Sermon
Saul
July 4, 2004
Pastor Donald Sheley

Today we come to the man named Saul. The Lord willing, next week we're going to talk about Job. Someone has written that the story of Saul is one of those uncomfortable stories of the Bible. It's a story of a man who starts high, but ends low. I had someone tell me after the last service, Pastor, that wasn't a very happy story, was it? No it isn't.

Some years ago I thought I would spend at least one Sunday talking about Judas. I've only preached on him once and will never preach on him again. It really wasn't a good subject to talk about. And I've wrestled with this particular story all week, and it has troubled me at times to watch again as a man deteriorates before our very eyes. You come to know him almost like Samuel did. When Samuel met Saul he was tall, he was handsome, he was a very capable person. And I believe as we read the text of the Scripture we'll see that Samuel really does like Saul. In fact when Samuel is informed by Almighty God that Saul's days and his kingdom is coming to an end, Samuel spends the night crying. He likes Saul very much. But he cried because he watched a man whom he appreciated destroy himself.

Now if you have your Bible...I trust all of you will have one because we're going to go through the Bible story and we'll follow very closely. It's 1 Samuel chapter 8. Let me give you just a brief history. As Joshua takes children of Israel, brings them into the Promised Land, the nation or the little tribes that settled in the Promised Land were ruled by God Himself by what is known as a theocracy. That is, God ruled His people through the prophets. They would live a number of years and then depart from the faith, and He would bring prophets onto the scene. The prophets would bring them back to God and God would help them through their battles, and then years would pass. But they knew that they were a people governed by Jehovah God. It was a theocracy.

But now we come to about the year of 1050 B.C. and we're just 1050 years before the birth of Christ, and this nation who has been ruled by God decides they don't like that anymore. They don't want God to rule over them, and so that's where our story starts.

Chapter 8, 1 Samuel: Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.

I pause there. As I read that I thank God for my boys. God gave me three wonderful, wonderful sons. They have brought tremendous joy to my heart. They serve in the ministry along with me. They have chosen to love God as I love God. But as I read that my heart went out to Samuel, a marvelous man of God, but his two boys didn't follow dad's footsteps; they perverted justice.

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.

Verse 9: However, you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them." In other words, Samuel, listen to the people, but you tell them the pros and the cons, the positives and the negatives, about being ruled by a human being -- a monarchy.

Look at verse 22: So the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed their voice, and make them a king." And Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Every man go to his city." They accepted the fact that Samuel had listened to their request, God was going to give them the king, and now it was up to Samuel to go find that king.

Now we're at chapter 9: There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.

I'll tell the story and then I'll fill it in with Scripture verses. Kish said to Saul one day, we've lost some donkeys, go find them. And so Saul is out looking for those donkeys and at about verse 5 of chapter 9 he gives up and he's ready to go home. Verse 6 his servant says, "Look now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable man; all that he says surely comes to pass. So let us go there; perhaps he can show us the way that we should go." And so his servant convinces him and they go to the city and look for this man of God.

Look at verse 11: As they went up the hill to the city, they met some young women going out to draw water, and said to them, "Is the seer (or is the prophet) here?" And they answered them and said, "Yes, there he is, just ahead of you. Hurry now; for today he came to this city, because there is a sacrifice of the people today on the high place. As soon as you come into the city, you will surely find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now therefore, go up, for about this time you will find him." So they went up to the city. As they were coming into the city, there was Samuel, coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.

Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying, "Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over all My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me."

So when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, "There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people." Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, "Please tell me, where is the seer's house?" Samuel answered Saul and said, "I am the seer" (I'm the prophet). Quickly Samuel says, now you don't have to worry, the donkeys have been found. But I want to invite you to a very special dinner.

Look at verse 22: Now Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and had them sit in the place of honor among those who were invited; there were about thirty persons. So after this special meal, look at verse 25, and When they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the top of the house. They arose early; and it was about the dawning of the day that Samuel called to Saul on the top of the house, saying, "Get up, that I may send you on your way." And Saul arose, and both of them went outside, he and Samuel.

As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead of us." And he went on. "But you stand here awhile, that I may announce to you the word of God." Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: "Is it not because the LORD has anointed you commander over His inheritance?"

So in a quiet one-to-one ceremony Samuel anoints Saul, and then he says to Saul, now there will be a number of things that are going to happen to you, a number of signs, that will prove that your position is authentic. Notice verse 6: Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. Look at verse 9: So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

So those signs came true and it says that in that experience Saul was given a new heart and the Spirit of God comes upon him. Look at verse 17 -- it comes time now to tell the people: Then Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah, and said to the children of Israel, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: "I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you. But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, No, set a king over us! Now therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans."

So the various groups, the families, come in front of Samuel and you'll notice that in verse 22 it says: And Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found. Therefore they inquired of the LORD further, "Has the man come here yet?" And the LORD answered, "There he is, hidden among the equipment." Now that's an interesting scene. Here's Saul going to be presented to the nation and he's hiding -- in some Bibles it says in the baggage. This one says he's hiding in the equipment, but he's bashful, he doesn't want to make himself present there in front of all of his people so he hides.

So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?" So all the people shouted and said, "Long live the king!"

Look at verse 27: But some rebels said, "How can this man save us?" So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.

Now Chapter 11 tells the story of his first skirmish. Saul was a man of war so we have his first battle and he wins. Look at verse 11: So it was, on the next day, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and killed Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it happened that those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together. Then the people said to Samuel, "Who is he who said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring the men, that we may put them to death."

But Saul said, "Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has accomplished salvation in Israel." Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there." So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

So now we have the scene: Saul is in charge, he's the king, Samuel now is going to fade from the scene, his work is primarily finished. So he gives the address at the coronation of Saul. Chapter 12 is that message. Here's the heart of the message...look at verse 13: "Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note, the LORD has set a king over you. If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the LORD your God. However, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as it was against your fathers." And he finishes his coronation address and now we come to chapter 13.

Saul again is involved in a battle and he's going to go fight the Philistines, but here's what happens: Samuel says now before you go to battle I'll be there...in seven days I'll be there and I'll provide the sacrifice. Because they believed in those days that when they fought they were fighting for God, and they wanted God's blessing so they had this sacrifice. So Samuel says I'll be there and then we'll have the sacrifice and then you can go to battle.

Look at verse 8, this is Saul: Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. So Saul said, "Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me." And he offered the burnt offering. Yes he's king, but he's not a priest nor a prophet and only a priest or a prophet can offer the sacrifice. Here's the sin of presumption.

Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. And Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul said, "When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, 'The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD.' Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering."

And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."

Now let's go to chapter 15. Here's another battle. He's told that he is to go, Saul is to go, and he is to attack Amalek and destroy that nation. Amalek or the Amalekites, where the people who gave the children of Israel such a terrible time as they made their way out of Egypt, and now it's time for God to pay them back. And he is saying to Saul, I want you to and that nation. You notice verse 3, He said, you are to kill man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey. Nothing is to remain. But we have Saul, he attacks the city, and he violates again what Samuel has told him. He takes the king, king Agag, and he keeps him. He's to kill everybody, but he keeps the king and he separates out all the finest animals that he can find and he has them.

Look at verse 9: But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed. Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, "I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night.

So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, "Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal." Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD." Now that's a lie Saul.

But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" And Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites." And when we read the next verses he blames it on the people. Look at verse 21: But the people took of the plunder. Now remember he's king. He could have told them what to do. The people did it -- the sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice...we did it to sacrifice to the LORD. Look at the next word, not my God, but your God. Saul doesn't even identify with Jehovah. He said we did this so we could sacrifice to your God.

And boy, Samuel lays in a sermon that has lasted for 3000 years. "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 heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king."

Notice that line, to obey is better than sacrifice. Samuel says to Saul, Saul, I don't care how many sacrifices you make, I don't care how many rivers of blood run from your altars, I don't care how much religion you've got, the heart of our relationship with Almighty God is obedience. And all of this religious activity that you're going through is nothing better than witchcraft. Now that is a solemn statement folks. God said I can be as religious as I want to be, but if I live my life in disobedience to God's word, all my religion is about as valuable as witchcraft.

That something, isn't it? But God is straight on this one. I think of this in terms of the church...we can be religious, but if the church departs from the absolute obedience to the word of God and we violate the commands of God, and we bring into leadership people of deviant lifestyles and then we call it Christianity -- no it isn't! It's witchcraft! And it would be better if we take those churches and tear off the name of Christianity and put 'We practice witchcraft' here. It's serious, because if I'm going to say I'm a person of God, then what God says: then you obey Me, and if you don't it's worse than witchcraft.

When I thought about that folks all week long I said, dear God, that is a tremendous statement. God said what I really want Saul is I just want you to obey Me; just obey Me; obey My commandments. Won't you do that?

Look at verse 35. Here's the sad part. Now the fall takes place. Look at what happens: And Samuel went no more to see Saul. Now if we had a map before us folks, Samuel lived just 10 miles, a days walking journey from Saul. But Samuel stopped his friendship and his fellowship with Saul. It was all over.

Now look at chapter 16. It says: But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him. And Saul's servants said to him, "Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you." Now ladies and gentlemen, that is a sad moment when God said, I had enough Saul, you've disobeyed Me enough, I'm removing My Myself My spirit from you. And entering into Saul was a distressing spirit that he lived with for the rest of his days. God was no longer a part of his life.

Now look at what happens. Go with me to chapter 28. Once the downward spiral starts, it really gets tragic. But you have to think, here's Saul, mighty among the people, blessed of God, the Spirit of God upon him, and yet he keeps disobeying God's commands -- disobedience -- disobedience -- disobedience. And God finally says I've had enough. You know there's a Scripture verse way back in Genesis chapter 6 verse 3 that says, My spirit will not always strive with man. And that was written just before God destroyed this world with a flood and only eight were saved. There comes a time when we can push God to the limit, ignore Him, disobeying Him, turn against Him, and finally He says I've had it. Now that is a solemn moment, but that's what He says to Saul.

So now we come to chapter 28 and we're in verse 3. Here's another battle and Saul is faced with these Philistines. Look at verse 3: Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land. Now here's what Saul had declared -- there would be no more astrologists, there will be no more psychics, there will be no more mediums and spiritists in our land. So he ruled them out.

So it says: Then the Philistines gathered together, and came and encamped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at Endor."

So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, "Please conduct a séance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you." Then the woman said to him, "Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?" And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, "As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing."

Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" And he said, "Bring up Samuel for me." When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, "Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!" And the king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What did you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth." So he said to her, "What is his form?" And she said, "An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle." And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down.

Now Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" And Saul answered, "I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do." Then Samuel said: "So why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy? And the LORD has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek."

Now ladies and gentlemen, in all the Bible here's possibly not a more stranger scene. Here is a medium, a spiritist, a woman of the devil...she deals with hell and the demons, and she responds to Saul's request. Now in our Bible when we read it it looks like Samuel does come back from the grave and he talks with Saul, but that's really not what Scripture as saying.

You know, there are many commentaries on this particular passage and so what I did is I went back 300 years to the writings of Matthew Henry, one of the great theologians of church history, and I thought surely -- his book was written in 1703 -- and I thought Matthew Henry, what is he going to say about this incident? And here's what Matthew Henry says: that Satan took on the form of Samuel and an apparition and appeared, and what you have is you have is you have Saul talking with Satan.

Heaven won't listen, and Samuel won't come over, so Saul goes knocking on the gate of the hell to find out from Satan would he should do next. That is tragic folks. But what you see here, again, a man that God chose to bless who disobeyed, disobeyed, disobeyed, disobeyed, and God says I've had enough. This is the end. Now with this evil spirit, this distressing spirit, he goes and plunges so deep he seeks for advice from a servant of the devil. It's a solemn moment, isn't it? And it isn't good. Old Satan says to Saul, you're going to lose the battle and tomorrow you'll be here with me.

Saul falls prostrate; he just can't take this, this is the end as far as he's concerned. And it really is, look at, go with me to chapter 31 and the story's almost over. Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons. That's sad, isn't it? He has to see the death of his own boys in front of him.

The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armorbearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me." But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it (his sword). And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword, and died with him. So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.

I told you it's an uncomfortable story. You say, Pastor, we can learn from other people's lives. What is the lesson we can learn from Saul? I think it's very, very clear. God is very serious about this matter of obeying Him -- obedience. You can take and go through the Scriptures and you trace the lives of men who obeyed God and you'll find that they were lives blessed by God. Blessing always follows obedience -- it's always so.

But when you come to lives that are lived in disobedience, you'll find discipline, God's discipline, sometimes His wrath, His judgment, and sometimes death. You know, we take communion each Sunday. We read a passage that is very similar. God says...when Paul writes this concerning the church at Corinth he said the reason why some of you people have died is because you have misused, you've misunderstood, you've taken something very sacred and you turned it wrong. You've died because you misused the communion.

What I'm saying is disobedience to God brings God's judgment. And folks I've lived long enough to know that that's true, and my prayer is that all of us will learn to be people who...when God says something -- let's do it! Let's be obedient people who are submissive to God, and when God's word declares something then let's follow it, because God's word says obedience as far better than being religious.

I've learned something and that is that if I in my life come to a moment of disobedience, and God has urged my heart. I have felt something. God has said, you know, Sheley, this has got to change. You've got to go to this person. You've got to ask forgiveness. You've got to correct the problem. I have found that my natural sense is to not do that, but to try to go out this way...and in a few more days I'm out here. Every place I go God puts up His...I know it's wrong.

God simply says if you'll come back and take care of the matter where you disobeyed Me, and you seek forgiveness, we'll go on with our relationship. But if you don't, it stagnates right here. Ladies and gentlemen, that is a spiritual law. God speaks to us and He speaks to us in different ways. Sometimes we feel it in our heart; sometimes in the words of Scripture when we are reading our Bible, but God is saying to us -- I'd really like that matter corrected.

If we'll correct it, our spiritual life will continue to develop and grow, but if it doesn't, if we don't correct it, our spiritual progress stops at the act of disobedience. It stops. And I have known some people who have lived in disobedience for years, and haven't made an inch of spiritual progress. It's a tragedy.

If Saul would have just repented of his ways and said, God, Samuel, I'm sorry. But he doesn't, and he even moves himself away from Jehovah God and says I'm sacrificing to your God, but not mine. It's a serious story, isn't it? Every time I read it I just say, dear God, here's a man that could have been so richly blessed and he blew it all.

You and I today sit here and God wants to bless us with wonderful blessings folks. He really does. He wants our life to be rich and full. But He can only do that for us when we're obedient to His word. And He loves to bless obedient people. Amen? That's true. Let's pray.

Father in heaven, it is a difficult story; almost uncomfortable. But we learn from the lives of others, truths that we can apply to our life that will help us to be better people. The lesson is simple today. You want our obedience more than anything else, and with that obedience comes blessing. Help us to be obedient followers of You, dear Christ, I pray. And everybody said, amen. God bless you all. Thank you for coming.