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A Heart for God

The One After God’s Heart Obeys

Scripture: 1 Samuel 13

I. If you don’t obey God, God cannot bless your future.

A. 1 Samuel 13 opens with another battle between Israel and those pesky Philistines. King Saul’s son Jonathan wins a battle against the Philistines (vs. 3), and the Philistines retaliate big time. So, what was King Saul going to do? Saul had clear instructions from God and His prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel 10:8. Saul was supposed to wait for Samuel to offer the sacrifices. But Saul didn’t wait. This was insubordination by the king. This was rebellion against God’s own word.

B. What was the consequence because Saul had not set his heart on obeying God’s Word? If he had obeyed, “Then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever” (vs. 13). Saul would have had an unending dynasty of his descendants on the throne of Israel if he had simply obeyed God. But he didn’t obey so he lost this incredible blessing from God. His future would not be blessed.

II. If you don’t obey God, God will choose someone else to use.

A. The name Saul means asked for. Saul was the king Israel asked for. Now it was time for God to get His choice as king. This king would be the one that God had set his heart on. God would choose another king because Saul had chosen to disobey God. Saul had done foolishly (vs. 13) in his disobedience. Psalm 14:1: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” Whenever we live like there is no God or like God and His words don’t matter, we are living like fools.

B. Saul disobeyed God because he feared what his eyes could see. We need to put our eyes on the Lord when we are in danger. 1 Sam. 17:45-46: “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.” David had his eyes on the LORD.

III. If you don’t obey God, you are just like Adam.

A. Think about the ways King Saul is similar to Adam. Saul and Adam both disobeyed clear commands from God. Also, they both made excuses for their sin (see 1 Sam. 13:11). We are just like Saul and Adam. Genesis 3:15: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” We need a king who will rescue us from not only our enemies. We need a king who will rescue us from ourselves. Saul is not that king. King David’s descendant Jesus is that king.

Application:
Trust in Jesus to rescue you from your disobedience and sin.

Sources:
The book of 1 Samuel
Commentaries on Samuel by Robert Bergen, Dale Ralph Davis and Tim Chester

SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. What were Saul’s common sense reasons for disobeying God? But are our explanations for why we disobey God’s Word ever adequate?
  2. When Samuel left Saul in vs. 15, Saul was left without access to the Word of God through Samuel. Do you value your constant access to the Word of God?
  3. Why was King Saul not as helpless as he appeared to be in this battle with the Philistines? Where should King Saul have fixed his eyes in this fearful moment?