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What are we building? Introduction: 1. A humble beginning of Saul (1 Samuel 9:1-3) 2. A humble confession of Saul (1 Samuel 9:19-21) 3. A humble disposition of Saul (1 Samuel 9:20-23)
Saul Confirmed as King Saul endowed with the Spirit of God (1 Samuel 11:6) Saul leads the battle against the Ammonites (1 Samuel 11:11) Samuel commends Israel to Saul {Samuel’s Farewell Speech (1 Samuel 12:1-25)}
Saul’s greatest sin is his failure to put his trust in God. Though he had seen the Lord fighting the battle on their behalf, yet he puts himself in pre-eminent position and tries to play god for the people of Israel. TO WAIT ON GOD IS NOT A WASTE OF TIME The opposite of Faith is Fear. Saul’s troops were quaking with fear (1 Samuel 13:7). Saul as a leader failed to look at the situation at hand through the eyes of the Lord, rather he saw and assessed the situation through the eyes of his troops. WAS HE A LEADER OR JUST A FOLLOWER? Saul acted not in faith but in fear. He offered sacrifices to gain the Lord’s favour. (1 Samuel 13:12) Our devotion and worship to God ought not to be a means to an end but an end in itself. Saul used his acts of devotion to twist the arm of God. In reality these should be the ultimate expression of our indebtedness to God. Events that led to Saul’s rejection progressively. Escalating Fear and lack of Faith (13:5-7) An inch-deep devotion to God (13:8-10) He resorted to blame game (13:11) He failed to recognize that the battle belongs to the Lord (13:12) His partial obedience to God (15:1-3;9:15) He sought fame, glory and honor (15:10-12) “ Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” (1 Samuel 15:22-23) |