Sermon Tone Analysis

Is it possible to be a rebel and not recognize it?

lovers = philautos — selfish love, pertaining to the excessive love of oneself, self-centered

Swanson, J. (1997).

Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.).

Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Let’s look at the journey of one character in the Old Testament that resisted God’s Authority and how that was defined by the prophet of God.

God gives a command:

The Amalekites, a name which might sound vaguely familiar to the reader of the Bible, may be foreign to us, but these people are not strangers to the Israelites.

The Amalekites are one of the peoples dwelling in the southern part of Canaan.

When the Israelites left Egypt and set out toward Canaan (see Exodus 17:8ff.),

they were one of the first nations the Israelites encountered.

This is one of the surrounding nations with which Israel has continual conflict.

The Amalekites attack the Israelites, who disobediently seek to possess the promised land after their unbelief at Kadesh-barnea (see Numbers 14:25, 43, 45).

They join with the Midianites in attacking and plundering Israel, and are one of the nations which pose such a serious threat to Israel that Gideon needs reassurance of God’s presence with him in battle (see Judges 6:3, 33; 7:12).

This is the nation David attacks, which overruns the city of Ziklag and captures the families and goods of David and his men (see 1 Samuel 27:8; 30:1, 18; 2 Samuel 1:1).

The command to kill an entire nation and their cattle is not new.

God required the Israelites to do so when they encountered the Canaanite nations:

First, there are general reasons for the annihilation of peoples like the Canaanites.

These are the peoples who possess the promised land which God gave to Israel.

The primary reason stated above is that these peoples are exceedingly wicked.

If they are not totally wiped out, they will teach the Israelites their sinful ways and thus bring them under divine condemnation.

It is easy to see why all the fighting men of the enemy should be killed, but why the women, children, and cattle?

The sin of the Canaanites involved had defiled and corrupted their animals, and God would not allow any to survive.

Secondly, those whom God orders annihilated are those who are guilty, those for whom their punishment is just retribution.

While their predecessors may have sinned greatly, the people whom God orders Saul to destroy are guilty sinners themselves, for whom their fate is a just recompense:

But here’s what Saul did:

God defines Saul’s disobedience as rebellion and witchcraft.

rebellion; noun — 1. an act of violent or open resistance to an established government or ruler.

2. the action or process of resisting authority, control, or convention.

divination; noun — the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means.

late 14c., divinacioun, "act of foretelling by supernatural or magical means the future, or discovering what is hidden or obscure," from Old French divination (13c.), from Latin divinationem (nominative divinatio) "the power of foreseeing, prediction," noun of action from past-participle stem of divinare, literally "to be inspired by a god," from divinus "of a god," from divus "a god," related to deus "god, deity" (from PIE root *dyeu- "to shine," in derivatives "sky, heaven, god").

In other words - to be inspred by a god.

So what saul did was to plan or foresee a different future of his own choosing and the result was to take the place place of the divine.

How did Saul get there?

1.

He forgot how to be humble.

Saul actually hid when Samuel was going to anoint him to be king.

The Lord had to reveal to the prophet where he was.

2.

He forgot his anointing.

4.

He confused prophecy with position.

5.

He refused to wait.

5.

He relied on natural strength.

6.

He prioritized his way over God’s way.

What’s the remedy?

1. Humble yourself.

Look at Pastor Keith’s message from last week regarding John the Baptist.

2. Pray like Jesus.

3.

Because of grace, God accepts the rebellious who repent.