It's wonderful to pick back up in this book of history, 1 Samuel.
I had honestly forgotten how hard it is studying this.
! It's humbling.
I don't have all the answers to probably many of the questions that will be popping in your mind even as we read this.
But it's delightful also.
It pulls us deeper and deeper into all of God's Word and makes us just open to learn and receive from Him.
So that's been my prayer, even as you hear God's Word read, that the Holy Spirit would illumine what it is that you and I are supposed to receive from Him today.
I'll read this, trusting it as God's inspired, inerrant, infallible, clear, and sufficient Word.
Yes, even in the Old Testament in a difficult passage like this.
And if you receive it that way as well at the end, respond with thanks be to God.
1 Samuel chapter 15.
Samuel also said to Saul,
The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people, over Israel.
Now therefore heed the voice of the words of the Lord.
Thus says the Lord of hosts,
I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel,
how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt.
Now go and attack Amalek.
And utterly destroy all that they have and do not spare them.
But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.
So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telane,
200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah.
And Saul came to a city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley.
Then Saul said to the Canaanites,
Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them.
For you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.
So the Canaanites departed from among the Amalekites.
And Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt.
He also took Agag, king of the Amalekites, alive.
And utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good.
And were unwilling to utterly destroy them.
But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying,
I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.
And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night.
So when Samuel arose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying,
Saul went to Carmel, and indeed he set up a monument for himself.
And he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal.
Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him,
Blessed are you of the Lord.
I have performed the commandment of the Lord.
But Samuel said,
What then is the bleeding of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
And Saul said,
They have brought them from the Amalekites.
For the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God,
and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
Then Samuel said to Saul,
Be quiet, and I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.
And he said to him,
Speak on.
So Samuel said,
When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel?
And did not the Lord anoint you king of over Israel?
Now the Lord sent you on a mission and said,
Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.
Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord?
Why did you swoop down on the spoil and do evil in the sight of the Lord?
And Saul said to Samuel,
But I have obeyed the Lord, the voice of the Lord,
and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me and brought back Agag king of Amalek,
and I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed,
to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.
So Samuel said,
Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he also has rejected you from being king.
When Saul said to Samuel,
I have sinned, for I transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words,
because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
Now, therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.
But Samuel said to Saul,
Saul, 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.
And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe and it tore.
So Samuel said to him,
The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you.
And also the strength of Israel will not lie nor relent, for he is not a man that he should relent.
Then he said,
I have sinned, yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel and return with me,
that I may worship the Lord your God.
So Samuel turned back after Saul and Saul worshiped the Lord.
Then Samuel said,
Bring Agag of the Amalekites here to me.
So Agag came to him cautiously.
And Agag said,
Surely the bitterness of death is past.
But Samuel said,
As your sword has made women childless,
so shall your mother be childless among women.
And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
Then Samuel went to Ramah and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul.
And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death.
Nevertheless, Samuel mourned for Saul and the Lord,
regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
The word of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
Please be seated.
Amen.
Lord, we declare one more time in the words of Revelation 15.
Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, O King of the saints.
We glorify your name, Lord.
We thank you that you are the same God yesterday, today, and forevermore.
We pray, Lord, that your Holy Spirit will illumine this dark passage for us.
We pray that you will bring out from this story what is true about you.
We pray, Lord, that by beholding you as our just creator,
the Lord of hosts whose ways are wise and righteous,
that you will apply this to our lives,
that we will align ourselves to a right view of you, our God and our creator.
I pray, Lord, that you will help me.
I pray that you will restrain my words.
I pray that you will guard the ears of your people.
I pray that only your truth will find its way into the hearts of your people
and that you will be glorified, Father,
as the work of Jesus Christ is exalted,
even from Samuel 15.
We pray this for his sake.
Amen.
Well, this passage we just read is a story of judgment.
First, the Amalekites are judged by God.
Next, Saul is judged.
And then finally, the wicked King Agag is judged.
Ben Franklin once remarked that he cannot command who does not obey.
A requirement to being the king of Israel is to obey the God of this people.
As I've reflected on this theme of judgment,
a very heavy passage and a heavy theme this week,
I think I've appreciated on a deeper level how we all obey something.
We all will give account for what we listen to, what we do,
what we are obeying in our lives.
One day we will give account to Jesus Christ himself.
Romans 2.16 says,
There will be a final judgment day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ.
That's Jesus Christ on the throne as King of Kings, Lord of Lords, judge of all.
God's anointed King, the Messiah.
He is coming again.
His second coming is not a coming of grace.
That's the age we're in now.
It's a coming of judgment.
So the message for today is to see the unchanging God's uncompromising justice.
It's the justice of God that's elevated and put on display in a shocking way even to us today.
God is just.
God must punish evil because of the absolute impartial righteousness that is inherent to his character as our perfect holy creator.
God is just.
And that's our just fatherly God.
The sins of one generation and the seed of the serpent who hate God, hate his kingdom and hate his people will be brought to justice one day.
And he does this in an uncompromising way.
Because God is just, he does not bend.
He does not make concessions.
Evil will not go unpunished because God is just and God is powerful.
So I want to do my best to open up this truth of God's uncompromising justice for us today with five observations about God himself.
When we come across difficult passages in reading God's word, and you do this probably every week as you're studying God's word.
Good advice was to start with what does this say about God, and then the application usually takes care of itself.
So here's the first proposition.
God's commands are clear.
We might not understand them, but if there's one thing we can say about the first few verses in this chapter is that God was very clear.
Look at chapter 15, verse 1.
Samuel also said to Saul, the Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people.
So God is clear that these are his people, God's people, not Saul's people.
Now, therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord.
You have one job, Saul.
Heed the voice of the words of the Lord.
God is so clear.
In this case, as the anointed one, the anointed king given an army by God himself, Saul is to carry out judgment that's been deserved for this people from long ago.
In the fullness of God's time.
No one else needs to understand.
This is what the anointed one is supposed to do.
We can look back on this whole history and just as God's been patient toward Israel, God's been patient to the nations, even those that opposed his people coming out of Egypt.
God has allowed all these sinners to behold his wondrous works and to repent of their idols, repent of their hatred of God and turn to God.
And now it's the fullness of time for judgment.
And verse two, thus says the Lord of hosts.
Remember how significant that name is, even for Samuel.
The Lord of hosts.
This is how his mother prayed to God.
When most of the nation seemed wicked.
It means Yahweh, Sabaoth, the Lord of armies, the commander of the army of the angels of heaven and the general of God's heavenly kingdom that is intruding to earth.
Yahweh, Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts.
He is not silent.
He speaks and his commands are clear.
He says in verse two, I will punish Amalek.
Who is going to punish this people?
It's God himself.
In other words, if there is victory, it is God's doing.
He will punish the people of Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up out of Egypt.
In Exodus 17, 14, we read that the Lord said to Moses, write this for a memorial.
In the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
It's to be written down and remembered as a memorial for the people passed on from one generation to the next.
Look at verse three in our passage.
Now go and attack Amalek and utterly destroy.
Blot out the remembrance of this people.
Literally strike them.
All that they have and do not spare them.
Moses didn't just write this down in the book of Exodus for the first generation coming out.
He also preached this again in Deuteronomy 25 to the second generation.
That's what the book Deuteronomy means.
Namas is law.
Dudo is the number two.
So the second giving of the law to the next generation as they go on into the promised land without Moses.
Deuteronomy 25, 17.
Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt.
How he met you on the way.
Listen to the details now.
Amalek attacked your rear ranks and all the stragglers, the weak.
That were in the back of the procession that God was leading out.
When you were tired and weary.
That's what Amalek did.
Amalek did not fear God.
Therefore it shall be when the Lord your God has given you rest from your enemies all around.
In the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance.
Then once you have rest in the land.
You will blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
This has been a long time in the making.
It wasn't for Joshua to do.
It was for the king, the anointed one.
Once they're settled in the land for him to carry out.
You shall not forget.
The command is very clear.
Kill all.
And the word is almost a religious word.
It's devote all or consecrate all to destruction.
As an offering to the Lord.
Meaning it's going to be pleasing to God.
When the enemies of God are slain.
Stricken.
That's a sacrifice.
That's pleasing to God.
It would be too late for those enemies of God to repent at this point.
Israel is God's people.
God is their deliverer.
God does not let his enemies escape his justice.
And those who oppose God's mission to create a kingdom on earth for himself.
You oppose what God is doing.
You're opposing the mission of redemption.
You will pay.
You will suffer God's wrath.
God is not going to be able to create a kingdom on earth for us.
My understanding of the connection between the coming out of Egypt and what God is doing now is this.
Moses was a shadow of Christ's first coming as a servant, as a deliverer.
Think of how Moses was a prince in Egypt that then became a slave.
He identified with the slave people to deliver them from bondage as God's obedient servant.
And now Saul is a different shadow.
Saul is to be a picture of Christ's second coming, I believe.
He's anointed. He's crowned with honor.
He's given an army to execute a final judgment upon God's enemies who hate the work of his anointed one and who hate God's people.
And as the king of Israel, there is one great commandment that the king must follow above all else.
He must listen to the word of the Lord because God's commandments are clear.
Psalm 19.8 says the commandments of the Lord are radiant.
That's how clear they are, giving light to the eyes.
Not only are God's commandments clear, a second observation about God from this passage is that God's will is perfect.
God's will is perfect even in what God instructs in this difficult passage.
We continue reading in verse four that there were 2,000 foot soldiers.
I divided that number by the 11 tribes and it comes out to an average of 18,000 per tribe because Judah is listed separately.
And it says only 10,000 from the tribe of Judah, almost half.
And I don't mean to spend a lot of time.
I'm trying to not pass over difficult portions.
But in Genesis 49.10, we have this prophecy that the scepter shall not depart from the tribe of Judah.
So what is this man from the tribe of Benjamin doing with the scepter?
It's also, I think, foreshadowing, at least in the narrative, a king that will be coming from the tribe of Judah.
But for whatever reason, they're listed separately with Judah contributing less to Saul's campaign.
In verse five, we read that Saul came to a city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley.
God's people were on the defensive under Moses.
Remember, they're straggling along.
They're former slaves.
They're weak and tired ones are getting picked off and wiped out.
But now under God's anointed king, Saul, they will be on the offensive.
Notice how the retribution is fitting to the crime.
God's people had been attacked in a cheap, unfair way.
Slaying their women, slaying the stragglers, the sick, the elderly.
And now Saul, the anointed king, hides in the valley, ready to ambush them in one of their cities.
In verse five, Saul came to a city of Amalek.
So the punishment that God has designed in the fullness of time corresponds to the sins of God's enemies.
The Lord of hosts is victorious in this attack.
The Lord delivers.
He keeps his word.
Saul has the power of office to carry out the order.
He assembles a nation.
He attacks.
He's giving orders.
He has the understanding of God's command.
He understood this has to do with how people set themselves in relation to the Israelites as they were delivered from slavery.
And the Kenites were kind and gracious toward this former slave people.
So he understood even the purpose behind it.
You could say the theology behind God's command.
And he spares the Kenites.
So it wasn't for lack of power that Saul disobeyed.
It wasn't for lack of understanding.
God was very clear.
In verse eight, we read that Saul utterly destroyed all the Amalekite people with the edge of the sword.
But here's the big exception.
Not trusting that God's will is perfect.
Not trusting God as most wise.
Agag, the king, Saul kept alive.
And in verse nine, the guilt for this disobedience to God is shared.
Verse nine says, but Saul and the people.
Saul and the people.
So when Saul blames the people, there's likely truth in that.
The people had a part in this sin to not obey God fully.
And Saul certainly had a part as the king.
They did not destroy Agag nor the best of the sheep and the oxen, the lambs.
All that was good, they were unwilling to utterly destroy them.
See, while God's will is perfect, man does not submit his will to God.
Man's will is bound under the curse of sin, under Adam in the fall.
But everything despised and worthless that they were willing.
That they consecrated and devoted to destruction.
They gave God the trash.
The self-will of the king and the self-will of the people prevailed, in this case, over the perfect will of God.
They kept the best for themselves.
They devoted to God what they didn't want.
And the remaining sin of our own flesh is the same as Saul and the people.
We want to be self-willed.
We want to be subject to none but ourselves.
Under Adam's curse, our will is bound.
And it's always bent inward on ourselves.
But God so loves his people that he will not let a man rule over his people who will not first and foremost follow him as Lord and obey God as the servant.
The arrangement of the monarchy of Israel was this.
The king would have authority delegated by God himself.
Only to the extent that the king would submit himself to the perfect will and word of God.
We have the same principle where Jesus Christ is the king, the head of his people.
And he's the head of his church.
There's no authority within a church unless it be given by Christ and put subject to the word and the will of Christ, the head.
We're told in Romans 12, do not be conformed to the world.
Saul and the people wanted what was going to make them more profitable and prosperous in the land.
They were conformed to the pattern of the world.
And they were powerless without the finished work of Christ and the Holy Spirit changing their will.
But now in Christ, his power works in us to be transformed.
And we can know what is the good, pleasing and perfect will of God by the ministry of the Holy Spirit showing us in his word.
The third observation about God is that God's judgments are right.
God's judgment is always right.
God's judgment is not right.
But what's set up next, beginning in verse 10, is a contrast between Samuel and Saul.
In the first approach to God, which is Samuel, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, like we read in Romans 10, 17.
Look at verse 10.
now the word of the lord came to samuel saying i greatly regret that i have set up saul as king
i'm not skipping over this difficult phrase i'm going to handle this at the end because there's
two more relating to this god says saul has turned back from following me and has not performed my
commandments see the lord gave a clear commandment now the lord is judging rightly
when samuel hears the word of god look what samuel does it grieved samuel
and he cried out to the lord he's praying all night
that's a man of god
never cheering for a fellow countryman to stumble grieved when a dear friend
probably not brother that's that's showing you my hand i don't think saul is a brother
but he's grieved and he's going to pray and cry out to the lord all night for him he represents the
heart of god to the world so samuel's religion was this listen to god's word receive what god
says is true and feel deeply what god has spoken as hard as it is feel it let it stir you and move you
and pray to god crying out to the lord even if it means all night
verse 12 so when samuel rose early in the morning to meet saul it was told samuel saying
now here's the contrast the second religion it's saw notice the opposites
saw went to carmel and indeed he set up a monument who was it for
in verse 12 a monument for himself
where samuel's religion came through his ears
the word of the lord the voice of god came and spoke
saw is focused on what he and the whole nation can see
a visible symbol for himself a symbol of
saw's greatness saw had a religion based on sight
this monument was an idol
it was an idol for god's people to worship
saw as this this delegate deputy steward king instead of the lord of hosts himself
whose people they are do you remember how just a chapter ago
chapter 14 saw took credit for the victory that god sparked through jonathan and his armor bearer
then he sent out a whole pr campaign to give credit to saw
well saw did not get humbled or learn his lesson from that failure
now saw takes credit directly from god himself
in verse 12 it struck me the interesting description of of what saw does they say
saw has gone on around passed by gone down
it's creating an image of saw wandering around isn't it
remember how he couldn't find the donkeys and he's
going from one place to the other this whole
lap that he had to take
he's a man who's walking going passing by going around
and yet it's not by faith
i'm reminded of second corinthians 5 7 how
those who follow christ as his disciples walk
but we walk by faith with our eyes set on christ
not by sight
verse 13 then samuel went to saw and saw said to him
blessed are you of the lord
now notice who saw is speaking to saw is not crying out to the lord in prayer he's addressing samuel
we might be able to infer that as as saw is thinking as long as samuel sees me as sincere i'm good
that's very tempting in most religions isn't it as long as this priest this pastor sees me as being sincere i should be good the lord wants you to go directly to himself you don't repent to man you repent before god
saw said i have performed the commandment of the lord
i hope you pick up the irony here
the anointed king
the anointed king put in charge of god's people and god's army has made a massive declaration i have performed the commandment of the lord
this is saw declaring it is finished
is it
did he accomplish the mission that god gave him to do
and notice how he quickly tries to slide into blessing
blessed are you blessed am i i succeeded everything should be good now
i did it
but this prophet is faithful
he's not interested in tickling saul's ears
look at verse 14
but samuel said
what then is this bleeding of the sheep in my ears
and the lowing of oxen which i hear
in verse 15 saul said
shifting the blame
showing his bondage just like adam
they
have brought them from the amalekites
for the people spared the best
of all these things
oh and they did it to sacrifice it to the lord
remember when adam said
eve made me do it
oh and by the way
you're the one who gave me eve
shifting the blame
blaming it back on god
unrepentant
he says the rest we have utterly destroyed
can't we compromise here
negotiate partial obedience
is enough
for blessing
verse 16
then samuel said to saul
be quiet
it's a very polite
king james way to put it
in hebrew it's
hold back you
which is loaded as well isn't it
your flesh
your ego
your idolatry
your self-worship
is too much right now
hold back you
all of you
just
back off
too much
verse 17
let's back it way back
saw do you remember
how you got to be in this office
it was the lord
who anointed you
king over israel
the lord
sent you on a mission
and said
in verse 19
then why did you not
obey
the voice
of the lord
there's the refrain
one more time
it was clear
and saul says
listen to him
double down in verse 20
but i have obeyed
the voice of the lord
and gone on the mission
which the lord sent me
verse 21
but the people
are the ones who took
of the plunder
and he just repeats
the same excuse
god's judgment
is right
isn't it
saul heard
god's words
but he was not
changed by them
saul twists
god's words
just like
the serpent did
and adam and eve
learned from the serpent
to do
he takes license
for himself
he knows better
so he thinks
and he wants to
hurry on
to practicing
his outward religion
once again
thinking everybody
can be blessed
psalm 119
verse 37
declares this
righteous
are you
oh lord
and
upright
are your
judgments
god's judgment
is right
the fourth
out of five
observations
about god
is this
god delights
in obedience
god delights
in obedience
in verse 22
samuel responds
one more time
in this dialogue
has the lord
as great delight
in burnt offerings
and sacrifices
as in obeying
the voice
of the lord
samuel is a preacher
with one point
he keeps making
that same point
over and over
and he says
behold
to obey
is better
than sacrifice
to heed
than the fat
of rams
now he says
something
that we have
to wrestle with
for rebellion
in verse 23
is as the sin
of witchcraft
literally the hebrew word
is the sin
of divination
it's to consult
with dead
spirits
it's to speak
with demons
to rebel
against god
is to
want the voice
of demons
also foreshadowing
another event
in saul's
life
it's to hear
another voice
and act
according to the
words of another
spirit
that opposes
god
that's what
rebellion
is
that's what
disobedience
is
and he says
in verse 23
stubbornness
literally
insubordination
to remove
yourself
from being
submissive
subordinate
to the rule
of god
out of order
with god
as the lord
is as the
iniquity
of idolatry
every time
we put ourselves
out of order
insubordinate
to god
we are making
ourselves
a lower god
we are wanting
to obey
our own
will
rather than
surrender
to the
will
of god
the creator
samuel
says that
god has
rejected
you
from being
king
how could
god not
do that
god's
judgments
are right
and god
delights
in obedience
this is not
an anointed
king through
whom god
can pour
out the
blessings
that he
so wants
to give
his people
saul fall
short of
the glory
of god
verse 24
then saul
said to
samuel
i have
sinned
so we need
to be listening
and wondering
is this
true repentance
is it
sincere
is this a
turning point
in saul's
life
saul goes
on to say
in verse 24
i have
transgressed
the commandment
of the lord
and your words
because i
feared the
people
and obeyed
their voice
now therefore
please pardon
my sin
return with
me
that i may
worship the
lord
one commentator
put it in a
way that to
me made
sense
see what
you think
saul's plea
for pardon
is made
to samuel
not to god
see that in
verse 25
he's talking
to samuel
please pardon
me
now as a
contrast
remember when
david also
sinned
against
many people
uriah
bathsheba
the entire
nation
his other
wives
but david
was so
consumed
by his
offense
against god
that nothing
else could
even come
into david's
mind until
he had
confessed his
sins to
god
directly
remember
psalm 51
where he
prays his
repentance
psalm 51
verse 4
david wrote
against you
you only
have i
sinned
and done
what is
evil
in your
sight
so that
you may
be justified
in your
words
and blameless
in your
judgments
would you
turn back
to first
samuel
chapter 12
three chapters
back
and look at
verse 14
this is when
samuel is
anointing
saul to be
the king
is giving
him the
commission
to serve
as the
anointed
king
of god's
people
and listen
to what
he has
to do
it's
two
things
first
samuel
12
verse 14
fear the
lord
serve him
and obey
his voice
do not
rebel
against the
commandments
of the
lord
so you
can
summarize
that list
as these
two
things
hear the
word of
god
obey the
word of
god
do those
two
things
you fear
god and
you listen
to him
you listen
to god's
voice you
obey him
yet by
his own
admission
saul had
feared the
people
and obeyed
their voice
would you
look back at
our sermon
passage chapter
15 look at
verse 24
he failed in
his commission
as the
king
in verse 24
right before
verse 25
begins saul
says i feared
the people
though my
commission as
king was to
fear god
and i obeyed
the voice of
the people
though my
commission was
to obey
the voice
of god
well now
saul's
confession
we're told
the motivation
behind it
he had been
publicly
exposed
it's a
confession of
sin prompted
not by
inward
conviction
but by
the fear
of people
continuing
now to
control him
i've come to
the conclusion
that this was
only an outward
repentance
maybe to
escape
punishment
but most
likely to
save face
before the
nation
what god
delights in
is obedience
and repentance
that are
inward
a contrition
of heart
realizing that
our sin is
rebellion
against our
loving god
in verse
26
samuel says
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
now he's not
saying you're
you're banished
you're hopeless
there's no
gospel there's
no invitation
for you to
repent
he's saying in
the office of
king you're
removed
this is stripped
away from
you though it
won't happen
immediately it'll
happen over
time
and this was
really gracious
of the lord to
remove from
saul the
idols that he
had his
idols were the
throne and a
dynasty to
glorify his
name just like
this monument
that he set up
it was gracious
of god to strip
away the idols
from saul and
the lord will do
this in us
won't he
those things we
hold on to as
a love something
that i'm bringing
out of order
out of subjection
to seeking first
god and his
kingdom and his
righteousness and
when god strips
away idols that
keep us from
receiving his
grace this is
his kindness as
our loving father
it's to teach us
to enjoy complete
satisfaction in him
alone
now in verse 27
samuel turned
around to go
away but saul
seized the edge
of his rope and
tore it in
numbers 15 verses
38 and 39 god
commands the
israelites to
weave
tassels into
the corners of
their garments
that are to
remind them
quote to
remember all
the commandments
of the lord and
to do them
not to follow
after your own
heart or your
own eyes
see the
connection
verse 28
so samuel
said to him
the lord has
torn the
kingdom of
israel from
you today and
has given it
to a neighbor
of yours who
is better than
you
these words
in verse 28
are a transition
in first
samuel
it's the
beginning of
the end for
saul and the
beginning of the
rise for the
next anointed
king in
chronological
redemptive history
the next man
though he too
will fall short
of glad's glory
ultimately but it's
david a better
shadow of christ
the substance
from this point on
the narrative will
begin focusing on
the calling and
rise of the man
after god's own
heart who is
better because
obedience is
better than
sacrifice david
was far from
perfect but he
was a man of
obedient faith and
this made all the
difference in verse
30 saw said i have
sinned now listen
to the the
insight unto his
heart and his
motives all along
to determine whether
his repentance was
sincere i have
sinned yet honor me
now before the
elders of my
people and
before israel
return with me
that i may
worship the lord
this is evidence
that saul feared
losing the acclaim
he held for his
position before men
more than fearing
god the loving
lord of hosts
verse 31 samuel
turned back after
saul what message
does that send
they walked
together a ways
and saul
worshiped the
lord if his
repentance was
going through the
motions for
public appearance
we can infer that
was true of the
way in which he
worshiped the lord
well here's the
fifth and final one
for today god's
decree will not
fail though
saul failed
god's decree
does not
fail
in verse 32
samuel said
bring agag
the king
of the
amalekites
here to me
so agag
came to
samuel
cautiously
our imagination
can paint that
one a lot
right
agag is guy
killing pregnant
women from a
line of people
who that's how
you get to be
promoted in the
army is showing
your ruthlessness
demolishing the
weaklings
striking down those
who are tired
and weak and
frail
and celebrating
it and then
here's samuel
who we know
is very old
he's been very
old for a long
time now
and agag
this wicked
cruel violent
man comes to
samuel cautiously
the king who
just slayed the
amalekites
and is now
probably got agag
on chains and
parading him
mocking him
he sees the
posture of saul
before this man
samuel
and he follows
sue but all
he knows to
appeal to is
emotion
he says
surely the
bitterness of
death is past
you know maybe
we can just
move on
maybe we're
let things
cool down
and we can
get on with
how life is
going to be
going forward
but samuel
reminded him
not merely of
his people's
ancient guilt
but also of
his personal
sin
when god
judges sin
it's on
those two
levels
it's the
sin we
inherit
and that
it's our
long line
of sinning
ancestors
all the way
back from
adam and eve
no one
escapes that
deserved
judgment
piled on to
that is our
own personal
sin
falling short
of the glory
of god
in verse
33
samuel said
your sword
has made
women childless
and so shall
your mother
be childless
among women
and samuel
hacked
agag
in pieces
before the
lord
in gilgal
gilgal
has become
the place
where god's
people as a
nation go to
celebrate and
worship before
jerusalem
and it's in the
presence of the
lord
this is true
of god
he will
punish evil
from his
holy presence
the same god
who is grace
he will punish
and utterly
destroy
all those
who have
rebelled
against him
that's the
sign act
that samuel
gives the
whole nation
don't be like
the world
and don't
stop trusting
god as
just and
powerful
here's a
display of
both
we read in
verse 34
then samuel
went to
ramah and
saul went up
to his house
in gibeah
verse 35
samuel went
no more
to see saul
until the day
of his death
nevertheless
samuel mourned
for saul
and that's a
summary of the
relationship of
these two men
from now on
these two cities
gibeah of saul
and where was
samuel
ramah
ramah of
samuel are
only about 10
miles away
they could have
easily visited
one another
samuel mourned
for saul
he still shared
that grief
no doubt
he continued
to pray for
him
but the lord
had shifted
the office
and the
anointing to
another
and that's
what samuel
will work
at next
but this
story of
saul's
failure
and agag's
judgments
does not
end here
god's decree
will not
fail
turn back
real quick
to first
samuel
chapter 9
you need to
see these
things with
your own
eyes
first
samuel
chapter 9
verse 1
what tribe
was saul
from
his dad's
name was
kish and he
was from the
tribe of
benjamin
it says in
verse 1
saul was a
benjamite
now turn to
esther
turn to esther
chapter 2
remember saul
was from the
tribe of
benjamin
the story of
esther begins
not with
esther but
with another
hebrew man
in exile
his name is
mordecai
esther
chapter 2
verse 5
once you
find that
figure out
what tribe
is
mordecai
from
esther
chapter 2
verse 5
says that
mordecai
was a
benjamite
now turn to
esther
chapter 9
a few more
pages forward
esther
chapter 9
verse 23
this is a
story of
the israelites
in exile
god putting
a queen
named esther
into a
position
that god
would use
to spare
his people
and to
bring judgment
on god's
enemies
the enemies
of god
in the
book of
esther
are led
by this
man named
haman
look at
esther
chapter 9
verses 23
through 25
so the
jews
accepted
the custom
which they
had begun
as mordecai
had written
to them
verse 24
because
haman
look at
where he's
from
haman
the agagite
from the
line of
agag
the enemy
of all
the jews
had plotted
against the
jews to
annihilate
them
to consume
them
and destroy
them
and this
wicked plot
which
haman had
devised
against the
jews
would return
on his
own head
just as in
first samuel
15
these enemies
of god
are also
judged
according to
their own
evil
god is
giving
sinners
a long
time to
repent
and believe
just as
he did
to the
the
amalekites
and the
agagites
but god's
decree
will not
fail
brothers and
sisters
this is true
for you and
me for our
loved ones
for our
co-workers
god is
giving
sinners
a long
time to
repent
and to
turn to
christ
for salvation
but when
jesus returns
at the
hour that
is known
only to
god
we're
told in
matthew
25
that jesus
will sit
on his
glorious
throne
of judgment
he is
coming to
judge
as the
king of
kings
and now
comes that
that phrase
that in
verse 11
you can turn
back to our
passage first
samuel
chapter 15
verse 11
we're told
that god
regrets making
saw king
and the
last verse
of our
chapter says
in verse
36 god
regrets
making you
king
he repeats
that
verse 11
and verse
36
that repetition
is called
an inclusio
it's setting
two bookmarks
we need to
study what's
in between
these two
these are
to be
taken as
one
section
these
statements
that god
regrets
or repents
they seem
to contradict
what god
has revealed
about himself
what has
god revealed
about himself
in malachi
3 6
god says
i am
the lord
and i
do not
change
in james
117
we read
that in
god there
is no
variation
or shadow
of turning
god doesn't
make saw king
and then turn
and change
his mind
something different
has to be
communicated
our second
london confession
of faith
chapter 3
paragraph 1
summarizes
the doctrines
contained in
the scripture
this way
god has
decreed
in himself
from all
eternity
by the most
wise and
holy counsel
of his own
will
freely
and
unchangeably
all things
whatsoever
come to
pass
this is
confirmed
by isaiah
46 10
declaring
god declares
from the
the end
from the
beginning
and from
ancient
times
things
not yet
done
saying
my counsel
shall
stand
i shall
accomplish
my purpose
so what's
in between
these two
bookends
verse 11
and verse 36
saying that god
regretted making
saw king
it's verse 29
find verse 29
and it's not to
diminish the
message of these
two verses 11
and 36 because
they're communicating
something very
important
that god so
loves his people
that god can't
bear to see his
people
being being led
or ruled by a
king who doesn't
align himself with
god these are
god's people
and when a
king gets in
the way of
this relationship
that god himself
needs with his
people well he
needs nothing but
he he won't
tolerate anything
in the middle
he's a jealous
god and as
saul puts himself
as a man that's
you know promoting
his own ego and
making monuments to
worship himself
god will have
none of that
so this is
language conveying
the the deep
love of god
the unrelenting
uncompromising
bond that god
will have with
his people
through an
anointed king
but it's not
saul it will
not be saul
saul serves a
different purpose
in the unfolding
of redemption
redemptive history
now look at verse
29
here's the
clarification of
what sounds
difficult to our
ears
god will not
regret giving
the throne
of king
to one who
is better
than saul
do you hear
what god's
saying
there is a
king
i will give
a throne
over my
people to
a king
far better
than saul
far better
than david
but this
king must be
an obedient
servant
this king
must deliver
god's people
from their
sin
from death
from hell
god's anointed
king the
messiah
must be one
that will
listen to
god's voice
heed god's
commands
and obey
god
perfectly
our lord
jesus christ
all alone
accomplished
the mission
that saul
and every
other king
failed to
accomplish
our lord
jesus did
this alone
tempted in
the wilderness
satan
tempted jesus
with the
kingdoms
of this
world
his for
the taking
in a
worldly
way
but king
jesus did
not fail
and how
did he
counter the
enemy
by remembering
god's word
he cited
back the
truth from
scripture
to satan
that he
had hidden
in his
heart
that he
may not
sin
against
god
he said
as it is
written
as it is
written
as it is
written
here's the
true king
through whom
god can
bless
and rule
over his
people
jesus
heeded
god
as his
father
jesus
obeyed
and therefore
he can
command
he is the
lord of
hosts
the commander
of the
armies
of heaven
hebrews
10 14
quoting
psalm
40
points out
jesus's
obedience
how i
have come
behold i
have come
to do
your will
oh god
jesus
prayed not
my will
but yours
be done
and our
lord jesus
christ
didn't keep
back the
best for
himself
he sacrificed
the best
to god
he consecrated
himself
the pure
sacrifice
the only
acceptable
sacrifice
on the
cross
he made
himself
wicked
agag
to be
hacked
to pieces
by the
uncompromising
justice
of the
holy god
whose decree
will not
fail
so that
you and
i
can be
his people
and he
can be
our god
we trust
this from
ephesians
111
that in
christ
we have
obtained
an inheritance
!
having been
predestined
according to
the purpose
of him
who works
all things
according to
the counsel
of his
will
saw
and agag
and haman
they couldn't
thwart the
will and the
plan of
god
god's
uncompromising
justice
and grace
meeting
on the
cross
of
jesus
christ
so that
you and
i can
have
no
guilt
in this
life
and no
fear
of death
why
because
there is
no
shadow
of
turning
with
our
god
god's
decree
will
prevail
king
jesus
commands
your
destiny
if you
are
in
him
let's
pray
father
we thank
you for
this
glorious
salvation
that
you've
accomplished
foreshadowed
long ago
promised
revealed
in every
corner
of your
word
we thank
you for
how your
holy spirit
shines your
grace
and your
truth on
us
through the
person and
the work
of jesus
christ
please help
us to
receive
from you
in this
way
amen