1 Samuel 13:1-15

I'm glad to hear you're coming to Musselboro.

Can't guarantee you the weather will be any better than it is in Edinburgh,

but it's the honest tune, so you should really enjoy yourself when you come next week.

I noticed that it's NIV that you normally have.

I'm reading from the ESV, if that's okay.

You'll notice the opening verses are slightly different,

and I'll explain that just in a wee minute.

1 Samuel 13 is the passage.

And we're reading verses 1 through to 15.

I was first asked to preach in 1 Samuel 14, so I prepared a sermon,

and then I got an email through saying,

there's been a change, could you preach in 1 Samuel 13?

So I've had the great joy of studying both these chapters.

So there you are.

The person who's speaking next week is ill, you know what to do.

1 Samuel 13.

Saul lived for one year and then became king,

and when he had reigned for two years over Israel,

Saul chose 3,000 men of Israel.

2,000 were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel,

and 1,000 were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin.

The rest of the people he sent home,

every man to his tent.

Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Gibeah,

and the Philistines heard of it.

And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying,

Let the Hebrews hear.

And all Israel heard it,

said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines,

and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines.

And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.

And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel 30,000 chariots,

6,000 horsemen,

and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude.

They came up and encamped in Michmash,

to the east of Beth-Avon.

When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble,

for the people were hard-pressed,

the people hid themselves in caves,

and in holes,

and in rocks,

and in tombs,

and in cisterns.

And some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan

to the land of Gad and Gilead.

Saul was still at Gilgal,

and all the people followed him,

trembling.

He waited seven days,

the time appointed by Samuel.

But Samuel did not come to Gilgal,

and the people were scattering from him.

So Saul said,

Bring the burnt offering here to me,

and the peace offerings.

And he offered the burnt offering.

As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering,

behold,

Samuel came.

And Saul went out to meet him and greet him.

Samuel said,

What have you done?

And Saul said,

When I saw that the people were scattering from me,

and that you did not come within the days appointed,

and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash,

I said,

Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal,

and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.

So I forced myself,

and offered the burnt offering.

And Samuel said to Saul,

You have done foolishly.

You have not kept the command of the Lord your God,

with which he commanded you.

For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.

But now your kingdom shall not continue.

The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart,

and the Lord has commanded him to be prince or leader over his people,

because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.

And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal.

The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army.

They went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin.

And Saul numbered the people who were present with him,

about six hundred men.

And we'll finish there at verse 15.

Now, if you read the commentaries,

you will soon find out that there are issues

to be discussed with regards to time,

dates, and numbers

in the opening verses of this chapter.

The recorded statistics in the early part of the chapter

apparently are not at all clear.

That's why there's a distinct difference

in IV and the ESV.

They're not clear in the original manuscripts available.

But having said that,

I think you'll be delighted to know

that we're not going to go down that route anyhow.

We're going to leave that important stuff,

and it is important stuff,

we'll leave it to the scholars.

So let me give you a brief context

for the content of the passage

that has been given to me this evening.

Even although in many respects

Israel had rejected God

as their king

at this particular point in their history,

God was still king.

He was still in control.

Their failure did not mean

that God was going to be a failure.

God never fails.

His purposes will always be fulfilled.

They will never be frustrated,

even if it is Saul who's on the throne.

And we need to keep that in mind.

He began his reign

as king of Israel in chapter 10,

I think with a degree of promise, really.

We know from chapter 11

that Saul was given a golden opportunity

to prove to Israel at large

that he could save his people

from any oppressors.

He was hugely instrumental

in bringing relief to the besieged city

of Jabesh Gilead on that occasion

from the Ammonites.

Something the men of Jabesh Gilead

never, ever forgot.

And if you go to the last few verses

of the last chapter of Samuel,

chapter 31,

you will see that it was the men

of Jabesh Gilead

who risked their lives

to bring back the remains

of King Saul

after the Philistines

had beheaded him

and then fastened his body

to the wall of Beth-shan

after they had defeated Israel

on Mount Gilboa.

So the men of Jabesh Gilead

never forgot what Saul did for them.

However,

in spite of what happened

in chapter 12,

by the time this incident

took place in chapter 13,

things had turned a wee bit slower.

Saul had become something

of a lame duck king.

At some point along the way,

even although he's going

to remain king

for many years to come,

before he will eventually

be replaced by David,

the man after God's own heart.

At the end of chapter 12,

Samuel,

he withdraws,

if you read at the end

of the chapter there,

he withdraws

as the theocratic leader

of the country.

Now that Saul

has been confirmed king,

Samuel takes a back step.

And in his farewell address,

he tells the king

and he tells the nation

not to be afraid,

not to turn away

from following the Lord.

He reminds them

that God will not

ever forsake his people.

If not for their sake,

then for his own namesake.

And Samuel's parting shot

in his retirement speech

at the end of the chapter

is to tell them

that he'll not be sinning

against God

by not praying for them.

No, he'll continue

to pray for them

and he exhorts them

to fear the Lord

and serve the Lord

faithfully

with all their heart.

What Samuel is doing

is he's reminding them

yet again

in characteristic,

prophetic manner

that it's never too late

to repent

of their wrongdoing,

never too late

to change their ways,

nor is it too much

to ask

or even too much

to expect

such a thing

from God's chosen people.

So Samuel takes the back step.

He gives his farewell speech.

We come into chapter 13

with a certain degree of hope

that the future,

however short or long,

might be,

could be,

ought to be,

brighter and better

than the past.

But I would not encourage you

to bet your life savings on it.

Chapters 13 and 14

actually constitute

one large narrative.

But we're confining ourselves

mainly to the 13th chapter,

the first 15 verses.

And as Jim Packer says,

we're going to let the text

do the talking.

So we want to begin,

first of all,

by examining the facts.

First seven verses.

In spite of the uncertainty

about the numbers

at the beginning

of the chapter,

it would appear

with closer examination

that whenever

this border incident

took place

at the beginning

of the chapter,

it was at a time

when the nation of Israel

was under Philistine domination.

Saul

had raised

a standing army

at this particular time.

He had a couple

of thousand men

gathered with him

in Michmash,

we're told.

And we're also told

that a thousand men

also gathered

round his son Jonathan

in Gibeah

of Benjamin.

These two towns,

I understand,

were only about

four miles apart.

And the chapter opens

in John Wayne style,

if you know what I mean,

with what is a gung-ho

commando raid

by Jonathan

on the Philistine garrison.

The rugged terrain

in that area,

so we're told,

provided excellent conditions

for guerrilla warfare.

And yes,

you could say

Jonathan's raid

was a successful raid.

You could say that.

But on the other hand,

it seems only

to have served

to rouse the anger

of the Philistines

and precipitate

a Philistine reprisal.

Those are the facts.

What can we learn

from the facts?

Well, we know

that this wasn't

the first or the last time

in the history of warfare

that a surprise attack

had taken place

to kick things off,

if I can use that expression,

in terms of all-out war.

Border incidents,

which is what this was.

Jonathan was involved in it.

Border incidents,

according to Joyce Baldwin,

are a time-honoured method

for manufacturing a war

that will both unite

and galvanise a nation.

And it's hoped,

at the same time,

it will lead

to territorial expansion,

as was the case,

for example,

with Italy

in her war

with Ethiopia in 1935.

The same could be said

of Germany

with Poland

in 1939.

First-strike attacks

against unsuspecting targets

tend to be cheap victories,

as was the case,

for example,

when the Japanese

attacked Pearl Harbor

in December 1941.

It was a great victory

for Japan

in the short term,

but what did it do?

It only served

to awaken

the sleeping giant,

the United States

of America

in the process.

And when you read

the first seven verses

of this chapter here,

the same sort of thing

is happening.

On this occasion,

as Jonathan

initiates

this border incident,

because the text

goes on to tell us

that Israel

began to pay

a rather heavy price

for this act

of aggression,

almost immediately

at the hands

of the Philistines.

In some respects,

on the one hand,

it did unite,

it did galvanize

the nation of Israel

as the Hebrews

were called out

to join Saul

at Gilgal,

but on the other hand,

look at what happened

in verses 5, 6, and 7

among the Philistines.

Let's read it to you.

The Philistines mustered

to fight with Israel

30,000 chariots,

6,000 horsemen,

and troops like the sand

on the seashore

in multitude.

They came up

and encamped

at Michmash

to the east

of Beth-Avon.

When the men

of Israel

saw that they

were in trouble

for the people

were hard-pressed,

the people hid

themselves in caves,

in holes,

in rocks,

in tombs,

and in cisterns,

and some Hebrews

actually crossed

the fords of the Jordan

to the land

of Gad and Gilead.

Saul was at Gilgal.

All the people

following him

are shaking

in their shoes.

They're trembling.

The Philistines

are said to be

as numerous

as the sand

on the seashore,

and they are now

on the offensive.

Saul's troops

in the army of Israel,

they're now outflanked,

outnumbered,

and as we would say,

outgunned.

It's mass panic,

total chaos.

The Israelite army

is not only deserting,

they're apostatizing.

They're abandoning

God

and the ordinary

people of Israel

by hiding

wherever they can

rather than standing up

and showing themselves

willing to fight.

They're trembling.

They're quaking

in their shoes.

You could say

that Jonathan's action

comes across

as a bit of bravado

on his part,

although King Saul

gets the credit,

apparently,

for what had happened,

but it very quickly

leads to disaster

as far as Israel

was concerned.

What are 1,000 men

going to do

with 30,000 chariots

and 6,000 horsemen

and troops

like the sand

on the seashore

that haven't

a dog's chance?

It's a wee bit like

what happened

in the Jacobite Rebellion

in the 18th century.

Just to rake

your wee minds

a bit in history,

Bonnie Prince Charlie,

yes,

he raises

his father's standard

at Glenfinnan,

rallying the Highlanders

in August 1745

when he arrived

there from France.

Scottish army

came down

to this part

of the country

and after winning

battles at Edinburgh

and then out

at Preston Pans,

September 1745,

they marched

very quickly

as far south

as Derby

in England,

thinking victories

on the horizon,

but because of

lack of support

and a wrong strategy,

they turned back

only to be defeated

at Culloden

by the Duke

of Cumberland

on the 16th

of April 1746.

Now,

it all started

so well,

but in a few months

it was all over

in less than an hour

on the field

at Culloden.

And surely

on this occasion,

almost

3,000 years

earlier,

you see something

similar

taking place.

you would have

to call

as a result

of all this,

surely,

you would have

to call

into question

the pathetic

leadership

or lack

of leadership

of King Saul.

The cracks

are now beginning

to appear.

He doesn't seem

to have what it takes

to lead the country.

He has apparently

no clear plans

for the battle

against the enemy.

It's a bit of a hit

or a miss.

King Saul

is showing himself

to be something

of a square peg

in a round hole.

He might be

dark and handsome

and tall,

but he's lacking

in courage,

he's lacking

in confidence,

he's lacking

in communication

skills,

and he's lacking

in plain common sense

when it comes

to the decision-making

process.

He seems

to be

causing problems

rather than

preventing them.

He's showing

himself

to be woefully

inadequate.

We'll discover

more about that

as we move on

into the chapter

just in a moment,

even more so

when you get

into chapter 14.

So having

considered the facts,

if you like,

events that have

just taken place,

come to verse 8

and on from verse 8.

Let's get

what I think

is the main message

that God wants

us to hear

from this chapter

for our own lives

tonight.

Okay,

point number one,

I trained in the

faith mission,

so you're going

to get three points.

Point number one,

examining the facts.

Those are the facts.

Jonathan,

an incident,

border incident,

he wins the day

but arouses

the sleeping giant

and they find

themselves

in a big mess.

And Saul,

he's over it all.

He's messed it up.

Here's the second thing,

playing the fool.

Now,

way back in chapter 10

verse 8,

Samuel said to Saul,

Go down before me

to Gilgal

and behold,

I'm coming down

to you

to offer burnt offerings

and to sacrifice

peace offerings.

Seven days

you shall wait

until I come to you

and show you

what you shall do.

That's what Samuel

said to him.

Go down before me

to Gilgal.

I'm coming down

to you

to offer burnt offerings

and to sacrifice

peace offerings.

Seven days

you shall wait

until I come to you

and show you

what you shall do.

Now,

whether it was

as a result

of what was said

on that occasion

or from another occasion

that we know nothing about,

we pick things up here

at chapter 13

verse 8

with these words.

He waited

seven days,

the time appointed

by Samuel,

but Samuel

did not come

to Gilgal

and the people

were scattering

from him.

So Saul said,

bring the burnt offering

here to me

and the peace offering.

And he offers

the burnt offering

and as soon as he'd

finished offering

the burnt offering,

lo and behold,

who lands on his doorstep?

Samuel.

Now,

the text tells us

that Saul,

the king,

went out to meet

Samuel,

the prophet,

and to greet him

as if nothing

of a serious nature

has happened.

Saul's pretty good

at that.

Samuel,

however,

wastes no time

in beating about

the bush.

He said to Saul,

what have you done?

And Saul said,

when I saw

that the people

were scattering

from me

and that you

didn't come

within the days

appointed

and that the Philistines

had mustered

at Michmash,

I said,

now the Philistines

will come down

against me

at Gilgal

and I have not

sought the favor

of the Lord.

So I forced myself

and offered

the burnt offering.

What's Saul

trying to do here?

He's trying to

shift the blame

onto Samuel's shoulders.

He blames Samuel

for what

took place

by appearing

late.

And yet,

at the same time,

Saul admits

that he hadn't

really sought

the favor of the Lord

for what he had done.

He makes it clear

to Saul,

you've done foolishly.

Now the agreement

was clear.

Seven days,

remember?

Shall you wait

and when I come

I will tell you

what to do.

Samuel said

he would be there

within seven days

to do the needful

but time

was beginning

to run out.

Saul's beginning

to feel the pressure.

What we need

to note is that

although they were

well into the seventh day,

the seventh day

hadn't finished.

The seven days

were not completely over

when Saul makes

his move.

He panics.

He makes his move.

The clock hadn't

struck midnight

but Saul couldn't wait

and instead

he takes the law

into his own hands

and he offers

the sacrifice

late,

very late,

no doubt,

on the seventh day

but before the seventh day

had fully run its course.

No sooner had he done so,

Samuel arrives

and he's on Saul's doorstep.

Now in some ways

you can sympathize

with Saul

as he sees things

coming apart

and as he sees

the clock ticking

and as he sees

as far as his army

is concerned

that they're fleeing

here,

there and yonder

and as he knows

that time is really,

really running out

and Samuel's nowhere

to be seen.

when the ferocious beast

of impatience,

as John Calvin called it,

took over

in the life of Saul.

It could have been

so different.

George Swinock,

the Puritan,

once said,

if we would only

lengthen our patience

we would shorten

our troubles.

Now what Saul did

may be understandable.

How would you

have fared

if you were standing

in his shoes

seven days?

He said he would come

in seven days.

We're getting near midnight

and he's not arrived yet.

What he did

may be understandable

but it's also

unforgivable.

It may have been plausible

but it's not pleasing

to the Lord.

God's word is

indispensable

and he always keeps it.

He's never late

in fulfilling

his covenant engagements.

He's never in a hurry.

He's always in time.

At the eleventh hour

or at a couple of minutes

to midnight

so to speak

Saul runs out

of patience

as he tries to put

sacrifice

before obedience

and ritual

before revelation.

They have been

for the first time

but it wasn't going to be

for the last time.

Wait till you get

to chapter 15.

On this occasion

it's bad enough.

He would receive

immediate admonition

from the Lord

through Samuel

for doing so

but on the next occasion

when you get to chapter 15

it's going to be

a whole lot worse.

It's going to be

a rejection

by God

and not just

admonition.

Saul said to him

on this occasion

what have you done?

Do you know that

just about sums it up

brothers and sisters?

That's the message.

What have you done?

How often

that probing question

is asked

of different people

in the Bible?

And here it is

before us

in this chapter

again tonight.

Let me rake

your memory a wee bit.

Was that not

the question

the Lord asked Eve

in Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

when she disobeyed

the Lord?

Did he not say to her

what have you done?

It was exactly

the same question

the Lord asked

of Cain

in Genesis chapter 4

Genesis 4 · chapter mention

after he killed

his brother Abel.

What have you done?

Later on

in the book of Joshua

Joshua 7 · chapter mention

chapter 7

it's the same question

asked of Achan

when he coveted

and stole

and then hid

the Babylonian garment

along with some shekels.

What have you done?

You know

throughout history

the Lord is asking

the same question

of so many

different people.

What have you done?

And I wonder

we're all here tonight

you're not here

to listen to me

we're here to listen

to what God

has to say.

He's asking

of all of us

that question

tonight.

What have you done?

Have you deliberately

done

something

anything

that you know

you should not have done?

Have I?

God had spoken

have we trampled

underfoot

his word?

How many times

are we guilty

of doing

what we

shouldn't have done?

so often

we're guilty

of disobeying

his word

and it's

by jumping

the gun.

We find it

difficult

to wait

for God's time

so often

we don't wait

for him

to fulfill

the word

that he has

so clearly

spoken to us

even kings

can be impatient

that's what

we're learning

here.

Samuel didn't

fail Saul

he didn't

come on

the eighth

day

he came

late

on the

seventh

day.

it was a

testing time

for him

that's for

sure

but all

of a sudden

his patience

ran out

and he

assumes

the role

of prophet

and priest

as well

as king.

We're not

good at waiting

are we?

I think we

I'm speaking

about myself

we need

to take

a leaf

out of

the

psalmist

book

psalm 40

I waited

for the

Lord my

God

metrical

version

and patiently

did bear

did bear

at length

to me

he did

incline

my voice

and cry

to hear.

How long

did Abraham

wait for the

child God

promised him?

Decades.

How long

did Moses

have to wait

until he's

ready to

lead the

people out

of Egypt?

Several

decades.

How long

did David

have to

wait before

he would

eventually be

crowned king

of all

Israel?

It was a

long time.

Saul had

only to

wait seven

days

and if

Saul had

only waited

a few

more minutes

on this

occasion

that's all

things would

have been

a-okay.

Three

thousand years

have passed

since then

but those

three thousand

years I

don't think

haven't

changed

anything.

In one

sense you

could say

well everything

has changed

with the

passing of

the millennia

but in

another sense

you can say

nothing has

changed.

God hasn't

changed has

he?

He's the

same.

Humanity is

the same.

Aren't we

just the

same?

Sin's the

same.

Salvation's

the same.

If anything

we're probably

less patient

in the

21st century

than those

who lived

in the

centuries BC

because this

is so

we're told

the instant

generation

our problem

is that we

want whatever

it is

now.

But slowness

is so very

often God's

preferred method

of working.

He's not

cold, God's

not cold, he's

not cruel, he's

not callous but

he keeps us

waiting sometimes

to the last

minute in

order to do

his deepest

work in our

hearts.

You read

on means

Saul went

on to blame

anybody and

everybody for

what happened

except himself

of course.

No sign of

him owning up

to his sin,

there's no sign

of him repenting

but Samuel

the prophet,

he didn't

stop when he

asked the

question of

Saul the

king, what

have you

done?

No, he

then went

on to tell

Saul what

he'd done.

You have

done foolishly,

he said.

You have

not kept

the command

of the Lord

your God

which he

commanded

you.

And the

same thing

is going

to be

repeated in

1 Samuel

1 Samuel 15 · chapter mention

chapter 15

when he

eventually at

the end of

the chapter,

chapter 15,

he admits,

I've played

the fool and

I've erred

exceedingly.

Now we need

to be careful.

What exactly

does it mean

to be a fool

in the Bible?

It's not

referring to

someone who

lacks intelligence.

A fool in the

Bible is not

an idiot.

He's not

a fool here

in the sense

that he's

got no

sense

whatsoever.

A fool

in biblical

parlance

might be

very,

very clever,

but it's

nothing to

do with

a person's

IQ.

In the

Word of

God,

a fool

is someone

who at

that

particular

time,

that specific

moment in

his life,

he's believing

or behaving

as if there

is no

God.

That's what

meant in

the Bible

when it

speaks of

someone playing

the fool.

The psalmist

says in

Psalm 14,

the fool

has said

in his

heart,

there is

no God.

That's what's

meant when

someone is

said to

behave like

a fool.

They've

become a

practical

atheist,

if not an

intellectual and

philosophical

atheist.

In the

Sermon on the

Mount,

remember how

the Lord

Jesus drew

everything to

a final

conclusion by

telling us,

telling the

people who

were listening

to him,

that the

difference

between the

wise man

who built

his house

on the

rock and

the foolish

man who

built his

house on

the sand,

rested on

this very

point of

obedience with

regards to

what God

had said.

It's as

simple as

that.

You don't

need to be

somebody with

a BD or

a PhD to

come to

terms with

this.

What was

the clear

unmistakable

difference between

the two men

in Matthew

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

chapter 7?

They were the

same in the

sense that they

both heard the

word of God.

No question

about that.

It's not that one

of them heard

and the other

didn't.

They both

heard the

word spoken

by the

Lord.

But the

difference is

seen in

that the

wise man

is the

one who

puts it

into practice

what he

hears,

whereas the

foolish man,

he doesn't

put it

into practice.

Saul knew

what Samuel

said as he

spoke the

word of God

earlier to

him, but

Saul did

not obey

what Samuel

said.

He didn't

do what he

was told to

do.

He went

out and he

did his

own thing

when time

was running

out.

And I

think that's

where so

many of

us fall

down when

it comes

to the

issue,

well,

many issues.

Fellowship

with other

Christians,

membership of

a church,

personal

relationships

with others,

aspiring to

discipleship,

and so on

and so forth.

So often,

we do our

own thing at

the end of

the day,

and we do

it in our

time scale.

people.

It's so

easy.

Do you

not think,

thinking coming

along in

the car,

so easy to

be a

hearer,

but not a

doer of the

word of

God, and

that was

King Saul's

downfall.

Sometimes

kings and

people in

authority,

they think

they're in a

different category

to other

people.

Maybe pastors

think they're

in a different

category to

other people

in their

pride and

presumption.

They forget

there's another

pastor,

there's another

king, to

whom we're

all accountable,

including them

in the latter

part of the

16th century

before he

became James

I of England.

James VI of

Scotland was

notoriously rude

when attending

worship services.

I don't know

whether you know

that or not,

but Ralph Davis,

Dale Ralph Davis

draws our attention

to this.

On one

occasion,

he was seated

in the gallery

James VI

with several

courtiers

when Robert

Bruce,

not Robert

the Bruce,

but Robert

Bruce,

a faithful

minister of

the Word

of God,

got up to

preach.

In his

usual form,

James VI

began to

talk to

those around

him during

the sermon.

On hearing

the chatter,

Bruce the

minister,

he's in the

pulpit,

he paused.

He went

silent.

And as he

did so,

James VI

suddenly fell

silent in the

gallery.

Bruce resumed

speaking,

but as he

resumed to

speak,

so did

James VI.

Bruce ceased

speaking a second

time,

and so did

James VI.

Bruce began

to speak again,

but when James VI

committed the third

offence,

by starting to

speak all over

again,

Bruce turned

and he

looked at the

king and

he addressed

James VI

personally and

directly with

these words,

and I quote,

It is said to

have been an

expression of

the wisest of

kings that

when the lion

roars, all the

beasts of the

field are quiet.

The lion of the

tribe of Judah is

now roaring in

the voice of his

gospel, and it

becomes all the

petty kings of

the earth to be

silent.

I'd love to

have been a

fly on the

wall, see the

expression on the

face of James VI.

But the truth of

the matter is,

even kings can

forget that they

are but subjects

of a greater

king.

In fact, do we

not read in

Isaiah that we

are all grasshoppers?

So what is a

judge?

He's a grasshopper

with a wig on.

And what is a

king?

Well, he's just a

grasshopper with a

crown on.

He's nothing more

than that.

Kings can ignore the

king of kings'

decrees and

commands and laws,

either obnoxiously

and blatantly like

James VI, or

quietly and subtly

like Saul.

In any case,

Samuel primarily

charged Saul with

disobeying the

word of God.

Saul had

behaved like a

fool.

he behaved as

though God had

not spoken.

He behaved as

though God did

not exist.

That's what he

did.

So what have we

been trying to do

here?

Examining the facts,

the first seven

verses or so,

what was going on,

that skirmish.

And then we've

been looking at

Saul playing the

fool what he did

in the light of

all that was

happening and

time running out.

But time doesn't

stand still.

Just one final

thing.

Examining the

facts, playing

the fool, now

facing the

future.

The punishment

was severe.

Read the

chapter.

There are several

things to be

noted as we

bring all this to

a speedy

conclusion.

In the first

instance, Saul's

dynasty will not

continue in the

future.

He's told that.

He would not

enjoy an ongoing

dynasty.

His children would

not succeed him in

terms of sitting on

the throne of

Israel.

Verse 14 makes

that clear.

All that privilege

would be taken from

him because we

know that God had

already chosen, even

at this time, his

successor in the

person of David, the

son of Jesse, who

is said to be a man

after God's own

heart.

At least he was

most of this time.

David will be

someone who is

prepared to let God's

will, as spoken by

God's prophet at the

time, to be a

guide.

At least, most of

the time.

It may sound, as

you read this, it

may sound a stern

judgment on King

Saul.

No dynasty to come.

That may sound

rather severe.

And it would be

easy to think that

Samuel has overreacted

to events that have

just happened.

After all, Saul did

wait, let's face it,

he did wait for the

seventh day.

But the point being

made is that Samuel is

at pains to establish

and underline once and

for all that Israel's

monarchy, of all

monarchies, is

radically different from

every other monarchy

on planet earth.

The God of Israel is a

precisionist.

If he says through his

prophet, I'll be down in

seven days to offer a

sacrifice, he'll be

there.

You may have to wait

until two minutes to

midnight, but he'll be

there.

In the nation of Israel,

the Lord is king above

any earthly king on the

throne of Israel, and

obedience to him is

paramount.

Not just when it comes

to time, but when it

comes to practice.

And that's what was

lacking in King Saul.

God's king should not

function independent of

God's word, independent

of God's prophet, and

even independent of God

himself.

Another thing that Saul

would have to live with

in the future is the

fact that his troops,

read the passage when

you go on, they're

demoralized, they're

depleted, there's only a

few hundred of them left

standing.

They hide themselves in

caves and holes and rocks

and tombs and systems in

order to save their skins.

Not only did those who

followed Saul begin to

tremble, but as an army

they're completely

demilitarized and

completely demoralized.

If you read on, I know

I'm not supposed to do

this, but towards the

end of the 13th chapter,

this is for next week, if

you read on, the only

people left who were

found to have a sword or

a spear in their hands

were Saul and Jonathan.

The others didn't have

any military weapons at

all.

And the picture is

painted of an Israel

that hadn't even a

blacksmith within its

borders.

The people working on

the land had to go down

to the Philistines in

humiliation in order to

ask to have their

agricultural implements,

their plowshares, their

mattocks, their pickaxes,

their axes and their

sickles, get them all

sharpened.

It was Philistine

domination ratcheted up

all over the country and

total humiliation for the

nation of Israel.

But by far the greatest

tragedy is there in verse

15, where he is of

Samuel leaving Saul, note

that, going up to Gilgal,

while the rest of the

people following Saul are

said to be going after

Saul, away from Gilgal to

Gibeah of Benjamin.

What's that telling us?

From that day on, Saul is on

his own.

He's deprived of the

word of God.

He's no longer in the

close company of God's

spokesman.

There's no word from God

being spoken in his ears.

He's without the guidance

of God.

He's without the presence of

God.

He's without the provision

of God.

He's without the protection

of God.

Now, it's one thing for

someone to be distressed.

It's another thing to be

all alone in that

distress and to have no

anchor that will hold

when the storm comes.

That's Saul.

You read the text, you can

sense there's an air of

hopelessness around, the

despair over everything and

everyone.

And yet, there is a

rainbow of hope for the

nation of Israel.

In spite of all that's

happening here, and it's in

black and white, it's in

pen and ink, it's in the

Bible.

There is a ray of hope.

The future doesn't look too

good on the ground at the

present time here, but there

are still the promises and

there are still the plans and

there are still the purposes

of a God who is sovereign.

The God, this God, has already

chosen a king after his own

heart to reign in the person

of David, the son of Jesse, and

his day will surely come in

God's time, with God entering

into a covenant with him to

establish a kingdom that will

last, how long?

Forever.

And a way beyond that, of

course, a thousand years or

so later, there's the

fulfilling of that promise in

the coming of great David's

greater son in the fullness

of the times.

The faithful, obedient king,

the king of kings.

He'll be born in Bethlehem

and at precisely the right

moment.

God is a precisionist.

When his public ministry

begins, he'll announce that

the kingdom of God is at

hand.

He will set up an

everlasting kingdom that

will never be shaken.

He will be the fulfillment of

all the promises, all the

types, all the shadows of the

Old Testament.

And he would then go on to

accomplish all that had been

agreed in the councils of

eternity by the God who is

one in three and three in one.

He'll destroy the works of the

devil.

He'll be given the name Jesus.

He'll save his people from

their sins.

He'll live a perfect life and

then he'll conquer death.

He'll be raised on the third

day and he'll show himself

alive by many infallible

proofs.

He'll ascend to the glory

from whence he had come and

he will send the Holy Spirit

to indwell his people.

He'll make a promise that one

day he'll personally return

in power and great glory to

consummate all things and bring

in his kingdom in all its

fullness.

What you and I have been

looking at tonight, if I can

put it to you just in

conclusion, is just a tiny little

slice of history.

history.

His story.

History.

History.

And here we are.

And we're called to play our

part in his story.

I think the dominating message that

we need to take away with us is

found in those words.

Just let the Lord search your

heart as he needs to search

mine.

What have you done?

Are any of us in this building

tonight, is there even one person

you've done something and you know

you should never have done it?

There's hope.

There's repentance.

Seek the Lord and you'll know his

forgiveness.

The other thing I want to just

leave with you is this.

Saul's failure, yes, and David's

failure because he's going to fail

as well, and everybody else's

failure, including yours and mine,

will never mean that God's a

failure because his plans will be

fulfilled.

They will never be frustrating.

So we're at a wee bit in history.

Just there's the timeline.

Here's Saul.

Here's David.