Obedience

Introduction

A. This is a text that could easily be made into two or three sermons. So our study time will be divided into three parts with corresponding songs and prayer time. 1 Samuel 15 is a text dealing with God’s rejection of Saul as king over Israel and the incidence that served as the main reason for Saul’s downfall. Our purpose today is to encourage us to listen to God and to hear his voice.

Disobedience

A. 15:1–11 gives us an idea of the very specific commands from God. Saul is to take the army and go and completely destroy the Amalekites. Even before we get into the text, we are faced with trying to understand what God is doing. What kind of God gives these kind of instructions in which he clearly says to kill children and infants? How do we justify such a command? Frankly, I’m not sure we can justify. This kind of God makes us uncomfortable. The truth is we want a God that is predictable, comfortable, a giant teddy bear, a god that is manageable. There are really three ways to approach texts like this:

1. Give up on God. Just decide this is a God too difficult to understand and that you aren’t going to waste another minute struggling with any god that makes you uncomfortable.

2. Put these texts under the heading of “the Old Testament god” and focus solely on the NT god who is perceived as nothing but love. While many have done this, it isn’t fair with the text nor with the true character of God.

3. The third way is to wrestle with the text and come to some conclusions about God that leave us perplexed. That somehow God is able to be both full of love and mercy and filled with wrath that will destroy. That his justice is completely intact while even making innocent suffer for the sin of their fathers. For the same God that can destroy the innocent because of the sins of the fathers is the same God who can fully forgive the sin of the repentant sinner who nailed his son to a tree. Fully just. Awe inspiring isn’t it?

4. But frankly I think we use texts like these to avoid one certain truth—what are you going to do with the clear commands of God upon your life. It is easy to discuss the “theology” of a text while ignoring the very clear call of God on your life. We can use texts like these as a smoke screen so that we don’t have to think about our own response to God’s will.

B. The command is given. Saul amasses his army. He attacks the nation that has been a thorn in Israel’s side almost from the day they crossed the Red Sea some 400 years ago. That is a lot of sin against God’s people. But when the battle is fully engaged, Saul and his men balk at what God wants. The best is saved and the king is spared. And God sees it and he grieves over Saul’s choice.

C. Samuel intercedes for Saul all night long. He hears the disappointment and anger in the voice of God and Samuel pleads for Saul. Samuel goes out to meet Saul and discovers that Saul has moved on to another city to erect a monument to himself. If you aren’t going to listen to God then you become God. Saul sets himself up as God. And when Saul sees Samuel, he trumpets his complete obedience. Even when he explains himself and the choices of his soldiers he still refuses to admit that he has sinned. He says he has fully obeyed God even though the king is being kept and the sheep and cattle are making so much noise that Saul has to yell over them.

D. Here’s the point. Partial obedience is really disobedience. We can rationalize. We can justify. We can explain. Our motives may be pure. We can even think that there is a better way. But to ignore God’s command is to disobey. This is what happens when we set ourselves up to be God. We don’t listen; we think we know what is best; we disobey. Let’s commit ourselves to obedience as we sing songs to remind us of that principle.

Anointed

A. Obedience is hard. We would rather have others obey us than we obey. Obedience demands sacrifice and such is not valued in our culture. I want us to notice something about this text in preparation for taking the Lord’s Supper. Samuel has stopped Saul from justifying his disobedience and calls on him to listen to God’s word. But Samuel doesn’t chew on Saul. Instead he reminds him of two great truths.

B. First, God made you king over Israel. Saul had no right to being king. There was nothing about Saul that would have brought people to submit to him. God had brought him up from one of the least to lead the people. Saul forgot what brung him. We are here today because God took us from the lowly and lifted us up to be with him. We had no right to be one of God’s children. I suggest to you that God doesn’t make any mistakes when it comes to choosing us to be his children. I would also suggest that if we forget what God has done for us, then like Saul we will forget what brung us. Let’s sing #606 “Remind Me Dear Lord” and then share in the bread together.

C. The second reminder Samuel gave to Saul is that God gave him a mission to do and Saul didn’t follow the directives. We, too, have been given a mission. What possible explanation can you give for not completing your mission? Our mission is to speak for God. To be God’s ambassador in this world. The one who has chosen us to be his child has given us the opportunity to talk about how good he has been. Let’s share the cup together now recognizing that Jesus’ mission was completed at the cross and that we now, too, share in his mission.

Application

A. Confronted with his disobedience and reminded of God’s grace in making him king and his mission as Israel’s king, Saul repents. And in that repentance he tells us why we disobey and why we do not complete our mission—fear. Afraid of what the people would think of him as king; afraid that they wouldn’t like him; afraid that they would rebel against him; afraid that they would challenge his leadership—afraid of the people, Saul disobeys God.

B. We know that something needs to change when we are afraid of the created rather than wonderfully awe inspired by the Creator. As so often is true, we don’t realize the significant until it is taken from us. Saul took his role as king for granted. Then when it is taken away he pleads for Samuel to remain attached. The consequence of sin separates. Is such separation permanent? We know it isn’t. But the sin may result in permanent separation in some relationship although God never gives up on us. The text tells us that Samuel never spent another day with Saul. For the entirety of his reign, Saul never again saw Samuel. Sin separates.

C. There is some debate if Saul’s repentance is genuine. The Bible doesn’t tell us. While he does confess his sin, notice in verse 30 that Saul’s desire for Samuel to remain close is so that Saul will still be revered in the eyes of the people. In other words, Saul wants Samuel close so that his reign as king will remain intact. His confession seems disingenuous. This better explains why Samuel refuses to see Saul again. It also explains why Samuel returns to worship with Saul. Israel has a king. Saul’s end is already decided.

D. Here’s the point—God has called you out of sin. Do you hear his voice? He has given you a mission? Are you living within the boundaries of that mission. He wants real repentance. Sin separates. Sin has real consequences. Invitation.

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