing that God had sent him to anoint Saul as king, and Saul was to remember that part of God’s deal for the Kingdom (1 Samuel 10:25) was that the king is not the ultimate authority in Israel. The king was to be subject to God’s prophet.... and that the people over whom Saul reigned were not his people.... they were God’s people!
In Chapters 14-15, it seems like Saul forgets that Israel are the Lord’s people… not his.
Saul was to be the ruler over God’s people… submitting to God’s Word… delivered by God’s prophet....
Samuel reminds Saul of this in verse 1 when he commands, “now therefore listen to the words of the LORD.”
The original is more forceful and clear.... “Hear the sound (or voice) of the words of the LORD.”
Saul… .above everything you will ever do.... you MUST listen to and obey the words of God!
That is true for us as well! We MUST listen to… and obey the words of God preserved for us in the Bible!
Samuel delivers the Word of the Lord to Saul in verse 3.
Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”
These are some pretty disturbing words to hear. While actions like this are pretty horrific, we need to make sure we don’t avoid, take out of context, or caricature part of the bible like this. We need to make sure we remember that God always has been and still is “the judge of all the earth” who does only what is just and right! (Gen. 18:25). These are hard concepts to wrestle with… but we have to make sure we are wrestling with them through the lens of a biblical worldview.
Who was Amalek? He was the grandson of Esau (Gen. 36:12). His descendants were called Amalekites… and they had a long history of violence and hostility towards Israel. They were actually the first human threat to Israel after the Exodus (Exodus 17:8-16). After that event in Exodus 17, God actually said that he would “utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven” (Exodus 17:14).
Amalek’s decision to fight against the Lord… and rebel against Him was met with severe consequences.
An interesting principle that we’ll see a few times today is introduced here....
Disobedience and rebellion against the Lord rarely only effects one person… In this instance the consequences for Amalek’s rebellion against the Lord.... extended for generations.
Now Saul is being told to deliver the judgement that God had pronounced back in Exodus 17. Actually… after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness… right before the people entered the Promised Land, Moses had reminded them about God’s judgment on Amalek. Let’s look at Deuteronomy 25:17-19. Listen to the word of God and see if there is any connection with what Samuel has just told Saul to do.
“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. Therefore when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.
Saul was to obediently act as God’s hand of terrible (yet righteous) judgement against all those who habitually rejected and opposed Yahweh in the Land!
As terrible as the instructions were… to “devote everything to destruction so that no one was to escape”… we have to remember that this was the divine judgment from Holy and Just God on those who had rejected and rebelled against Him and His people!
Now, verses 4-9 tell us exactly how Saul responded to the Word of God.
So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley.
Saul is starting out very well and prepares the nation to obey the Words of the Lord.
Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
Saul seems to take a fair amount of care in making sure that he does not go beyond the words of the Lord. The Kenites were not included in the judgement of Amalek… we should be impressed with Saul. It seems like he doesn’t want to incur any collateral damage.
But next is where we are going to start seeing problems emerge.
Remember back in verse 3, God used the phrase, “devote to destruction” in his instructions about the Amalekites. Pretty clear and strong Hebrew that means to totally exterminate / annihilate. Pay attention to Saul’s application.
And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. 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.
Verse 8 tells us that Saul (and the people) took Agag alive (to seize or capture).... then in verse 9 we are told that Saul spared (took pity on.. had compassion for) Agag and the best of everything that they thought was good.
Then the end of verse 9 says that “they would not utterly destroy them”. Same Hebrew Word that God used that is translated as devote to destruction. So.... Saul has now led the people to do the exact opposite of what God had commanded.
God was giving Saul a second chance… to grow into the position to which he had been anointed. God was graciously giving Saul another chance for obedience....
Saul was supposed to be the representative of God’s justice and righteousness..... but instead Saul blows this opportunity and continues down his self-righteous path of deception and disobedience.
When you read the Hebrew text. the author seems to put a special emphasis in the text that helps us understand that it was Saul who spared the king and the best of the spoils of war. Saul was the leader.... He was responsible for his own obedience as well as the obedience of the people.... and the text tells us that Saul was the one who rejected God’s Word and led the people to do so as well.
In just a moment when we get to verse 24, we’ll see how significant it was that Saul did these acts… and the people joined him.
God had given Saul an opportunity for redemption.... but Saul misses it and leads the people down his own pathway of pride and self-righteousness.
God had called Saul to serve and protect the people.... Saul didn’t show much confidence in himself as God’s anointed.... and he definitely didn’t show any confidence in the Lord through his rejection of His command.
Disobedience rarely only affects one person. —> When Saul disobeyed…. he led the people in disobedience.
Saul has missed his opportunity for redemption.... and now God responds by clarifying to Saul… and every one of us… exactly what He does not want.
II. What God doesn’t want.... (10-23)
The word of the Lord came to Samuel: “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.
It is amazing that God… our eternal… all powerful Creator and Sovereign Lord..... interacts with his creation in such a way that our failures affect him.
God’s words given to Samuel tell us that the Lord was so grieved by Saul’s failure to listen and obey… that he regretted making him king!
We cannot underestimate the depth of this tragedy.
The only other time that this language is used in Scripture is when Moses was describing the days of Noah in Genesis 6:5-6.
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
The word “regret”, in this context does not mean that God made a mistake. It is often translated as “the Lord was sorry”. The word expresses God’s disappointment.
In Gen. 6, that disappointment is in the habitual violence and wickedness of man during Noah’s day (which led to a worldwide flood destroying almost everything that God had made). When we see the word used in 1 Sam. 15, it is expressing God’s disappointment and sorrow over a king who has been appointed, who refused to listen to (and obey) the sound of the Lord’s voice.
Let that sink in for a minute.
God was grieved.... he was sorrowful. To put it in modern terms.... His heart was broken… at the sinfulness and rebellion of Saul’s heart. — Each and every time one of God’s people sins… and rebels against Him… we break his heart.... He is grieved.... he is sorrowful.
Samuel understood the grief that God had expressed and it made him angry. We are told that he cried to the Lord all night long. We are not told whether Samuel was angry at God or at Saul… or maybe at the whole situation. Maybe Samuel didn’t know how to respond.... He just knew that what had happened was wrong… and it was so wrong.. that God Himself was grieved..... and sorrowful about it.
Samuel was angry at sin… he was righteously angry! How often do we get angry at sin?
When was the last time you become deeply angry at the sin in your life… or in the lives of others? Not angry at the person… but at the sin! Samuel… knew how Holy God is… Samuel know how deeply grieved..... the sins of mankind affect the heart of God.
(Someone was recently telling me their testimony.. and they made the comment: “your kids can hurt you more than anyone else”. The rebellion and sins of the people of God..... grieve Him.... and bring a sorrow to HIs heart… like nothing else.
Samuel knew that and it made him angry!
Friends, do you know one reason why our evangelistic efforts seem to fall flat? We have lost a passion for God’s holiness.... and we have become numb to the wickedness of sin..... to the point where we don’t get angry at sin.... we have become immune to its effects.
I think Samuel was just distraught… and frustrated. Remember back in 1 Sam. 12:15, Samuel had told the people the consequences of a disobedient king. Now as those consequences are becoming more of a reality… Samuel understood the how big of a deal this was..... and all he could do was to cry out to the Lord....
What happens next is one of the biggest confrontations recorded in Scripture. The prophet Samuel meets the defiant King Saul.
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.” And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.”
Saul had just defied the direct command of the Lord… and he feels pretty good about it. In fact he feels so good about it, verse 12 that Saul goes to the area of Carmel (different place than the time of Elijah) and erects for himself a monument to his own greatness!
I mean who does that?
Haven’t we all at one time or another? How many of us have disregarded the Word of the Lord in some way.... and then later talked proudly about how amazing we were in that moment?
When we sin… and are not convicted of it… we are in a very dangerous place.
That is exactly what Saul did. He had sinned… and instead of being convicted of it.... he builds a statue to celebrate!
Saul has shown that he has no confidence in the Lord.... or in his calling as ruler… but.... he is full of righteousness and false bravado!
Anyone who follows this path… is in a dangerous spiritual place. This is the path that leads to destruction. The path of self-righteousness, deception and disobedience.
Saul was so deceived.... that he greets Samual by saying… “I’m so amazing.... I did exactly what the Lord me to do!”
In verses 14-15, Samuel is quick to point out .... “hey Saul… if you’ve done exactly what the Lord said to do… then why do I hear all of these farm animals making sounds? You were supposed to destroy everything!”
Saul responds and says.... They (the people) brought all of these from the Amalekites so that they could make a sacrifice to the Lord!
First of all, Saul is blame-shifting..... Second, its like he got caught disobeying… and is saying… but I did it for a really good reason!
Yes, I embezzled all that money… but I was going to most of it to the church!
Samuel stops Saul mid sentence.... as if to say.. I’ve heard enough....now let me tell you what the Lord said to me tonight!
In verses 17-19, Samuel basically says… Saul… you were no body when I met you… but now the Lord Himself has anointed you to be king over Israel! You totally messed that up and now the Lord is giving you a second chance! You were supposed to obey God and do exactly as he said.... why didn’t you obey the voice of the Lord?
Why did you take all of the good things and do what is evil in the sight of the Lord?
Now, here is probably one of the saddest statements to come out of Saul’s mouth.
Verse 20: “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord”. (Oh really?… then God’s Word revealed to Samuel must have been wrong then!)
Saul: I have brought Agag the king of Amalek (but Saul you were supposed to kill him not capture him)
Saul: It was the people who took all the best things to bring and sacrifice to the Lord. (but you didn’t obey! You did what was right in your eyes.... you have refused to listen to the Words of the Lord… and worse yet.. you’ve led the people to directly disobey God!)
Next, Samuel utters some of the most famous words recorded in the Old Testament. What Samuel says next is the key to understanding the worship of God.... in both the Old and New Testaments.
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.
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.”
Saul… what is better? To obey? Or to sacrifice?
To obey is better than sacrifice!
This is a truth that has been taught since the beginning.
Cain/ Abel: Can wasn’t rejected only because he brought fruit instead of an animal..... He was rejected because of his heart… he had not obeyed the Lord (He had not had the right heart attitude.) His mindset was that the sacrifice was what was most important.. not his relationship… not his obedience.... he was wrong.
Now Saul… finds himself in the same place as his spiritual father… Cain.
I’ve disobeyed… so that I can bring you a sacrifice!
God says.... I don’t want your sacrifice.... if I don’t have your obedience.... if I don’t have your heart!
Friends… God does not need your works.... he does not need your funds.... he does not need you gifts..... He doesn’t need anything! He has never needed anything!
But, God does want something! He wants your heart! He wants your obedience! He wants your soul to be in fellowship with Him!
(mini application: on giving)
Make sure you understand what is going on here. Samuel has said that obedience is better than sacrifice… then he lists the physical sin… and connects it with its spiritual counterpart.
Rebelling against God = divination (witchcraft/ idolatry) — Saul was his own idol!
Presumption = stubbornness (living as if there is no God… or worse yet… living as if you are god).
Through his heart attitude and his actions… Saul had rejected the Lord. Because of his rejection of the Lord.... Samuel states that the Lord had now rejected Saul from being king. (Big principle that will keep coming up throughout the Bible.... those who continually reject God will one day be rejected by Him!)
Did you get that? Saul’s rejection of the Lord… led to God’s rejection of Saul.
A lot has just happened that we need to digest. Let’s reflect on some of the main truths we have just been told.
Sin grieves the heart of God… and it should grieve our hearts to the point of righteous anger and holy action
Sin is so deceptive that eventually we become oblivious to its presence in our lives
(Embracing the deceptiveness of sin leads us to becoming oblivious to its presence in our lives.)
Self-righteousness is as dangerous to the soul of man as the executioners blade to the one on the chopping block.
Our habitual rejection of God will lead to His sorrowful, yet eternal rejection of us.
Saul has sinfully rejected the Lord… and God has confronted him with his sin… and has revealed to us exactly what God wants… and what He doesn’t want.
How does Saul respond? Unfortunately, Saul responds with only a half-hearted repentance.
III. Half hearted Repentance (24-34)
Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
Finally! Saul admits his sin! Great!… there is hope!
But hold on! Earlier the author presented us with the reality that Saul had led the people down this road.
Now it seems like the full truth is coming out. Saul is either blame shifting again… or he is admitting that he had not been able to lead the people..... but they had actually led him.
He was responsible for their being obedient to the Lord.... since he was afraid of losing his power… or of what the people would say or do.... he either stood by and did nothing… or he led them down the path that they wanted to go.... towards disobedience.
And now… instead of taking responsibility… he throws them under the bus.
Samuel.... its’ not my fault! The people made me do it! I was afraid of them! (Isn’t this the same guy that was so proud and self-righteous that he built a monument to himself?). Lame!
Based on his actions and his words in verse 24, we are starting to see that his repentance… are in words only. But, there’s more!
Notice that Saul’s soul is not grieved over his sin.... Saul is not repenting (turning 108 degrees) from his sin..... he is not motivated by the holiness of God....
What he is motivated by is the fear of man!
Saul was told back in 1 Samuel 12:14-15 that he was to fear the Lord… serve Him… and obey Him..... and if he didn’t listen to the word of the Lord that the Lord would be against him.
Saul had feared the people… and obeyed their voice.
Maybe now… Saul had come to his senses as he asks for forgiveness in verse 25.
Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the Lord.” And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
There is not enough information here to tell if Saul is sincere in his asking for forgiveness or not. He very well might be in this moment.
The big take away from this part of the narrative that we have to pay attention to is directly connected with the people’s demand for a king back in chapter 8.
In Chapter 8, the people demanded a king… and God told Samuel to “obey the voice of the people”. Now, in chapter 15, we see where obeying the voice of the people had led them.
The King who was appointed by “obeying their voice”.... had failed precisely because he had “obeyed their voice”.
While this might be the way a democratic system of human government functions.... this is not how God’s kingdom is ruled.
The king who obeys the voice of the people… rather than the voice of God… cannot be king over God’s people!
Samuel again tells Saul that he has been rejected as king over Israel.
As you read the rest of the chapter you see Saul groveling at Samuels feet… tearing his robe…
Then Samuel tells him.... just like this piece of fabric has been torn from my robe… so has the kingdom been torn from your hand and given it to a neighbor who is better than you.
Who is that better neighbor? According to 1 Samuel 13:14, it would be a man after God’s own heart.
As the narrative continues… Saul begs Samuel to return to the city with him… so that he would be honored before the elders.
Again, this is a clue that Saul’s repentance was half-hearted.... because rather than being concerned about how he stood before God.... he was more concerned with saving face before man.
All Saul was seeking was his dignity before the people, when he should have been seeking restoration and redemption before the Lord.
As the event comes to a close, Samuel… passionate about God’s justice will not let Saul’s sin go up redeemed.
He calls for Agag, who by now thought that the danger of battle had passed and was probably getting pretty comfortable as Saul’s prisoner.
We are then told in verse 33 that Samuel pulls out his sword and cuts Agag up into pieces before the Lord.
Samuel finished what Saul did not. Samuel was passionate about obeying the word of the Lord.... and he acted like it!
Chapter 15 ends with these sobering words.
And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
Samuel is grieving over the whole situation!
And the Lord is sorrowful and heart broken over how the one whom he had called… responded in rejection and rebellion.
Seeking the favor of man… and disregarding the favor of the Lord.
Application/ Conclusion:
We might not have been called as king… but if you are a believer today you have been called as a disciple of Christ. Each and every time we act in sin, rebellion, or unfaithfulness… we grieve the very heart of God!
How does that affect us? Does the sin of the world grieve us as much as it grieves the Lord?
If it did, I think we would be much more active in sharing our faith.... and desperately helping the people in our community see their need for Christ!
Chapters 1-15 of 1 Samuel have been a case study in the leadership of God’s people. Saul has been the subject of that case study. Saul has failed.
While the fallen Saul grieved the heart of God.... he does serve as a sign board that points us to the King who did not fail.
Saul was to bring the judgement of God to the world… and failed. Later the true King would come.... and would bring God’s judgement to the world without fail. (Acts 10:42, 2 Timothy 4:1)
Acts 17:31 tells us that the day has been set when Jesus, as God’s appointed King over the world will bring “the righteous judgment of God”, “inflicting vengeance` on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. (Acts 17:31; Revelation 11:15; 2 Thessalonians. 1:5, 8)
But… the gospel also includes the wonderful news that this very same Jesus “delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).
Yes, there will be judgment! But, there is also a way to be rescued!
The gospel of Jesus Christ both warns us of the coming judgment and calls us to the Savior.... our Rescuer, Redeemer and Lord!
Saul’s mission to judge the Amalekites was a local, small scale anticipation of the judgement that will finally come to the whole world at the hands of God’s appointed King.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 and Ephesians 6:1-20 tell us that our battle.... is a spiritual battle for the proclamation of the gospel. It is a battle where physical violence has no place… and where our focus cannot be simply on the busy-ness of social reform.
Our battle is a spiritual battle where souls are won for Christ.... and the lost are redeemed and reconciled through His Gospel… for His Glory!
That is our mission… that is our calling!
To multiply Disciples of Christ through the transformation of lives locally and globally!
Main idea:
Faithfulness and submission to the Lord leads to eternal blessings
Failure to fully submit to the Lord leads to rebellion and rejection (of the Lord… and by the Lord)
(I hope that those truths are either comforting or convicting to you today. You need to respond to one of those truths.... the condition of your heart… and the real-ness of your relationship with Jesus will determine to which truth you will respond)
Our Response:
Be Alert! The consequences of your actions affect others. (Pay Attention)
Be Ready! Opportunities for redemption are presented often. (Don’t miss them!)
Be Faithful! God wants your heart and demands your obedience. (Relationship with Christ is exponentially more important than your sacrifice! Your obedience to Christ should be the basis for your giving and serving.... not the other way around.)
Be Passionate! God is our audience! His holiness is worthy of our passionate response (His Holiness is worthy of our faithfulness!)
