A couple of years ago we studied Hebrews 11 which surveys figures from the Old Testament who set a great example of faith and obedience. There are other figures in the Bible from whom we can learn as a bad example of unbelief and disobedience. If there were a Hebrews 11 of bad examples, Saul would definitely be included.
Saul's life is tragic. He enjoyed a promising start when he was anointed as king (I Sam. 9-10), led Israel to victory over the Ammonites (I Sam. 11), and then participated in the renewal of the kingdom (chapter 12). God graciously offered blessing to him and his kingdom, in spite of their sins, if only they would be faithful to the covenant. Yet when his faith was tested Saul took his eyes off of the LORD and took matters into his own hands disobeying God's clear commandment. His sin is compounded by his many lame excuses and his misuse of religion. As a result his kingdom is taken from him.
I have to confess that I sympathize with Saul. It is hard to trust and obey God when the chips are down and everything in the flesh cries out for you to seek your own solution. We sometimes take obedience to God's commands too lightly and then make excuses for our disobedience. Sometimes churches are more concerned about losing followers than offending God by their compromises. We too suffer the consequences of our sin. We should marvel at His patience towards us. How we thank God for our King Jesus who succeeded where Saul (and we) failed.
SERMON ACTIVITY
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