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God doesn't need a disingenuous religious service.

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God doesn't want a surface-level religious practice.

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Going to church, donating something to church, listening to worship music or or tithing,
whatever it happens to be, it doesn't matter if you don't know God.

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The following message was recorded at Kingstree Church.

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May the Spirit use it to help you see, savor,

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And sing the beauty of God in the crucified and risen Jesus Christ.

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You can head to First Samuel chapter 15.

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We'll be covering chapter 15 this morning.

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Now we left off last time, the end of chapter 14.

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A few things happened.

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We had Israel score a great victory over the Philistines, but just barely.

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If you remember, it's because Jonathan took the initiative.

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He and his armor bearer, with their faith in God, went out and attacked that Philistine
garrison.

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It threw the Philistines into a panic, and Israel won the day.

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Saul actually almost spoiled the whole thing with his foolish vow.

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Remember, he said that if anyone ate any food until the Philistines were completely
destroyed, then they would be killed.

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Jonathan did not hear this vow, and he had some honey to maintain his energy during the
battle.

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When Saul found this out, he was prepared to kill Jonathan, except for the fact that all
the people stood in the way and said, No, Jonathan is a war hero today.

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Jonathan's led us in battle, you're not gonna kill him.

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And so Saul backed off on that and did not kill Jonathan.

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Now, if you remember, I pointed out that chapter 14 ends in a really interesting way.

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It ended summing up the reign of Saul, summing up his accomplishments and

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Kind of giving a summary of everything that he had done.

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I said that's that's weird to see, because we normally see that in the Bible at the end of
a king's reign.

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The standard formula in the Old Testament is to have this chapter summing up the reign of
the king after his death, once his reign is over.

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And the question was: why do we see that happening for Saul right now when he continues to
reign until the end of 1 Samuel?

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Well, he mentioned that.

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The author is indeed signaling this is the end of Saul's reign.

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He may be in the throne after this, but his kingdom is taken from him.

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So the author is is uh signaling for us here.

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And you ask why is that the case?

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That's what chapter 15 is about.

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Chapter 14 ends by saying, and this was the end of Saul's reign.

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Chapter 15 is the explanation as to why this happens, why the kingdom is taken from him.

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Chapter 15 also serves as a transition in the story from one main character to another.

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This is one of the things I like to point out as we're going through this Old Testament
narrative is that in fact these are stories and they're to be read like stories.

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Just like a movie has a plot and characters and a message, so too Old Testament narrative.

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100% historical, it all really happened.

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100% inspired by the Holy Spirit.

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And yet a story nonetheless.

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So when we read it like that, we get the most out of it.

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And again, like other stories, we have main characters.

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So if you remember, we started with Hannah.

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She was our main character.

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And then we moved on to Samuel and Eli.

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And then in chapter nine, Saul was introduced to us.

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And Saul's been the main guy on stage until today.

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And we're gonna see this transition from Saul to David.

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That's exciting because we all want to hear about David.

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So that's one of the ways this chapter functions as well.

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And then lastly, what we're going to get here is also just one of the best and timeless,
most timeless teachings of the Old Testament.

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And that is this idea uh referenced by Isaiah, Micah, Hosea, referenced by Jesus himself,
this idea that God is after a

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genuine sincere obedience to himself, not some kind of surface religious action.

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So we'll see that this morning as well.

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Chapter 15, we'll break it into four parts.

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We've got God's commission to Saul, what he asks Saul to do, verses one through three,
Saul's compromise, not following through with that, verses four through nine, Samuel's

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condemnation of Saul, 10 through 23.

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And then twenty-four through the end of the chapter is Saul's consequence, what happens as
a result.

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So let me pray and we'll get into the text.

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Heavenly Father, I pray that you would bless this time, bless this message.

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Thank you for giving us the scriptures.

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Thank you for giving us language by which to understand the scriptures and minds that can
understand these things.

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And creating the fabric of reality such that all these things accord and we can understand
and learn.

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I pray that your Holy Spirit be working in us to absorb and live by the teaching that we
see.

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In your scripture this morning.

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So give us all grace, we pray, in various ways.

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In Jesus' name.

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Amen.

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Our story begins with Samuel addressing Saul.

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Um, kind of contextless.

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We're not sure why Samuel came to visit Saul.

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Last time we saw Samuel was chapter 13, when Samuel had departed from Gilgal.

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Then we had 14, but now he's back on the stage in 15 and is giving Saul some orders from
the Lord.

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And Samuel said to Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel.

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Now therefore listen to the words of the Lord.

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Thus says the Lord of hosts I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the
way when they came out of Egypt.

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Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have.

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And the sentence continues there, and I encourage you to read the rest of that sentence as
it gives the extent.

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to which Israel is going to defeat Amalek.

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You notice them refrain from reading that out loud.

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That's just because of the younger ears in the congregation this morning.

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And a topic like this is very sensitive and it was really requires more of a one-on-one
detailed explanation for your children, more than can be given in a sermon.

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And of course, being young, young people, this would be the only detail this sermon
probably that they would retain.

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And that's not the point of the passage.

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Therefore it's not my point either.

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I do, however, want to pause here before we move on and quickly address God's commandment
to destroy Amalek.

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Um skipping over that, you know, that's kind of a that's kind of an elephant in the room.

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What's what's going on there?

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We'll talk a little bit about God's judgment here on a on a broader level, because these
are hard topics.

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Um and this is by no means gonna answer questions, but this is just gonna help you have a
framework or a starting point from which to think about passages like these.

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Which may be very confusing in scripture.

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So, why does God command Saul to do this?

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And how do we think of these sorts of commandments today, for instance?

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Well, we have to keep this in mind above all else.

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This is God's particular judgment for Amalek, and it's been a long time coming.

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This is not Israel getting even or fighting especially aggressively against a pesky
opponent.

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Rather, this is a very particular judgment of God.

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And this is how he knew that.

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In Exodus, when the children of Israel were leaving Egypt, Amalek came around, flanked to
the back, and attacked specifically the women and children.

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That's what God is recalling in verse 2.

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He says he noted that.

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But furthermore, in Exodus 17, this is that famous battle where Moses had to hold up his
hands in order to defeat the enemy.

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That was against Amalek.

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And this is what God says at the end of Exodus 17, at the end of that battle.

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God said, Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I
will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.

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Again, God says in Deuteronomy 25, 10: When the Lord your God has given you rest from all
your enemies around you in the land that your the Lord your God has given you for

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inheritance to possess.

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You shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.

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You shall not forget.

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So, like I said, this judgment is from God, and it's been a long time coming, 400 years.

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And we know the Lord, right?

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We know what He did with Nineveh.

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He would, if if these people had repented, this would have turned out differently.

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But it's it's just very clear this is not a human-initiated campaign against Amalek.

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This is not one nation taking vengeance against another.

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This is a

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From the top down, judgment from God Himself.

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So just as God destroyed the entire earth with water, that was God's judgment.

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Just as the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone was God's judgment,
so also the destruction of Amalek using Israel was God's judgment.

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And we need that reminder now and then that God is the judge.

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We we love to focus on his grace, his grace is amazing.

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But he is allowed to judge.

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He has rightful authority to judge and to kill and to destroy.

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He can actually do that.

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And I think we can get a little hypocritical sometimes we think about this because we have
this idea of just war and we think of World War II and fighting Nazis and these sort of

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things.

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We say, well, that, you know, that's okay.

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but then sometimes we can turn and judge God when when he has these sorts of things, when
God decides to.

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Who dies and who doesn't.

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We sometimes judge him and we go a little bit easy on ourselves.

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And of course, that is completely opposite.

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God has authority and knowledge.

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And he says, vengeance is mine, right?

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Vengeance is the Lord's.

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But it's only the Lord's.

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This is not the way of God's people.

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This is one of those things, many things, that God can do righteously and we cannot.

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Kind of like receive worship.

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Something else we can't do.

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But Jesus makes abundantly clear this is not the way of God's people.

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When the king himself, the king of heaven, comes down to ransom his people, he does not
slaughter his enemies.

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He is slaughtered for the sake of saving his enemies.

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And then he commands us to go and live likewise.

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In fact, Jesus addresses this specifically.

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He makes clear the sword has no part in advancing his kingdom.

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John 18 36, Jesus says, My kingdom is not of this world.

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If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting that I might not be
delivered over to the Jews.

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But my kingdom is not from this world.

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Pretty clearly, Jesus states that.

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So, yes, God is the judge.

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Yes, he's allowed to judge.

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Yes, he has used fire to judge Sodom and Gomorrah, water.

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To judge the world, Israel in this case to judge the Amalekites, and he continues to judge
today, but no, he does not use his people, he does not use the citizens of his kingdom to

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do that judging.

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The Amalek destruction was a particular judgment at a particular time, and not at all
something uh normative uh or a pattern to be mimicked modern day.

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And then the last thing to mention about this, and this truly is.

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The most important.

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It's that God's judgment is not Him sitting far off, gleefully doling out destruction on a
helpless world.

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His ultimate judgment, his harshest punishment, his final condemnation comes down not upon
the world, but upon himself in Jesus Christ.

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Jesus, which is to say, God as man, takes.

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The full punishment of God the Father on the cross for the sake of rightly condemned
sinners.

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And we need to remember that.

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Whenever we see judgment happen in the Old Testament, the flood or fire and brimstone, we
need to remember that the this is all leading towards, and the climax of all this is the

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cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, when God ultimately takes the full cup of his own
judgment.

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When our mind thinks God's judgment, we shouldn't be immediately going to fire coming down
on Son and Gomorrah.

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When we think God's judgment, we say, ah, that is what he is willing to take for the sake
of condemned sinners.

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This is what defines God.

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So there then is some of the context around this commission that Samuel has given to Saul.

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This is why Amalek is being so thoroughly destroyed.

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Now let's see how Saul responds to this with compromise.

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So Saul summoned the people and the number of them in Telaiim, two hundred thousand men on
foot, and ten thousand men of Judah.

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And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley.

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Then Saul said to the Kenites, Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites, lest I
destroy you with them.

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For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came out of Egypt.

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So the Kenites departed from among Amalek.

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And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havelia as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.

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And he took Agog, the king of the Amalekites, alive.

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and devoted to destruction the people with the edge of the sword.

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But Saul and the people spared Agog and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the
fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good and would not utterly destroy it.

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All that was despised and worthless, they devoted to destruction.

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The key takeaway there is that Saul didn't do what God said fully.

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He partially completed this,

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But with a few tweaks, he spared Agog the king, who's like the one guy you'd want to make
sure you did kill, and he spared the best of the spoil.

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Now comes Samuel's condemnation for this.

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Verse 10.

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The word of the Lord came to Samuel.

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I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from the from following me and
has not performed my commandments.

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And Samuel was angry and cried out to the Lord all night.

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And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning.

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And it was told Samuel, Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself,
and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.

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And Samuel came to Saul and said to him, and Saul said to him, Blessed be the Lord, I have
performed the commandment of the Lord.

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Samuel said,

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What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears and the lowing of oxen that I hear?

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I'm just gonna pause there and let you kind of soak in this scene and enjoy uh the story
because it's it's so good and there's so many different things happening here.

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There's emotion and there's humor and there's tragic irony here as well.

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Firstly, just think about Samuel.

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He cries out to the Lord all night when he realizes he has to do this.

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Close with Saul.

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We're going to see that at end of the chapter as well.

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And consider Samuel's point of view.

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As a child, he was given a prophecy of condemnation against his father figure, Eli, the
priest who had raised him.

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Now he has to give a prophecy of condemnation to his protege, the man who he's raised up
to be king.

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So this is hurting Samuel to do this to Saul.

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But then there's kind of this humorous aspect, and we just can't help but when we see the
ridiculous of how Saul conducts himself.

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He's high off this victory.

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And what has he done in verse 12?

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Makes a monument to himself.

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It's pretty clear who he thinks was responsible for the winning of that battle, even
though it wasn't him, it was the Lord.

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And the Lord did it through Jonathan.

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Yet he makes this monument to himself.

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00:17:00,736 --> 00:17:07,866
And then, kind of like a guilty child, kind of like he knows he didn't do something right,
he comes out and says to Samuel, The Lord bless you.

212
00:17:07,866 --> 00:17:09,960
I did everything God told me to.

213
00:17:10,241 --> 00:17:11,372
It's kind of suspicious.

214
00:17:11,372 --> 00:17:12,492
It's like if you were to

215
00:17:12,492 --> 00:17:19,746
Get home from a date with your spouse, the children run up and say, Mom and mom, dad, none
of the lamps in the house are broken.

216
00:17:19,746 --> 00:17:22,948
It's like, I wasn't even wondering about the lamps.

217
00:17:22,948 --> 00:17:24,308
Why'd you bring up the lamps?

218
00:17:24,308 --> 00:17:27,950
That's kind of the way Saul approaches Samuel here.

219
00:17:28,251 --> 00:17:31,232
And then this this part must be intentionally humorous.

220
00:17:31,232 --> 00:17:34,114
Samuel's snarky comeback to Saul here.

221
00:17:34,114 --> 00:17:36,235
Saul says, I did everything God told me.

222
00:17:36,355 --> 00:17:37,405
Samuel goes, Really?

223
00:17:37,405 --> 00:17:40,267
Then why am I hearing so many animals around?

224
00:17:40,267 --> 00:17:42,578
Because you're supposed to slaughter them all.

225
00:17:43,374 --> 00:17:44,585
So the story continues here.

226
00:17:44,585 --> 00:17:46,507
Let's see how Saul responds.

227
00:17:46,507 --> 00:17:47,657
15.

228
00:17:47,958 --> 00:18:00,469
Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of
the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted

229
00:18:00,469 --> 00:18:01,650
to destruction.

230
00:18:01,650 --> 00:18:04,271
Then Samuel said to Saul, Stop!

231
00:18:04,372 --> 00:18:08,435
I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.

232
00:18:08,516 --> 00:18:10,657
He said to him, Speak.

233
00:18:10,878 --> 00:18:11,736
So can't you just

234
00:18:11,736 --> 00:18:13,627
Picture this scene as it happens.

235
00:18:13,627 --> 00:18:15,608
Saul's kind of starting to sweat.

236
00:18:15,608 --> 00:18:17,349
He's talking quickly.

237
00:18:17,349 --> 00:18:18,310
He's making excuses.

238
00:18:18,310 --> 00:18:20,811
And Samuel cuts off and she says, Stop.

239
00:18:20,811 --> 00:18:21,871
That's it.

240
00:18:21,892 --> 00:18:22,732
It's over.

241
00:18:22,732 --> 00:18:26,894
Let me tell you what God has said about this.

242
00:18:27,955 --> 00:18:31,287
Notice Saul's characteristic response.

243
00:18:31,287 --> 00:18:34,199
We've seen him do this before in chapter 13.

244
00:18:34,199 --> 00:18:36,820
He's blaming everyone around him.

245
00:18:36,820 --> 00:18:40,952
They brought the animals, the people spared the sheep.

246
00:18:40,952 --> 00:18:41,743
But a good reason.

247
00:18:41,743 --> 00:18:44,325
We're going to sacrifice it to God.

248
00:18:44,325 --> 00:18:48,398
It's the people, the people, the people, always the people with Saul.

249
00:18:48,398 --> 00:18:53,712
He has to stop fearing the people and start fearing the Lord, God.

250
00:18:54,153 --> 00:18:59,250
We've seen this weakness in Saul from his very introduction in chapter nine.

251
00:18:59,250 --> 00:19:02,400
It started small, but it's grown and grown.

252
00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:09,442
And nine, verse five, he abandoned his mission to get the donkeys because he was concerned
about.

253
00:19:09,442 --> 00:19:11,143
What his father was thinking.

254
00:19:11,143 --> 00:19:14,844
In chapter 10, verse 22, he hides from the crowds.

255
00:19:14,844 --> 00:19:20,786
He's fearing the crowds, hiding from them at his coronation when he's supposed to be
anointed.

256
00:19:20,807 --> 00:19:30,311
In chapter 11, verse 7, when he's rallying the Israelites to battle, he falsely utilizes
Samuel's reputation in order to gain the support that he needs.

257
00:19:30,311 --> 00:19:33,272
Samuel wasn't even in that chapter or a part of that story.

258
00:19:33,272 --> 00:19:36,693
But Saul is afraid that his own name might not be enough.

259
00:19:36,693 --> 00:19:39,062
And he says, Come follow me and

260
00:19:39,062 --> 00:19:48,145
Samuel, and then the famous one, chapter 13, verse 8, when he offers the sacrifice to the
Lord against the Lord's commandment.

261
00:19:48,145 --> 00:19:48,515
Why?

262
00:19:48,515 --> 00:19:51,556
Because he feared the people leaving him.

263
00:19:51,556 --> 00:19:54,586
He felt he needed that support.

264
00:19:55,187 --> 00:20:06,270
And if there's one sin that we kind of see direct Saul's story through this entire
tragedy, it's this fear of man rather than a fear of God.

265
00:20:06,626 --> 00:20:13,789
He's always concerned about what man might say of him rather than what God has said of
him.

266
00:20:13,789 --> 00:20:17,631
God has said, You are king of Israel, you're gonna defeat the enemies around you.

267
00:20:17,631 --> 00:20:22,172
God says, Fear me, obey my voice, it will go well.

268
00:20:22,933 --> 00:20:29,055
But Saul can't untwist himself from this worldly man-centered way of thinking.

269
00:20:29,316 --> 00:20:34,700
Time after time we see his mistakes, no repentance, continue the mistakes.

270
00:20:34,700 --> 00:20:39,724
And we realize as we read about Saul, he just doesn't fear the Lord.

271
00:20:39,724 --> 00:20:44,778
He just doesn't, which is to say that he does not know the Lord.

272
00:20:44,978 --> 00:20:48,281
We get another hint of this in verse 15.

273
00:20:48,281 --> 00:20:50,213
Look how he addresses Samuel.

274
00:20:50,213 --> 00:20:54,046
He says, We are going to make sacrifices to the Lord your God.

275
00:20:54,046 --> 00:20:56,418
Doesn't say the Lord my God, doesn't say the Lord of heaven.

276
00:20:56,418 --> 00:21:01,451
He keeps, seems to keep God at arm's length here.

277
00:21:02,853 --> 00:21:04,760
And in Saul's mind, he's.

278
00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:07,592
He's seen the advantage of religiosity.

279
00:21:07,592 --> 00:21:10,413
He's seen blessing through sacrifice.

280
00:21:10,413 --> 00:21:12,294
He's had spiritual experiences.

281
00:21:12,294 --> 00:21:14,915
Holy Spirit came upon him when he was anointed.

282
00:21:15,016 --> 00:21:17,557
But none of that has changed his heart.

283
00:21:17,757 --> 00:21:20,738
He's still a king like the nations.

284
00:21:20,859 --> 00:21:29,303
He fears power, he fears public opinion, he fears failure, but he does not fear the Lord.

285
00:21:30,004 --> 00:21:33,890
Samuel continues in verse 17: Though you are little,

286
00:21:33,890 --> 00:21:35,250
In your own eyes?

287
00:21:35,290 --> 00:21:37,951
Are you not the head of the tribes of Israel?

288
00:21:37,951 --> 00:21:49,174
The Lord anointed you king over Israel, and the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, Go
devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are

289
00:21:49,174 --> 00:21:50,254
consumed.

290
00:21:50,275 --> 00:21:53,915
Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord?

291
00:21:53,956 --> 00:21:58,197
Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?

292
00:21:58,677 --> 00:22:02,474
And Saul said to Samuel, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord.

293
00:22:02,474 --> 00:22:05,975
I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me.

294
00:22:05,976 --> 00:22:11,538
I've brought Agog, king of the Amalekites, and I have devoted the Amalekites to
destruction.

295
00:22:11,538 --> 00:22:20,161
But the people took the spoil, sheep and oxen, and the best of the things devoted to
destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God.

296
00:22:20,742 --> 00:22:30,585
And Samuel said, Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in
obeying the voice of the Lord?

297
00:22:30,746 --> 00:22:31,448
Behold,

298
00:22:31,448 --> 00:22:37,459
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

299
00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:45,062
For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.

300
00:22:45,182 --> 00:22:51,783
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.

301
00:22:52,724 --> 00:22:53,684
There it is.

302
00:22:53,684 --> 00:23:01,416
Here we come to the most powerful part of the story, again, one of the most powerful
statements I think in the Old Testament.

303
00:23:01,666 --> 00:23:02,536
And this is so important.

304
00:23:02,536 --> 00:23:03,066
Why?

305
00:23:03,066 --> 00:23:06,557
Because it gives us a glimpse into the heart of God.

306
00:23:06,557 --> 00:23:08,168
What does God value?

307
00:23:08,168 --> 00:23:09,748
What does God despise?

308
00:23:09,748 --> 00:23:13,839
Anytime, anytime we see a glimpse in the heart of God, we really want to pay attention.

309
00:23:13,839 --> 00:23:15,310
And this is a great one.

310
00:23:15,970 --> 00:23:25,403
What we see here is that God wants us to listen, which is to say, pay attention, and then
to obey, to go and do it.

311
00:23:25,403 --> 00:23:26,163
Trust and obey.

312
00:23:26,163 --> 00:23:27,913
We just sang about that.

313
00:23:28,434 --> 00:23:30,214
Religious practice.

314
00:23:30,474 --> 00:23:41,018
Superficial devotion, and in this case, sacrifices, it means nothing to God if your heart
isn't devoted to him as master.

315
00:23:41,579 --> 00:23:50,962
We can't just hear the word of God and then go do whatever we want and then kind of throw
him a bone now and then of religious practice.

316
00:23:51,123 --> 00:23:54,844
We can't tithe our devotion to God.

317
00:23:54,844 --> 00:23:59,864
I'll give God 90% of my life, or rather, I'll give God 10% of my life and I'll.

318
00:23:59,864 --> 00:24:01,095
Keep back 90%.

319
00:24:01,095 --> 00:24:02,626
That's not how this works.

320
00:24:02,626 --> 00:24:04,878
You don't tithe devotion to God.

321
00:24:04,878 --> 00:24:09,500
You are all God's or you are all something else's.

322
00:24:10,181 --> 00:24:13,459
God doesn't need our religious service either.

323
00:24:13,459 --> 00:24:14,925
He doesn't need anything.

324
00:24:14,925 --> 00:24:16,626
If he did, he wouldn't have to ask for it.

325
00:24:16,626 --> 00:24:18,127
He could take it himself.

326
00:24:18,127 --> 00:24:19,848
Psalm 50, 12.

327
00:24:19,848 --> 00:24:23,931
If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world in its fullness are mine.

328
00:24:23,931 --> 00:24:28,654
I do I eat the flesh of bulls and drink the blood of goats?

329
00:24:28,660 --> 00:24:35,173
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and perform your vows to the Most High and call
upon me in the day of trouble.

330
00:24:35,173 --> 00:24:38,394
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.

331
00:24:38,654 --> 00:24:39,775
God has everything.

332
00:24:39,775 --> 00:24:41,215
He needs nothing.

333
00:24:41,215 --> 00:24:47,397
Our religious devotion to him, whatever that happens to be, adds nothing to him.

334
00:24:47,838 --> 00:24:50,199
But Saul doesn't know God.

335
00:24:50,299 --> 00:24:55,131
Saul will thinks sacrifice is this kind of this for that type of relationship with God.

336
00:24:55,131 --> 00:24:58,302
I give you a sacrifice, you give me victory.

337
00:24:58,302 --> 00:25:01,803
I give you this and you give me blessing.

338
00:25:01,923 --> 00:25:10,465
And he Saul thinks, you know, God's not too concerned with the particulars as long as I
give him a sacrifice and do my due diligence now and then.

339
00:25:10,785 --> 00:25:11,882
What's God think of that?

340
00:25:11,882 --> 00:25:13,326
Isaiah 111.

341
00:25:13,326 --> 00:25:17,162
What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices, says the Lord?

342
00:25:17,162 --> 00:25:22,289
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and fat of well-fed beasts.

343
00:25:22,289 --> 00:25:27,810
I uh I do not delight in the blood of bulls or of lambs or goats.

344
00:25:28,482 --> 00:25:32,204
God's favor is not bought with religious devotion.

345
00:25:32,225 --> 00:25:38,149
He hates sacrifices offered to him from hearts that are not his.

346
00:25:38,149 --> 00:25:41,191
Again, Joel 6, 19.

347
00:25:41,832 --> 00:25:48,417
What use to me is frankincense that comes from Sheba or sweet cane that comes from a
distant land?

348
00:25:48,417 --> 00:25:53,680
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices pleasing to me.

349
00:25:54,061 --> 00:25:56,202
I've seen this pattern here.

350
00:25:57,058 --> 00:26:02,881
God doesn't need a disingenuous religious service.

351
00:26:02,881 --> 00:26:07,404
God doesn't want a surface-level religious practice.

352
00:26:07,964 --> 00:26:20,894
Going to church, donating something to church, listening to worship music or tithing,
whatever it happens to be, it doesn't matter if you don't know God, which is to say, if

353
00:26:20,894 --> 00:26:25,844
you don't love and fear Him, listening and obeying Him.

354
00:26:26,252 --> 00:26:33,402
In fact, look how harshly God condemns Saul's false obedience.

355
00:26:33,402 --> 00:26:38,091
Look how he characterizes this half-hearted obedience here.

356
00:26:38,192 --> 00:26:41,394
He says it's like rebellion, like presumption.

357
00:26:41,775 --> 00:26:42,775
Why rebellion?

358
00:26:42,775 --> 00:26:48,522
Rebellion because Saul heard the word of the Lord and he chose to do something else.

359
00:26:48,522 --> 00:26:55,666
He says, I didn't do exactly what you said, God, but I have something even better, and the
people really want me to do it.

360
00:26:55,666 --> 00:26:56,426
No.

361
00:26:56,450 --> 00:26:57,531
That's rebellion.

362
00:26:57,531 --> 00:26:59,231
You knew what to do, you didn't do it.

363
00:26:59,231 --> 00:26:59,931
That's rebellion.

364
00:26:59,931 --> 00:27:03,333
It doesn't matter how you try to spin it to God.

365
00:27:04,213 --> 00:27:06,894
Why is it called presumption here?

366
00:27:07,195 --> 00:27:12,390
Because Saul just assumed he could not do what God said and get away with it.

367
00:27:12,390 --> 00:27:13,708
And it would be all right.

368
00:27:13,708 --> 00:27:14,838
Everything would be fine.

369
00:27:14,838 --> 00:27:16,869
No, you never do that.

370
00:27:16,869 --> 00:27:19,160
That's not how we live.

371
00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:21,401
Never presume upon God's grace.

372
00:27:21,401 --> 00:27:24,342
This kind of cheeky presumption here.

373
00:27:24,386 --> 00:27:27,607
Oh, I'm sure God won't mind a little bit of deviance here.

374
00:27:27,607 --> 00:27:30,708
I'm gonna make it up for him with a good deed over there.

375
00:27:30,826 --> 00:27:35,590
This is as dangerous to your soul as witchcraft.

376
00:27:35,651 --> 00:27:40,172
It's as repugnant to God as idolatry.

377
00:27:40,266 --> 00:27:42,303
So this is not what God is after.

378
00:27:42,303 --> 00:27:47,055
And we wonder, okay, well, what does God want?

379
00:27:47,095 --> 00:27:49,086
And it's it's simple really.

380
00:27:49,086 --> 00:27:50,457
Look back at the verse.

381
00:27:50,457 --> 00:27:53,972
To obey is better than sacrifice.

382
00:27:53,972 --> 00:27:57,064
And to listen than the fat of rams.

383
00:27:57,225 --> 00:28:10,175
Or as the prophet Hosea says very similarly in Hosea 6 8, for I desire steadfast love, not
sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

384
00:28:10,636 --> 00:28:13,598
They'll see this all through the scripture, Old and New Testament.

385
00:28:13,598 --> 00:28:17,241
This was the issue with the Pharisees that Jesus kept going after them about.

386
00:28:17,241 --> 00:28:18,642
What does God want?

387
00:28:18,642 --> 00:28:19,633
Religious devotion?

388
00:28:19,633 --> 00:28:21,885
Or to be served?

389
00:28:21,885 --> 00:28:22,686
No.

390
00:28:22,686 --> 00:28:23,678
He wants

391
00:28:23,678 --> 00:28:24,478
Us.

392
00:28:25,159 --> 00:28:27,100
We ourselves.

393
00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:32,563
He wants heart-transformed, sincere obedience.

394
00:28:32,683 --> 00:28:36,485
Again, a listening of his words and a doing of them.

395
00:28:36,485 --> 00:28:47,161
Not to get something, not because it works for us, not because we want to look good in
front of others, we're afraid of the consequences, but simply because we are his.

396
00:28:47,161 --> 00:28:49,502
We recognize him as our master.

397
00:28:49,502 --> 00:28:53,234
And knowing that, we want to do what he says.

398
00:28:53,838 --> 00:28:58,639
Like I said, it's simple, it's difficult to do, but it's simple in concept.

399
00:28:59,500 --> 00:29:01,620
So just consider this for yourself.

400
00:29:01,620 --> 00:29:03,121
Do you know God this way?

401
00:29:03,121 --> 00:29:04,691
Is this what your relationship looks like?

402
00:29:04,691 --> 00:29:13,903
Just kind of think through our own actions here, coming to church this morning, praying,
tithing, doing good deeds.

403
00:29:14,144 --> 00:29:20,345
Are we doing these things because we know God and we're listening to Him and obeying Him?

404
00:29:20,378 --> 00:29:22,466
Or are these empty

405
00:29:23,648 --> 00:29:34,545
If well-intended, religious practices to gain God's favor or avoid punishment or to just
kind of live the decent life that you're supposed to live.

406
00:29:35,426 --> 00:29:39,309
Or maybe, you know, this one's a bit more frightening in my mind.

407
00:29:39,309 --> 00:29:43,091
Maybe we're deceiving ourselves like Saul did here.

408
00:29:43,091 --> 00:29:45,423
Yes, I'm fulfilling the commandment of the Lord.

409
00:29:45,423 --> 00:29:47,104
And he said that over and over again.

410
00:29:47,104 --> 00:29:50,496
He's arguing with Samuel about, yes, I did what I was supposed to do.

411
00:29:50,496 --> 00:29:51,457
And it's clear he didn't.

412
00:29:51,457 --> 00:29:53,432
Maybe we're deceiving ourselves like that.

413
00:29:53,432 --> 00:29:59,644
When really we're just kind of twisting what God said into something that's more
convenient for ourselves.

414
00:30:00,165 --> 00:30:06,707
Maybe our attitude is, I'll obey the Lord when it works with my priorities.

415
00:30:06,968 --> 00:30:12,069
But as soon as it becomes inconvenient, then I kind of do my own thing.

416
00:30:12,310 --> 00:30:17,992
When God says do A, and I want to do B, I'll end up doing B.

417
00:30:17,992 --> 00:30:23,594
This is really dangerous because you can function for a long time.

418
00:30:23,604 --> 00:30:31,501
Obeying the Lord when really he's just never required something of you that you didn't
also want for yourself.

419
00:30:31,962 --> 00:30:39,269
But then suddenly, when we realize God wants us to do something we do not want to do, how
does our heart respond?

420
00:30:39,269 --> 00:30:40,890
That's when the chips are down.

421
00:30:40,890 --> 00:30:43,292
That's when we see what's in our heart.

422
00:30:43,292 --> 00:30:44,673
How do we respond?

423
00:30:45,054 --> 00:30:48,477
With trust and obedience, hopefully.

424
00:30:48,737 --> 00:30:49,868
If not,

425
00:30:50,176 --> 00:30:53,927
At least with disobedience, followed by a genuine repentance.

426
00:30:54,368 --> 00:30:58,029
But what God is after is quite simple.

427
00:30:58,068 --> 00:31:06,773
It comes down to a heart, a person sincerely devoted to him, listening to him and obeying.

428
00:31:06,873 --> 00:31:13,165
The heart that we haven't seen on display yet, but we will see in David.

429
00:31:13,165 --> 00:31:15,036
This is the heart of David.

430
00:31:16,057 --> 00:31:19,988
And David doesn't get anything, everything perfect, does he?

431
00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:25,100
No, but continually, time after time, you'll say he sticks with the Lord and he repents.

432
00:31:25,100 --> 00:31:27,144
He clings to the Lord.

433
00:31:27,144 --> 00:31:30,560
That's not what Saul's heart clings to.

434
00:31:32,322 --> 00:31:34,513
What does Saul's heart value then?

435
00:31:34,513 --> 00:31:35,513
Who does he obey?

436
00:31:35,513 --> 00:31:37,104
What is Saul clinging to?

437
00:31:37,104 --> 00:31:42,166
Well, we're going to see that now when we look at the consequence to his compromise.

438
00:31:42,166 --> 00:31:43,626
Verse 24.

439
00:31:44,127 --> 00:31:54,351
Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord
and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

440
00:31:54,351 --> 00:31:59,793
Now, therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the Lord.

441
00:32:00,274 --> 00:32:01,676
Samuel said to Saul,

442
00:32:01,676 --> 00:32:09,150
I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has
rejected you from being king over Israel.

443
00:32:09,390 --> 00:32:15,053
As Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe and tore it.

444
00:32:15,073 --> 00:32:24,438
And Samuel said to him, The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day, and has
given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you.

445
00:32:25,319 --> 00:32:31,602
And also the glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man that he
should have regret.

446
00:32:31,842 --> 00:32:42,368
Then he said, I have sinned, yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before
Israel, and return with me that I may bow before the Lord.

447
00:32:42,508 --> 00:32:47,931
So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul bowed before the Lord.

448
00:32:48,491 --> 00:32:53,254
Again, to me this is one of the most emotionally charged parts of the Bible.

449
00:32:53,254 --> 00:32:59,467
It's so sad because Saul's just had his victory, and he's he's just self deceived here.

450
00:32:59,467 --> 00:33:00,738
He can't see his own.

451
00:33:00,738 --> 00:33:01,678
Downfall, really.

452
00:33:01,678 --> 00:33:03,419
And he gladly receives Samuel.

453
00:33:03,419 --> 00:33:07,461
And then without warning, everything comes crashing down.

454
00:33:07,461 --> 00:33:12,703
And it's almost heartbreaking to see how Saul is coming unraveled here all at once.

455
00:33:12,703 --> 00:33:14,144
He's begging for another chance.

456
00:33:14,144 --> 00:33:15,504
He's confessing sin.

457
00:33:15,504 --> 00:33:19,686
And yet he's unable to let go of his sin at the exact same time.

458
00:33:19,966 --> 00:33:22,707
He wants to hold on to God's blessing.

459
00:33:22,707 --> 00:33:26,829
He wants to hold on to his relationship with Samuel.

460
00:33:26,829 --> 00:33:29,900
He wants to hold on to his honor in the eyes of the people.

461
00:33:29,944 --> 00:33:33,595
But his heart just isn't in the right place.

462
00:33:33,875 --> 00:33:40,677
And in the midst of this tragic attempt to hold on to it all, it's all torn from him and
given to David.

463
00:33:41,457 --> 00:33:47,159
And as we see the drama unfold, we see the real intention of Saul's heart yet again.

464
00:33:47,599 --> 00:33:51,320
Compare verse 24 with verse 30.

465
00:33:52,020 --> 00:33:53,300
24.

466
00:33:53,841 --> 00:33:58,572
Saul says, Return with me to bow before the Lord.

467
00:33:58,762 --> 00:34:00,893
And yet thirty we see his real intention.

468
00:34:00,893 --> 00:34:02,143
Look what he says in thirty.

469
00:34:02,143 --> 00:34:11,466
I have sinned, yet honor me now before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and
return with me that I may bow before the Lord your God.

470
00:34:12,086 --> 00:34:14,327
You see, he's just shown his cards.

471
00:34:14,327 --> 00:34:17,027
He doesn't want forgiveness from God.

472
00:34:17,027 --> 00:34:22,489
He wants to maintain and hold on to his honor in the eyes of the people.

473
00:34:22,549 --> 00:34:26,430
Still, even here, in the midst of his condemnation, as the kingdom's

474
00:34:26,430 --> 00:34:32,756
Falling around him because he's idolized the people, he still can't let go of how they
view him.

475
00:34:32,756 --> 00:34:35,778
And he's so desperate to hold on to this honor.

476
00:34:35,778 --> 00:34:39,080
It's like, it's like he can't even understand what's happening.

477
00:34:39,221 --> 00:34:41,503
Saul says, Samuel says, Your kingdom's gone.

478
00:34:41,503 --> 00:34:46,747
And Saul says, Okay, okay, but at least honor me in front of the eyes of the people before
you go.

479
00:34:47,668 --> 00:34:50,410
Saul feared the people.

480
00:34:50,571 --> 00:34:54,644
And because he feared them, he obeyed them.

481
00:34:55,436 --> 00:35:01,466
Remember this, at Saul's coronation, and these are very important passages to line up side
by side.

482
00:35:01,466 --> 00:35:15,994
At Saul's coronation, he was told by Samuel he would be blessed if, quote, you will fear
the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the

483
00:35:15,994 --> 00:35:16,695
Lord.

484
00:35:16,695 --> 00:35:18,816
Now look at the exact opposite.

485
00:35:18,816 --> 00:35:20,656
Saul even admits it.

486
00:35:20,676 --> 00:35:24,898
He says, I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord.

487
00:35:25,044 --> 00:35:30,938
And your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

488
00:35:31,659 --> 00:35:34,801
He was told, fear God, obey his voice.

489
00:35:34,801 --> 00:35:38,533
Instead, he feared the people and obeyed their voice.

490
00:35:38,533 --> 00:35:40,995
This is the way of human beings.

491
00:35:40,995 --> 00:35:45,768
We end up obeying what we truly honor and revere and fear.

492
00:35:45,768 --> 00:35:46,689
That's what we obey.

493
00:35:46,689 --> 00:35:48,350
That's the voice we obey.

494
00:35:48,951 --> 00:35:53,023
And for Saul, this was the people, and it's cost him dearly.

495
00:35:53,023 --> 00:35:54,474
His kingdom.

496
00:35:54,530 --> 00:35:59,273
His relationship with Samuel and his relationship with God.

497
00:36:00,214 --> 00:36:01,635
Verse 32.

498
00:36:01,935 --> 00:36:06,768
Then Samuel said, Bring here to me Agog, the king of the Amalekites.

499
00:36:06,768 --> 00:36:09,280
And Agag came to him cheerfully.

500
00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:13,122
Agod said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.

501
00:36:13,223 --> 00:36:20,688
And Samuel said, As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless
among women.

502
00:36:21,008 --> 00:36:23,618
And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before.

503
00:36:23,618 --> 00:36:25,198
The Lord in Gilgal.

504
00:36:25,659 --> 00:36:33,285
Then Israel went to, then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went to his house in Gibeah of
Saul.

505
00:36:33,285 --> 00:36:37,487
And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death.

506
00:36:37,487 --> 00:36:44,432
But Samuel grieved over Saul, and the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over
Israel.

507
00:36:45,053 --> 00:36:50,216
So our story ends then with this emotional tearing asunder.

508
00:36:50,576 --> 00:36:53,598
The kingdom is torn from Saul.

509
00:36:54,304 --> 00:36:58,375
Also, Samuel is torn from Saul.

510
00:36:58,835 --> 00:37:04,897
And they won't meet each other again, at least not while both of them are still alive.

511
00:37:05,417 --> 00:37:09,678
Notice Samuel's grief over this separation.

512
00:37:10,319 --> 00:37:13,659
And we're gonna see this actually bleeds into chapter 16 as well.

513
00:37:13,659 --> 00:37:15,900
This is really hurting Samuel.

514
00:37:15,900 --> 00:37:18,441
They had a connection, he and Saul.

515
00:37:19,261 --> 00:37:23,266
And so there's there's sadness and grief at the end of this chapter.

516
00:37:23,266 --> 00:37:24,777
But there's also anticipation.

517
00:37:24,777 --> 00:37:33,952
Because as the audience were wondering, who is this better man, this neighbor who the
kingdom is going to have as their king?

518
00:37:33,952 --> 00:37:36,933
Who is this man after God's own heart?

519
00:37:37,314 --> 00:37:38,675
What's he gonna look like?

520
00:37:38,675 --> 00:37:41,697
Like physically, what's he gonna look like?

521
00:37:41,697 --> 00:37:44,378
And how's he gonna be different than Saul?

522
00:37:44,378 --> 00:37:46,989
How's he going to handle failure?

523
00:37:46,989 --> 00:37:48,721
How's he gonna handle victory?

524
00:37:48,721 --> 00:37:50,081
How's he gonna handle sin?

525
00:37:50,081 --> 00:37:51,778
How's he gonna relate to God?

526
00:37:51,778 --> 00:37:58,513
We've got such a good backlog of how Saul has related to failure, victory, condemnation,
sin.

527
00:37:58,513 --> 00:38:03,326
God, now when we finally see David, we're gonna really be able to compare them.

528
00:38:03,326 --> 00:38:09,410
And it's exciting to anticipate the man after God's own heart coming onto the scene.

529
00:38:09,611 --> 00:38:14,014
And so we'll see him introduced next time in chapter 16.

530
00:38:14,014 --> 00:38:15,735
That's where it leaves off here.

531
00:38:16,616 --> 00:38:19,880
But as we close, I don't want us to forget that.

532
00:38:19,880 --> 00:38:28,672
All-important lesson of 15, which is, again, simply and yet difficultly, we need to be
God's.

533
00:38:28,672 --> 00:38:30,113
We need to be his.

534
00:38:30,633 --> 00:38:36,215
We need to know him, which is to say, listen, pay attention, and obey.

535
00:38:36,215 --> 00:38:37,415
Go and do.

536
00:38:37,755 --> 00:38:49,108
Cannot be like Saul to live our own lives with our own priorities, obeying whenever we
feel like it, all the while just feigning religious devotion.

537
00:38:49,708 --> 00:38:53,119
You don't tithe parts of your life to God.

538
00:38:53,119 --> 00:38:55,060
You tithe parts of your possessions to God.

539
00:38:55,060 --> 00:38:57,300
You don't tithe parts of your life to God.

540
00:38:57,300 --> 00:39:01,041
Your life is given over to God, or it's not.

541
00:39:01,041 --> 00:39:07,383
And the the little middle ground religious devotion doesn't mean anything to him if your
heart is not his.

542
00:39:07,383 --> 00:39:08,823
Do not be deceived.

543
00:39:08,823 --> 00:39:10,424
God is not mocked.

544
00:39:10,424 --> 00:39:14,345
For whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

545
00:39:14,645 --> 00:39:18,424
God knows who we're listening to.

546
00:39:18,424 --> 00:39:20,295
God knows who we fear.

547
00:39:20,675 --> 00:39:23,227
He knows if we're really following him or not.

548
00:39:23,227 --> 00:39:25,618
We can't trick God, of course.

549
00:39:26,038 --> 00:39:36,974
God knows if we are his for listening and obeying from the heart, or if we're devoted to
something else, simply obeying on a surface level religiosity.

550
00:39:36,974 --> 00:39:38,205
Others may not be able to see it.

551
00:39:38,205 --> 00:39:39,525
God can.

552
00:39:39,746 --> 00:39:42,257
Jesus warns us about serving two masters.

553
00:39:42,257 --> 00:39:48,510
He says, You're either going to love one and hate the other, or be devoted to one and
despise the other.

554
00:39:49,184 --> 00:39:51,776
And didn't we see that come out with Saul today?

555
00:39:51,776 --> 00:39:54,858
Finally, he couldn't keep up the ruse for long.

556
00:39:54,858 --> 00:40:01,863
We saw that he loved to devote himself to the people and despised the commandment of the
Lord.

557
00:40:02,224 --> 00:40:12,441
And so if this stirs up something in you, if you're just concerned about this or unsettled
and want to speak with someone about it, please do speak with an elder or a trusted person

558
00:40:12,441 --> 00:40:13,834
in the congregation.

559
00:40:13,834 --> 00:40:17,134
If you're concerned about this, that's good.

560
00:40:17,388 --> 00:40:21,780
The only real condemnation is a refusal to repent.

561
00:40:21,780 --> 00:40:23,321
A refusal to repent.

562
00:40:23,321 --> 00:40:27,042
That's the only true condemnation.

563
00:40:27,042 --> 00:40:33,065
God is open and willing and ever ready to accept our good repentance.

564
00:40:33,065 --> 00:40:40,048
So feel free to have that conversation if the Lord leads and your conscience is pricked
and provoked.

565
00:40:40,889 --> 00:40:44,320
Let me pray then as we end chapter 15.

566
00:40:46,648 --> 00:40:57,284
Heavenly Father, we ask you first and foremost for your mercy, because our hearts cannot
follow you or honor you as Lord apart from the working of your Holy Spirit.

567
00:40:57,544 --> 00:41:10,481
We pray for that grace of the Holy Spirit that we've been hearing about in Acts, the
coming of the presence of God into us, that gift um that seals us for heaven, that allows

568
00:41:10,481 --> 00:41:13,132
us to obey, that gives us fellowship with you.

569
00:41:13,132 --> 00:41:16,042
um Lord, give that to us.

570
00:41:16,042 --> 00:41:27,367
And in greater measure, that we might hear, listen, pay attention to what you would have
from us, and to then go and obey it.

571
00:41:27,367 --> 00:41:30,388
You know, that's gonna feel like a lot of self-control.

572
00:41:30,388 --> 00:41:33,409
That's gonna feel like a lot of willing and doing it.

573
00:41:33,409 --> 00:41:38,911
And yet it is you who work in us both to will and to work according to your good pleasure.

574
00:41:38,911 --> 00:41:40,522
We know you're faithful to do that.

575
00:41:40,522 --> 00:41:45,656
And so because we know that, we're gonna pray in faith that you would be doing that in us
as a church.

576
00:41:45,656 --> 00:41:47,627
We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

577
00:41:48,007 --> 00:41:53,249
Thank you for listening to this message from Kingstree Church in Sabina, Ohio.

578
00:41:53,249 --> 00:42:01,852
To see more of the beauty of God in the crucified and risen Jesus Christ, come worship
with us on Sundays at 10 a.m.

579
00:42:01,852 --> 00:42:05,273
or visit our website at Kingstreechurch.org.

580
00:42:05,273 --> 00:42:07,174
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