Are we People of Faith or Folly?

So as Fiona's mentioned, the passage that we're going to be reading this evening is quite long.

It's just shy of two chapters.

And so I thought it would be good to give you a few things to look out for,

just so we keep our attention as we go through these passages.

But before we get into that, I just want to caveat this sermon and say

that there are tons and tons of details in this passage.

And I cannot go into all of them.

We cannot think about all of them.

But if you take a note of them, I would love to speak to you afterwards about it,

because it's such a marvelous passage of God's word.

But just two things to look out for.

So as we read through this passage, there is a contrast between two people.

We have the person of faith.

I'm not going to tell you who that is.

I'm going to let you guess that.

And then you have the person of folly or the person who is foolish.

So those are the two things to look out for.

If you want to make a little mark in your Bible or on a separate piece of paper,

look out for signs of faith and signs of foolishness.

I'm just going to hand over to Corrie, who's going to come and read God's word to us.

Just as we take our seats, let's pray together.

Father, as we turn to your word this evening,

as we ponder its significance for our life,

as we think about what it says,

we do ask that the words of our mouths

and the meditations of our hearts

would be pleasing in your sight,

O Lord, our rock

and our redeemer.

Amen.

Have you ever sat down

and pondered what the world seems,

deems as foolish?

So I had a quick look this week,

a quick Google,

and I found that the world thinks that certain things are foolish.

For example,

not flushing the toilet to save on the water bill is foolish.

Not investing your money early on in life apparently is foolish.

Not doing something because it sounds too good to be true is foolish.

And apparently,

not forgiving yourself,

no matter what you do,

is foolish.

And the world says that the opposite of foolishness is wisdom.

And a person's wisdom is determined by their IQ,

by their state of mind,

and by their actions.

And so,

the world says that a wise person

apparently knows who they are as an individual.

They accept that only they have the power and authority

to change their own lives.

They live for their own success,

and they do everything they can

to get what they want.

This is the world we live in, folks.

This is what the world says is foolish

and what is not foolish.

What a shallow view of foolishness

and of wisdom.

But the Bible has a much greater story

and a simpler story.

See,

the definition of folly or foolishness

in the Bible

isn't referring to intellectual ability.

But when the word of God speaks of someone as a fool,

it's referring to someone who is living

as if God doesn't exist.

The fool says in his heart,

there is no God.

And therefore,

the opposite of foolishness,

according to the Bible,

is actually faith.

And the Bible's definition of someone marked by faith

is someone who fears the Lord

and who trusts in him,

in his word,

and in his promises.

And so the question I want us to keep

in the back of our minds

as we walk through these chapters

in 1 Samuel together

is,

are we people of faith

or folly?

1 Samuel 13 and 14

were read to us

and you would have seen,

hopefully,

the contrast

between these two characters,

Jonathan and Saul.

And as we walk through,

I want you to keep that question

in the back of your mind.

Are we people of faith

or folly?

And as we dive into these chapters,

I think there are two things

that we see this evening.

And the first is

a faithful soldier.

Chapter 13,

verse 16 to 14,

23.

A faithful soldier.

So when we rejoin the story,

the nation of Israel

and the beginnings of Saul reign,

we enter into a hopeless situation.

Saul and his army

are camped out at Gibeah

and the Philistines

are just a few miles away

over some cliffs.

And Saul was sitting

with an army

of around 600 men.

And as he sits there,

raiding parties

are going throughout

his whole kingdom,

wreaking havoc.

So why is this so devastating?

Why do I say it's hopeless?

Well, look at verses 19 to 22.

In the whole ranks

of the Israelite army,

there were two swords.

So here we have

a small army

that's surrounded

by a vast Philistine army

described in the beginning

of chapter 13,

as numerous as the sand

on the seashore.

And they have two swords.

This is not the kind of story

that you want to be remembered

for the rest of time

by your nation.

This is not the situation

that you can just walk into,

wing it,

and see what happens.

The only options

that seem to be

before this small army

are to fight and die

or to run away and die.

This situation is terrible.

So Saul and the nation of Israel,

it seems,

are a hopeless case.

Lost.

But now we see

the first contrast

that runs through

these chapters.

Look at Jonathan

in chapter 14,

verse 1,

and Saul

in chapter 14,

verse 2.

What is the difference

that you see?

Jonathan comes up

with a plan

and Saul

is relaxing

under a tree.

And throughout

these chapters,

these two are being

contrasted.

Jonathan is a

faithful soldier

and Saul

is a self-centered

leader.

But in this first section,

the main focus

is on Jonathan.

So in verse 1,

he makes a plan

to go and attack

the Philistine outpost

that had departed

from their camp

in Michmash.

But notice

that he doesn't

tell his father.

Why?

Well,

we don't actually

know why,

but just looking

at the details

that are mentioned

in verses 2

and 3,

Saul doesn't

necessarily seem

in a hurry

to actually do

anything about

his enemy's presence

in his land.

He's sitting

under a tree

having the time

of his life

with his friends.

One of whom

is a descendant

of Eli's son,

who God

actually cut off

and said would

never be a priest

again in 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2.

And yet,

here he sits

in an ephod,

a gown reserved

only for the priests.

So Saul

seems to have

reinstituted

what God

had condemned.

And so under

this pomegranate tree,

we see a king

who has been

rejected

by God,

and we saw

that last week

in chapter 13

verse 14.

And he's sitting

with a priesthood

that's been rejected

way back in chapter 2.

Things aren't

looking good.

And so Jonathan

doesn't tell his dad

and his king,

but he goes to see

what's going on

in the outpost.

And in verse 4,

we see,

for Jonathan

to get to this outpost,

he must climb

over two cliffs.

And their names,

we're giving them there,

they don't really

fill us with confidence

when they're translated.

These cliffs

are roughly translated

as slippery

and thorny.

doesn't really

fill you with confidence,

does it?

This isn't going to be

an easy skip up

Arthur's seat

on a lovely

sunny Saturday morning.

Jonathan

and his armor bearer

are going to have

to climb over

these cliffs

on their hands

and knees,

cuts and bruises

and all.

And then when they

get to the top,

when they get over them,

they're going to

have to fight.

Again,

a hopeless

situation.

But look at

this man's faith

in verse 6,

where he says,

perhaps the Lord

will act

in our behalf.

Nothing,

nothing

can hinder

the Lord

from saving,

whether by many

or by few.

Here we have

a man whose confidence

is not in his own

skill in battle,

not in his own

physical ability

and not in his

own king,

but his confidence

is solely

based on the

mighty deeds

and will

of his God.

These are the

actions of a man

who listened

to Samuel's words

in chapter 12,

verse 24,

if you can turn

back there if you want,

where he's standing

and he warns

the nation of Israel,

but be sure

to fear the Lord

and serve him

faithfully

with all your

heart

and consider

what great

things he has

done for you.

You see,

Jonathan knows

who's on his

side.

He knows

that the battle

will be won

and we see

a hint of

why in verse 6.

Jonathan calls

the Philistines

uncircumcised

men.

He's pointing

out the

fundamental

difference

between Israel

and the

Philistines.

The Israelites

are the chosen

people of God

set apart

by him

and for him

and so they

will be under

his protection

and his

deliverance

from their

enemies.

And the

Philistines

are the people

who are opposed

to God.

They worship

man-made gods.

Israel are a

people who are

called to be

holy,

God's people,

recipients of

his promise

and the

Philistines

are not

holy.

They are not

walking in

line with God.

They are enemies

of God and

enemies of

his people.

And Jonathan

draws that out

here and we'll

hear more about

that next week

in chapter 15.

But in all of

this,

Jonathan is not

a fool.

He knows

that as he

scales,

he knows that

the scales are

tipped against

him.

And do you

see how he

leaves the

decision in

God's hands?

When they

show themselves

to the

Philistines and

they say,

wait there,

then they

will.

But if they

say,

come up,

then they

will know

that God

has delivered

them into

their hands.

So even

now,

just before

a fight,

as the

adrenaline is

pumping through

Jonathan's

veins,

as he's

tired from

just climbing

over two

cliffs,

he still

leaves the

decision in

the hands

of the

God who's

in control

of the

world.

And what

does God

do?

Well,

he fights

for them.

They are

called up to

the outpost,

apparently to

be taught a

lesson,

and they

manage to

kill 20

men.

And remember

that they

only had

one sword

against 20

soldiers who

presumably had

a sword

each.

This was

no act of

man,

but it was

an act of

God.

This was

God fighting

for his

faithful

servant,

God working

out his

extraordinary

will through

the means

of ordinary

people.

He made

the impossible

possible.

George

Muller ran

an orphanage

in Bristol,

and on one

occasion he

woke up,

he had 300

orphans in

his care,

and they

had no

food.

The house

mother came

and asked

him what they

should do.

it was an

impossible

task to

feed 300

children when

there's not a

crumb in

the building.

And he

said,

get the

children ready,

seat them

at the

table as

if we're

just about

to eat and

start the

day normally.

So they

did.

Muller walks

in and he

gives thanks

to God for

the food that

they were

about to

receive,

which was

at this

point

non-existent,

and he

waited.

Belly's

rumbling.

And within

minutes,

a baker

walked in

and said

that he

couldn't

sleep the

night before

because he

knew the

children would

have no

food,

and so he

stayed up

to bake

three batches

of bread for

them for

free.

So they

had food.

And then

seconds later,

in runs the

milkman whose

cart wheel had

just come off

his cart,

and he

gave them

ten big

old tubs

of milk

because the

milk would

go off by

the time the

wheel was

repaired.

And he

said,

take it

for free.

They

started with

nothing in

an impossible

situation,

and then they

ended with

too much.

God made

the impossible

possible.

Nothing is

impossible for

our great

God.

And so what

happens in

this hopeless

situation that

we started off

in?

Well, in

verse 15,

God is

fighting for

the Israelites

and he sends

a panic on

the army.

Israel are

not alone.

Despite their

rebellion and

rejection of

God, he

still amazingly,

lovingly cares

for and

delivers his

people.

Do you see

God's goodness

in this?

He could have

walked away from

his rebellious

people and

their disobedient

king and we

would have

thought, yep,

you've got all

the right to

do that.

But instead,

he is acting on

their behalf,

not because of

who they are,

not because of

what they have

done, but he

is acting on

their behalf and

fighting for

them because

of who he

is.

And then

Saul does a

roll call and

realizes that

his son and

armor bearer

were missing

and he turns

to his priest

in verses 18

and 19 for

advice.

He calls for

the ark of

the Lord to

be brought,

probably because

he wanted to

hear God's

voice.

And so

Saul had

been sitting

and waiting

for something

to happen

when he

should have

been acting.

And now

he should be

listening to

guidance, but

in verse 20

we see that

he brushes

it off.

He quickly

changes his

mind and

instead of

focusing on

God, he

focuses on

himself and

says, no,

forget about

the ark, I'm

going to war.

All of

Israel come

out to help

and in verse

23, the

amazing truth

that despite

all of this

rebellion, the

Lord saved

Israel.

This was not

the act of a

mighty king who

trusted in

God, nor was

it the act of

a faithful servant

who served the

Lord selflessly,

but this was the

act of an

almighty God

working for the

good of his

people.

But why are we

given this story?

Why are there

so many details in

these two chapters

that we can't

even get to?

Well, this

story shows us

the reactions of

people in

relation to God.

There is either

faith or

folly.

Jonathan was

wise.

He listened to

Samuel's warning

and he remembered

who was on his

side.

Saul was foolish

and he sat

when he should

have fought and

he acted when

he should have

listened.

One man guided

by the counsel

of God and had

confidence in him

whilst the other

was guided by his

own selfish

ambition.

Isn't this true

for our own

fallen, broken

hearts?

Are we people

of faith or

folly?

How often do we

face a difficult

situation in life

and rely on

ourselves, on

our own intuition

and we sit under

the pomegranate

tree as it were?

God.

But wouldn't it

be far better

if we acted

in confidence,

in the knowledge

of who is on

our side, who

we are living

for and serving

and in full

dependence on

him?

And I'm not

saying that we

should let go

and let God

because that can

be dangerous if

we follow it to

its full conclusion

but I am saying

that we should

take the example

of Jonathan and

trust God and

get going.

think about

that little

church that

about 51

years ago

stepped out in

faith and

bought the very

building that we

sit in this

evening.

Did they sit

under a pomegranate

tree?

Absolutely not.

They stepped

out in faith and

they trusted that

this was God's

plan, that he

would build his

church and

nothing would

prevail against

it.

And what's

the result?

Well 51

years later we

sit here this

evening.

The community

has been blessed

through ministries

that the church

runs.

The church has

grown in number

but more

importantly people

have come to

know Jesus

Christ as their

Lord and

Saviour.

People trusted

in God and

they acted.

God has given

us all the

revelation that we

need about his

will for our

lives in this

book that we

hold in our

hands.

We are called

to live distinct

lives, radical

lives of faith

lived out in the

ordinary tasks of

everyday life.

And in all the

difficulties that

come with life we

are to throw

ourselves on the

power and strength

of an almighty

God to uphold us

and to guide us.

Listen to God's

word.

trust in him

and let your

life be marked

by faith in

him.

That is how you

become a person

of faith and

not a person of

folly.

The second thing

that we see in

these chapters is a

self-centered leader.

In chapter 14

verse 24 to 52

a self-centered

leader.

Verse 23 ends on

such a good

note.

That God saved

Israel that day

and so we'd

expect rejoicing

and celebration

after that

wouldn't we?

But instead we

see the sheer

folly of a leader

who's more

preoccupied with

himself and his

own glory than he

is with God's.

Verse 24

Israel was in

distress that day.

Why?

Well because in

Saul's haste,

the haste that we

got a glimpse of in

verses 19 and 20,

he seems to have

put an oath over

Israel saying,

cursed be anyone who

eats food before

evening comes,

before I have

avenged myself on

my enemies.

Do you see Saul's

problem?

The man who

didn't obey God

at the beginning

of chapter 13

now makes no

reference to God

at all.

No expression of

faith or confidence

in him,

but he is obsessed

with avenging himself

on his enemies

and he's coercing

his people into

doing it for him.

And this oath and

curse is such a

contrast to

Jonathan's words in

chapter 14 verse 6,

isn't it?

Perhaps the Lord

will act on our

behalf.

Nothing can hinder

the Lord from

saving whether by

many or by few.

Now we're not

sure why Saul made

this oath,

but in verse 24

we're given an

indication as to

Saul's motives.

He was serving

his own purposes.

He might have

thought that his

reputation was at

stake because he's

the king of Israel

after all.

And so he does

everything he can

and puts an oath

on a people to

fight until the

end of the day.

But Saul would

have known that if

victory happened on

the battlefield then

people scattered.

And what followed

was hours and hours

of chasing down the

fleeing enemy to

complete the victory.

Hours of running up

and down over and

around hills,

searching high and

low for enemies that

may be lurking.

And these men would

already be tired from

the emotional distress

of not knowing what

was happening at the

beginning of the day.

They would be

starving.

But Saul focuses on

his own reputation

instead of his men

and instead of God.

And do you see how in

verse 24 the focus is

very much on himself?

I have avenged myself

on my enemies.

Saul, wake up.

Do you not see that it

is God who is fighting

on Israel's behalf?

Do you not see that God

should be your focus

because it is ultimately

his people that you are

leading?

No.

In his foolishness he

puts them under a vow

and weakens them.

Now Jonathan, his own

son, hadn't heard this

vow and so in his

tired and hungry state

he eats some honey.

And he is warned

about the vow in

verse 29 to 30 and

he points out the

foolishness of his

own father.

Saul has made

trouble for the

country.

Now why did this

bring trouble?

Well there are two

reasons.

One, it meant

practically that they

were weak and they

were tired.

But two, because of

what it led to in

verses 31 and 32.

Once the oath was no

longer upon them,

notice the language

that the author uses.

They pounced on the

plunder and butchered

the animals on the

ground and ate the

meat together with the

blood.

This is the language

that we'd expect of a

pack of wolves.

They've been roaming the

forest for days with no

food but then they

catch their prey and

then they devour.

But sadly this is not

speaking about a pack

of wild animals.

This is speaking of

God's chosen people.

Who are acting like

wild animals and who

are acting as if there

is no law.

The Israelites were not

allowed under the law

to consume blood and

you can look that up

later on in Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 12:23–24

12 verses 23 to 24.

But in their hunger and

desperation for food,

all of their thoughts

about God and about

living according to his

law have gone out the

window.

Obedience to a self-centered

foolish oath led to

the disobedience to a

good God and his law.

Saul sees this problem

and he jumps immediately

to problem solving as

opposed to getting to

the source of the

problem.

Don't we do that all

the time?

He doesn't ask why this

has happened which would

reveal his own sin but

instead he asks how he

can fix it.

And he assumes again the

role of a priest and

builds an altar in verse

35.

And we've seen this

before in the beginning

of chapter 13.

Saul, when are you going

to learn your lesson?

And in this whole

situation it seems as if

Saul is trying to do the

impossible.

It's as if he's trying to

earn back the favour of

God.

But there is nothing,

absolutely nothing that

any human being can ever

do that will earn them

God's favour.

Saul is trying to work

himself into a right

relationship with God.

That is not possible.

God is the one who

gifts faith.

God is the one who

reveals himself to his

people.

God is the one who

makes people right with

him.

No human effort can

make a person right

with God.

That is a miracle that

God works in people's

lives.

And in verse 36 again

we see Saul's foolishness

because he thinks that

he sorted it out.

God is the one who

wants to keep pursuing

the Philistines.

Again, no reference of

God, no expression of

faith in him.

And it's only when the

priest says, should we

maybe ask God what he

thinks about all this?

Does he say, oh yeah, I

forgot about that.

And he thinks to inquire as

to whether this is God's

will or not.

And so we ask God in

verse 37 and at the end

of the verse we see the

devastating state of

Saul and Israel.

God did not speak to

him.

God was withholding his

voice from Saul.

This silence from God

led Saul to conclude the

sin was in his camp.

And so he calls all the

people together and they

cast lots to see who is at

fault.

And in verse 39, Paul

says, Saul says that

whoever is found guilty

will die.

So lots are cast.

And it turns out that

Jonathan had broken the

oath and took some honey.

And do you see the

foolishness of this king?

His priority is for him

to do everything and

anything he can to get

back in God's good books

that he says in verse 44,

may God deal with me be

it ever so severely if

you do not die,

Jonathan.

Saul was so eager to

make himself right with

God and gain his favor

that he was determined to

even kill his own son.

And the irony of this

whole situation is that

Jonathan was the one who's

faithful.

He was the one who took

matters into his own

hands and trusted God to

work on his behalf.

Jonathan was a man of

faith and Saul is the man

of folly.

Saul was putting his oath

on par with the commands

of God.

But I was thinking this

week, why didn't God

change the lot?

And why didn't he make

Saul out to be the guilty

one?

Because the passage is

portraying him as the man

who's not walking in the

will of God.

So why did God let

Jonathan be picked?

Well, as we look on,

we see that the people

of Israel rally around

Jonathan to protect him.

And they're now not

listening to Saul's

commands.

Saul, the king who

sets himself up as this

mighty and strong one of

Israel, is being brought

to his knees.

He's being humbled.

Whilst the humble one who

is faithful and serving God

is protected.

This episode results in the

people of Israel recognizing

God's work.

And they say in verse 45

that Jonathan's deeds were

the acts of a man who was

being helped by God.

See, they're starting to lose

confidence in their king.

Maybe they were starting to

realize that God was right

after all.

What a surprise.

And that this earthly king

that they cried out for

wasn't actually what was

best for them.

But Saul continued to reign

as king and he continues to

live in his folly and we'll

see that as we go on.

And we see his lack of

confidence and faith in God

and we get a hint of that

again at the end in verse 52.

Whenever Saul saw a mighty

or brave man he took him

into his service.

Saul is basing his confidence

in himself.

In his own strength and in

his own army.

This is a self-centered leader

whose life is marked by

folly.

Are we people of faith or

folly?

Saul was trying so hard to be

made right with God again.

He was thinking that he

could do that.

And it looked as if that was

his main goal.

But the reasoning behind that

was not God's glory.

His reasoning for that was

himself.

And the tragic thing about

Saul's story and the reason

that as we read this we can

kind of feel sorry for him

can't we?

Is because the tragedy that he

faces that leads to his

foolishness is the same

tragedy that affects every

single human heart in this

world.

Saul's problem was that he

forgot God.

Isn't that the case and the

danger for everyone?

There are thousands of people

walking around Edinburgh this

evening.

Millions of people in the world

who are living lives marked by

folly.

Living as if God doesn't exist.

Refusing to acknowledge who he

is and his will for their lives.

Millions of people are living

under the false assumption that

they can make themselves right with

God.

if they live good lives.

If they treat people well.

If they're kind to others.

If they don't hurt anybody.

Then surely they'll be good enough

to reach this place that they call

heaven.

And do you know what that means?

That means that millions of people

are dying and walking into an

eternity without God with a false

sense of hope.

God alone is the one who can save.

God alone is the one who can make

people right with him.

God alone is the one who takes

people from being marked by folly

to being marked by faith.

If that is you this evening.

If you are trying your best to reach

God please stop because your efforts

are in vain.

But instead obey God's word.

trust in his ways and have faith in

him because only then can you be

made right with him.

God makes the first move.

Let us not be like Saul.

Let's not forget God.

Let's be people who are marked by

faith not by folly.

Let's start living as if God exists

and is alive because my friends he is.

And as we draw to a close I want to

say that this story is not just to

tell us about two different reactions

to God.

It isn't just there to teach us about

godly leadership but it is there to

teach us a much greater story.

You see in Jonathan we see a man of

faith.

We see the qualities of a leader.

One who knows God's power.

Knows God's wisdom.

Knows God's goodness.

And one who trusts God completely.

But in comparison to Jesus Christ

Jonathan is nothing but a faint shadow.

See Jesus didn't climb over cliffs and

kill 20 enemies.

He didn't spend hours chasing enemies

down to defeat an army that would

ultimately come back again in the

future.

No.

Jesus went into the wilderness by the

spirit and was tempted by Satan.

He was beaten.

He was whipped.

He was mocked.

And yet he remained silent.

And he walked up a hill with a cross

on his back and was nailed to the tree

in perfect obedience to the will of God

the Father.

And he died a horrible death.

But in the process of his agony he defeated

sin.

Our true and lasting enemy that sets us on

the path of an eternity of God's judgment.

Jesus took the death that we deserve and he

rose again defeating not only the powers of

sin and Satan but he defeated death itself.

And that's why later on in the New Testament

in 1st Corinthians Paul the writer of the

letter can say this.

Death has been swallowed up in victory.

Where oh death is your victory?

Where oh death is your sting?

The sting of death is sin and the power of

sin is the law but thanks be to God.

He gives us the victory through who?

Through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ.

This is the leader that we follow.

This is the man whose life was marked by

unfaltering obedience and trust in the will

and goodness of God.

And this is the one in whom and through whom

we can be made right with God.

Jesus is the only answer.

Are we people marked by faith or are we

people marked by folly?

Think back to what the world deems to be

foolish and what the world deems to be wise.

See the opinion of the world regarding these

things is worthless.

The only opinion that matters as we stand

before God on that final day is God's and

God's opinion of who we are.

And my prayer is that every single person in this

room tonight can say that our actions, our speech and

our thoughts are characterized by a living faith in

the one triune God.

The God who set the great plan of salvation for the world

into motion.

The son who carried out that plan obediently died on a

cross and rose again triumphantly.

The Holy Spirit who dwells within every Christian and he was

making us more into the image of Jesus Christ.

If we trust in Jesus and if we live by the power of his

spirit, then we are people of faith set apart by God and for

God.

But if we reject Jesus and we walk away from him, then we are

foolish.

Which path will you choose this evening?

Are we going to be a people of faith or a folly?

Let's pray.

Let's pray.

And just in the silence of our own hearts for a moment, let's

reflect on our stance before the almighty God.

O our great God and our redeemer, forgive us for the times that

we have walked away from you and our lives have been marked by

foolishness.

Thank you that through your son and his atoning death on the cross,

we can know 100% that we are part of your family, a privilege that

we do not deserve.

And yet in your goodness, in your faithfulness, you chose to set us

free from the sin and the judgment that we deserve.

Father, I pray this evening that our lives would be marked by a faith

in you, the only one who deserves our lives.

Help us live lives for your glory, for your honor and your fame.

We ask this in your son's name.

Amen.