Scripture

“Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice

And submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,

And stubbornness is as bad as worshipping idols.”

Observation

Samuel tells Saul that the Lord has decided to settle accounts with the Amalekites. Saul is to go and destroy them completely – every person regardless of age and all of their livestock.

Saul and his men slaughter the Amalekites, but they spare King Agag and only kill the weakest of the animals.

Samuel finds saul and confronts him about sparing the animals. Saul says they only kept them to sacrifice to the Lord. They destroyed everything else.

Samuel says that obedience not sacrifice is what pleases the Lord. Rebellion is as bad as witchcraft or idolatry.

Samuel tells Saul that because Saul has rejected the Lord, the Lord has rejected him as King over Israel. Samuel then kills King Agag.

Application

Obedience to God is far more important than religious sacrifices or heroic deeds.

We must settle it in our hearts that, regardless of the cost, we will always obey the Lord. That is what it means when we say that Jesus is Lord; Jesus is King, Master, the one who directs our lives.

Any other attitude towards Jesus is of the same category as witchcraft or idolatry.

The Lord does not want our tithes and offerings, our attendance at church meetings, or anything else. He wants me and my heart surrendered to Him.

Prayer

Lord, I see that obedience is far better than sacrifice. Please help me to yield to you in everything I do. Amen.

Scripture
Now the men of Israel were pressed to exhaustion that day, because Saul had place them under an oath, saying, “Let a curse fall on anyone who eats before evening – – before I have full revenge on my enemies.”

Observation
In the aftermath of the battle with the Philistines, Saul orders his men to not eat until they have full victory. Jonathan did not hear that order, and when he comes across some honeycomb he dips a stick into it and gets some honey which immediately refreshes him.

Evening comes, and the men slaughter the captured animals for food. They are so desperate to eat that they fail to drain the blood from them first. Saul sets up an altar to the Lord and orders his men to slaughter the animals in a way that honours the Lord.

Saul goes on to secure his grasp on the throne. he successfully defends Israel from attacks from the neighbouring nations, but the Philistines continue to be a problem for him

Application
Saul seems to be a man who recognised the authority of the Lord. He wanted to do what was right and sought the Lord’s directions on some key decisions. On the other hand, he could be impulsive and foolish, and this got him into trouble.

One key to living successfully with the Lord is to submit everything to Him. It is easy to remember to commit the big decisions to the Lord. The daily decisions that we make in our family, our relationships, and at work, often set our directions over the longer term.

We need to learn to live in constant communion with God, listening to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit as we navigate through our days.

Prayer
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening. Amen.

Scripture

“Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few.”

Observation

Jonathan takes his armour bearer to a Philistine outpost, away from the main camps. To get to the outpost, he has to go between two rocky cliffs. He reasons that the Lord may help them even though there is just the two of them, because the Lord is able to win the battle regardless of the number of warriors.

The Philistines see them, and invite them to come and fight. Jonathan sees that the Lord is in this, so they climb up the cliff. They kill 20 men, and then the Lord sends the Philistine camp into a panic. The Philistines flee in all directions, and Saul sends his men to chase them down.

Application

Whether we are facing a military battle, a work fight, a legal threat, or family issues. the Lord is in control of it all.

Like Jonathan, we need to recognise that the Lord can give us a victory regardless of whether we seem to be out manned, out gunned or out manoeuvred.

It is all about our readiness to trust the Lord. Surrender it to Him in prayer and ask Him what you should do. In every situation, the Lord is able to win a victory in the most impossible of circumstances.

Prayer

Lord, there are many occasions in Scripture where you intervened causing an enemy to flee. Please help me to always remember that you are in control and able to bring impossible victories. Amen.

Scripture

“How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord your God would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. Your kingdom must end for the Lord has sought after a man after his own heart.”

Observation

Saul’s son Jonathan leads a troop of 1000 men to victory over the Philistines. As a result, the Philistines hate the Israelites and plan a great counter-attack.

As the Philistines assemble, Samuel sends a message to Saul telling him to wait 7 days until Samuel can get there. Samuel doesn’t come when he said he would, so Saul sacrifices the offerings himself. Then Samuel arrives, and he rebukes Saul for his action. The kingdom will be handed over to a man after God’s own heart.

Application

It seems that Samuel was delayed in getting to the army camp, but not by much. Motivated by fair and perhaps arrogance, Saul offers the sacrifices himself.

The issue here is not the sacrifices, but Saul’s heart. He was tested and found wanting, so the kingship would be removed from him and passed on to someone after the Lord’s heart.

In many ways, Saul was a good king, but his heart was not surrendered to the Lord. David made many mistakes as king, but his heart was always close to the Lord.

This is so important to us in our walk with Jesus. The Lord doesn’t care whether you are successful in the ways of the world or not. He is not looking for history-makers and world-changers. He wants sons and daughters who give everything they are back to him.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the knowledge that all you want from me is to yield my life to you. Please help me to trust you with everything I am and all that I have. Amen.

Scripture

“Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him.”

Observation

Samuel addresses the people of Israel. He tells them that the king is now their leader. They testify that Samuel has never taken a bribe or cheated anyone.

Samuel reminds the people of their history. Despite the Lord being their God, they turned to idols repeatedly.

He calls on them and the king to follow the Lord so that all will go well with them. Even though they have rebelled by seeking a king, the Lord will not abandon them because they are His chosen people.

Application

Samuel remains convinced that in requesting a king, the people of Israel had rejected the Lord as their King. But he held out a promise. If they worship the Lord and reject idols then the Lord will bless them and look after them.

With the Lord, the door to mercy is always open. There is no sin too big or too egregious that the Lord will not forgive.

All that is necessary is the desire to walk in humble obedience with the Lord. We don’t have to be perfect to be forgiven; just acknowledge our imperfections. The Lord loves each one of us with an unquenchable love that is greater than any simple rebellion.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for this assurance that your love for me will never run out. Amen.

Scripture

Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry.

Observation

King Nahash of Ammon threatens the town of Jabesh-gilead. The people plead for peace with Nahash. He makes peace conditional on each man in the town having one eye gouged out. The elders of Jabesh ask for seven days to send for help from Israel. If nobody comes to help, they will submit.

When Saul hears about this, the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him, and he becomes very angry. He quickly mobilises an army of 330,000 men.

Saul launches a surprise attack against the Ammonites, slaughtering and scattering the whole army.

Application

Many Christians are afraid of anger, but here there is given a direct connection between the Holy Spirit and Saul’s anger.

Anger is bad when it is just about my perceptions about wrongs committed against me, especially if we allow it to consume us.

Anger, when it is a response to evil, can be a good thing. Anger can motivates us to take action to overcome injustice or cruelty, in ways that we normally would not consider.

The Spirit of God came upon Saul and made him very angry. He left his fields and in a few days mobilised an army to protect a vulnerable group. People were afraid of his anger and so responded rapidly to do the right thing.

Prayer

Lord, please help me to distinguish between good anger and selfish anger. May your Spirit provoke my emotions to motivate me to carry out your purposes. Amen.

Scripture

“The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.”

Observation

Samuel takes a flask of oil and pours it on Saul’s head. He tells Saul that there will be three signs of Gods favour:

1. He will meet two men who tell him the donkeys have been found.

2. At the Great Tree at Tabor, he will meet two men, one of them will give him two loaves of bread.

3. He will meet some prophets, and the Spirit of the Lord will come on him and he will prophesy.

So Saul goes away, and the three signs are fulfilled that day.

Later, Saul summons the elders of Israel and presents Saul to them as their King.

Application

The three signs that Samuel describes a very specific and a little out of the ordinary. They could not have been pre-planned by Samuel, and they could not have been coincidences or chance events.

Unusual but specific signs were given so that saul would know that God had chosen him, and so that the whole nation would know that God was leading them into a new era.

When God is it work, He does not always give us confirmation signs, but the signs He does give are often unusual and beyond the realms of normal expectations.

We should not ask God for a sign in the normal daily decisions that we make. But we should have eyes of faith that see where God is at work.

Prayer

Father, I thank you for the signs that you sometimes give to confirm my direction. Please increase my ability to see your deeds. Amen

Scripture

In those days if people wanted a message from God, they would say, “Let’s go and ask the seer,” for prophets used to be called seers.

Observation

A wealthy and influential man named Kish finds that his donkeys have strayed. He sends his son Saul with a servant to find them.

After many days of searching, they cannot find them, so they go to ask Samuel for directions from the Lord.

The previous day the Lord had told Samuel that he would send a man whom Samuel was to anoint as King. When they meet, the Lord tell Samuel that this is the man.

Samuel invites Saul and the servant to a feast and then has them stay the night at his house. The next morning, Samuel sends the servant away while he shares a message from the Lord for Saul.

Application

In the Old Testament era, very few people had the Holy Spirit. The Spirit was given for specific offices – king, prophet, and priest.

While it was always God’s intention that people lived in close relationship with Him, this was not common in Israel. As a result, people would seek the advice of a seer or prophet if they needed a word from the Lord.

In the New Covenant. all believers have access to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit dwells in each one of us. We all have the opportunity to hear the voice of the Lord.

There may be times when we might need a special word from a prophet or other godly person, but any disciple who is walking with the Lord should be able to discern God’s will most of the time.

We should not be too eager to “get a word” from a prophet. This is a misuse of the New Covenant gift of prophecy.

Prayer

Thank you Holy Spirit for being my Counsellor and Advocate. Please help me to listen for your voice. Amen

Scripture

“We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”

Observation

In his old age, Samuel appoint his sons as judges over Israel. His two oldest son’s, Joel and Abijah, are not like their father, and they accept bribes to pervert justice.

The Elders of Israel meet with Samuel and demand that Samuel appoints a king for them. Samuel is displeased with this request, but the Lord tells him that it is the Lord they are rejecting not Samuel.

So Samuel warns them of the tyranny they can expect at the hands of the king. There will be taxes, conscription, and forced labour.

The people demand to have a king so they can be the same as other nations. Samuel takes it to the Lord, who gives him permission to appoint a king.

Application

The book of 1 Samuel shows us how bad it is to pass on an office to sons who lack the character to fill the role. First it was Eli’s son’s who failed, and now Samuel’s sons fail to live up to the expectations placed upon them.

The response of the people to this problem is to demand a king, which is ironic. The very heart of a monarchy is a system where the sons inherit authority regardless of their character .

The people of Israel wanted to be like all the other nations. It was not enough to have the Lord as their King, they wanted a proper king like everybody else.

Christians often want to be like the world. We want the lifestyle of the unbelievers while holding onto the assurance of salvation. Church leaders sometimes think that embracing the opinions of the world on issues like abortion and homosexuality will make them more popular and effective.

God has called us to be holy, that is different to the world. We must never think that we can take on worldly values and be a witness to the world.

Prayer

Holy Father, I confess my tendency to seek the ways of the world. Please show me any areas of compromise in my life and help me to repent from them. Amen.

Scripture

Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you are really serious about wanting to return to the lord, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth.. Determine to obey only the Lord, and he will rescue from the Philistines.”

Observation

The Ark of the Lord is taken to Kiriath-Jeairam where it remains for 20 years.

Samuel says to the people of Israel that they must get rid of their idols and obey only the Lord. The whole nation gathers at Mizpah where they consecrate themselves to the Lord.

The Philistines launch an attack on the Israelites. Samuel pleads with the Lord, and the Lord rescues them. The Philistines are subdued and Israel is at peace.

Samuel serves as a judge to the nation.

Application

If we are serious about following the Lord, we will need to get rid of all of our idols – the false gods that we turn to for comfort.

In the times of the Old Testament this was very easy to do. The idols were physical objects that represented a so-called god.

Our idols are very different. We rely on money, family, status, our job, so many intangible and good things.

To get rid of these idols does not necessarily mean to get rid of the things. No, we need to get rid of what they represent.

As christians, our trust is in the Lord, and the Lord alone. When we find ourselves becoming dependent on other things, then we need to repent and turn back to the Lord.

Prayer

Father, please show me the things that I have turned into idols and give me the grace to put them away. Amen