Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.
Saul, Israel's first king, was effective at first, but later failed to live up to God's high ideal for Israel's king.
The Elders told Samuel his son's were not fit to lead Israel and they
wanted a king as the other nations who would lead them into battle.
They wanted a strong leader who would bring all the tribes together and
be united.
Samuel saw this as a rejection of the LORD as
king. Samuel served as Israel's leader, knowing that the true leader
was the LORD, the true king of Israel. Samuel told them by doing so
they were rejecting God as their king.
God brought Saul to Samuel and showed that HE has chosen Saul to be king. In
1 Samuel, chapter 10-12 you can see all this come to life.
To listen to these chapters click here.
These three chapters show: Saul's transforming experience with the
prophetes (10:6-7); his "heart experience upon leaving Samuel (:9);
Saul's anointing by the Spirit of God (11:6); the victory over the
Ammonites (11:11); the promise of God (12:14); God's faithfulness to His
purpose (12:22). And all this was great --- however ---
Saul began his fall from grace.
Saul failed because he refused to obey God. In 1 Samuel 13:1-14 you
can see where Saul started his downward spiral. Saul waited for Samuel
to come and bless the army by offering a sacrifice. Saul's troops began
to desert and he panicked. Saul offered a sacrifice in disobedience to
God's command as this was a duty assigned only to God's priests.
Mistake number one.
Number two - Saul made a foolish vow (1
Samuel 14:24-45). In the midst of battle he vowed that anyone who ate
before the battle was completed would be put to death. His son,
Jonathan, heard not this vow and when he and his men came upon some wild
honey after a day of fighting they partook. Saul's men knew their
victory was owed to Jonathan and finally talked Saul out of the vow to
put Jonathan to death.
Mistake number three: after defeating
the Amalekites, whom she was to spare no one or any livestock, they let
king Agag and some prize livestock survive. (1 Samuel 15). At this
point the LORD came to Samuel saying "I am grieved that I have made Saul
king" (1 Sam. 15:11) Saul turned away from following God.
When Samuel confronted Saul with his disobedience, Saul justified his
actions by claiming the soldiers had taken the animals for a sacrifice
to God. Samuel made certain God wanted obedience, not sacrifice.
Because of Saul's disobedience God rejected Saul as king.
Think about some of Saul's excuses that we use today as well:
- we excuse our sins
- accuse others of being responsible for sins we have done
- care more about appearances that being right with God
- do we 'redo' God's commandment to make them fit our life
- sometimes we deny our sins
Yes, we can justify by saying this is human nature; justifying is a way
to ease our conscience and we still know we did wrong. Being obedient
to God is paramount to anything else. Take heart fellow Christians, we
are white because of the red blood of Jesus. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny
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