Saul, Pt. 4: "Trust and Obey" (1 Sam 15)

TRUST AND OBEY (1 SAMUEL 15)
I love mangoes. You can buy a good size mango during the mango season for $1.50 or in a box of 4-6 mangoes in a Chinese supermarket for as little as $2.99 and as much as $5.99. I usually buy it when it is $3.00-4.99 for a box of 6. A ripe mango is one of the tastiest fruits around. However, the problem with local mangoes is that most are never ripe - they are usually green, not yellow or golden. The buyer has to put the mangoes in a brown bag to ripen it. Lately, I use the old traditional Asian method of burying it in the rice container to ripen it faster.

My wife and I usually share one every two to three days to make the cost reasonable and to make the experience last. Sometimes we have to eat more because they ripe at the same time; however, overeating mangoes hastens bowel movements.

I know when a mango is overripe since I prefer to peel the skin off mangoes to maximize the eating experience. Using a peeler instead of a knife on even a slightly overripe mango is a bad idea because the peeler won’t budge in fermented fruit. A knife is necessary. A bad mango is diarrhea to the stomach, but a slightly overripe mango can still be food for the stomach by cutting the slightly bad part off. My wife is an expert in salvaging fruits and vegetables, but even the sharpest knife cannot salvage meat or drink gone bad.

After Saul’s disobedience in 1 Samuel 13, he was given another chance to salvage the throne and make things better. The kingdom or dynasty was over but the king was still in power and his reign was still in check. The next assignment entrusted to Saul was to destroy the Amalekites. The Amalekites were Israel’s blood brothers but sworn enemies. They were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother (Gen 36:12, 16). Blood is thicker than water, but boundary is thicker than blood. When Israel left Egypt, the Amalekites attacked them from behind (Ex 17:10), hoping to rob them (1 Sam 14:48). The Amalekites gave the Israelites their first experience of war and killed the weak, the slow and the weary travelers (Deut 25:17-19). The Amalekites were wicked (1 Sam 15:18) and had no fear of God (Deut 25:18). Saul had a chance to redeem himself, but the worst side of him surfaced and the last glimmer of hope was lost.

How do we differentiate between a person who is slightly bad and one who is fully rotten? Does God give people an opportunity to change or repent? What would you do if you were given another chance?

You Are Simply Not That Big
7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, to the east of Egypt. 8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs-everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed. 10 Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: 11 “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night. 12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.” (1 Sam 15:7-12)

Bernie was a businessman who didn’t have as much money as he wanted. So he prayed, “Please God, you gotta help me. I’ve done wonderful things all my life, given money to charity, I’ve helped other people, I’d like to win the lottery.”

Sure enough, the next week Bernie wins $5 million in the lottery. He buys a $125,000 car and a beachfront condo, divorces his wife, gets a nose job, face lift, fantastic toupee and expensive new wardrobe.

Later, he’s driving along the Hollywood Freeway with his young starlet girlfriend when suddenly he smashes into an abutment. He’s thrown 30 feet from his car, his suit is ripped, his toupee falls off, his face is smashed and there are bruises all over his body.

Bernie looks to the heavens and cries out: “Oh God, why did you do this to me?”

A voice from heaven sounds out: “Sorry Bernie, I didn’t recognize you,” (Los Angeles Times 6/30/94).

Saul had become unrecognizable. Instead of becoming better, he turned worse. The rout of the Amalekites was guaranteed, but it got to Saul’s head. God literally served the Amalekites on a platter to him, but he did not acknowledge God or dedicate the victory to Him. His win with an army of 210,000 men was no big deal, but he made himself bigger than he really was. He forgot that the Israelites previously hid, fled and trembled at the presence of the same imposing Philistine army (1 Sam 13:5-8). The prideful Saul was acting like a big shot, a self-made man and a magnanimous person.

Samuel felt sad when he heard God announced Saul’s disobedience (v 11). The word “troubled” (v 11) has softened the old-fashioned word for anger that occurs 90 times in Hebrew. All night, Samuel could not sleep or rest. His tears were mingled with indignation. God’s verdict was unmistakable: not only did Saul not obey God’s word, he went another way. He agonized and fumed over the king’s continual disobedience, outright disregard and brazen defiance. The prophet alternated between stark raving mad at Saul and stark raving fear for and of him.

Was there a mistake? Samuel had to see for himself what he had heard. So he rose early in the morning to meet Saul and to hear what he had to say. Saul did not have to say anything; his actions spoke louder than words. He was nowhere to be found but others confirmed that Saul was launching his own career and making a name for himself.

The king had left in a hurry, even earlier than Samuel, for he had planned to stop at Carmel to secure a legacy for himself. He could not wait to unveil a monument or memorial to his own honor and achievement. Saul was determined to do for himself what God and Samuel were unwilling to do for him: to etch or write his name in stone and history. The priorities of Israel’s king were all wrong. Saul hogged the limelight for himself; sacrifices to God had to wait. He was interested in promoting himself and not honoring God or thanking his men. When Samuel realized what Saul had done to enshrine himself in history, he was past the point of anger and exasperation; he was at the point of disbelief. The man who was small in his own eyes (v 17) was now too big for his own britches. From now on, nothing Saul did surprised Samuel anymore. Saul made himself look good, made himself bigger than he really was and made a legacy out of a loser.

You are Really Not That Bright (14-21)
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.” 14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” 15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.” 16 “Stop!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul replied. 17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?” 20 “But I did obey the LORD,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.” (1 Sam 15:13-21)

One day, while a woodcutter was cutting a branch of a tree above a river, his ax fell into the river. When he cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, “Why are you crying?” The woodcutter replied that his ax has fallen into water, and he needed the ax to make his living. The Lord went down into the water and reappeared with a golden ax. “Is this your ax?” the Lord asked. The woodcutter replied, “No.” The Lord again went down and came up with a silver ax. “Is this your ax?” the Lord asked. Again, the woodcutter replied, “No.” The Lord went down again and came up with an iron ax. “Is this your ax?” the Lord asked. The woodcutter replied, “Yes.” The Lord was pleased with the man’s honesty and gave him all three axes to keep, and the woodcutter went home happy.

Some time later the woodcutter was walking with his wife along the riverbank, and his wife fell into the river. When he cried out, the Lord again appeared and asked him, “Why are you crying?” “Oh Lord, my wife has fallen into the water!” The Lord went down into the water and came up with Jennifer Lopez. “Is this your wife?” the Lord asked. “Yes,” cried the woodcutter. The Lord was furious. “You lied! That is an untruth!” The woodcutter replied, “Oh, forgive me, my Lord. It is a misunderstanding. You see, if I had said ‘no’ to Jennifer Lopez, You would have come up with Catherine Zeta-Jones. Then if I also said ‘no’ to her, You would have come up with my wife. Had I then said ‘yes’, you would have given all three to me. Lord, I am a poor man, and I am not able to take care of all three wives, so THAT’S why I said ‘yes’ to Jennifer Lopez.”

Covering up one’s lie is a full-time job. Saul was as slick as any politician. His proactive claim and first move was enough to sicken Samuel: “The LORD bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions” (v 13).

When questioned, Saul lied without batting an eye: “THEY spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but WE totally destroyed the rest” (v 15). The soldiers were the bad cops, but Saul was the good cop. Saul declared he had done his part; the army did not do theirs. He was the gentleman and others the villains. He made others look bad so that he could look good. Worse, Samuel wanted to throw up when Saul added the clause “to sacrifice to the Lord.”

Questioning Saul made no headway, so Samuel threw the book at him, but Saul again exasperated the prophet and justified himself for a third time. The first words out of Saul’s mouth was, “But I did obey the LORD” (v 20). The claim in Hebrew was literally “I have walked the walk.” Refusing to admit that he had spared King Agag until he was confronted did not exasperate Samuel as much as Saul’s ultimate lie. The straw that broke the camel’s back was Saul’s second use of the English word “best.” The first “best” in verse 15 was the old-fashioned word for “good” but the second “good” in verse 21 was the word consistently used to translate “firstfruits” (Ex 23:19, Ex 34:26). Saul argued that he had painstakingly chosen the firstborn of sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord. Saul lied through his teeth. By this time he was no longer a potential liar, but a professional and a pathological lair. To the end, he again insisted he gained nothing from it and he did what he did for the Lord (v 21).

You are Definitely Not That Better
22 But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.” 24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the LORD’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. 25 Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD.” (1 Sam 15:22-24)

A concerned husband went to a doctor to talk about his wife. He says to the doctor, ‘‘Doctor, I think my wife is deaf because she never hears me the first time and always asks me to repeat things.’’ ‘‘Well,’’ the doctor replied, ‘‘go home and tonight stand about 15 feet from her and say something to her. If she doesn’t reply move about five feet close and say it again. Keep doing this so that we’ll get an idea about the severity of her deafness’’.

Sure enough, the husband goes home and does exactly as instructed. He starts off about 15 feet from his wife in the kitchen as she is chopping some vegetables and says, ‘‘Honey, what’s for dinner?’’ He hears no response. He moves about five feet closer and asks again.

No reply. He moves five feet closer.

Still no reply. He gets fed up and moves right behind her, about an inch away, and asks again, ‘‘Honey, what’s for dinner?’’

She replies, ‘‘For the fourth time, vegetable stew!

There’s a saying in bowling:
“Every bowler is actually 3 different bowlers:
The one he believes himself to be.
The one he would like to be.
The one he actually is.”

The worst thing in the Christian life is to be tired of listening, obeying and heeding.

God could have chosen anybody to be king, but gave Saul a chance out of mercy and grace. No one is indispensable. The anointing of David as the next king proved that. Saul thought he was better by himself and better than others and that he had bettered his life. Samuel countered that the best of sheep and cattle were nothing but plunder – booty, prey, spoils of war (v 19) to the Lord. Saul’s claim to do everything for the Lord was touching, but not truthful. God, however, was not after the meat of sheep and oxen, but the heart of men.

Saul’s actions were nothing short of rebellious and arrogant. The word “rebellion” (v 23) was not carelessly tossed around. It is used once on individuals - Job used it on himself (Job 23:2). The seldom-used word on individuals is used specifically to describe the Israelites’ attitude in the wilderness (Num 17:10, Deut 31:27, Neh 9:17) and their attitude before their exile. Isaiah (30:9) and Ezekiel, the latter as much as sixteen times, denounced the Israelites for their rebellious attitude. God judged the first group of rebellious Israelites by refusing them entrance into the Promised Land and sending the second group into exile.

The Hebrew word for “arrogance” (v 23) was a carefully selected word. It is used only six other times in the Bible and has been translated twice as “insisting” (Gen 19:3, Gen 33:11), once each for “pressuring” (Gen 19:9), “persuading” (Judg 19:7), “persisting” (2 Kings 2:17) and “urging” (2 Kings 5:16). The difference between pride and arrogance in Hebrew is that pride is a state of mind but arrogance is a hardening of behavior. Saul had to do things his way, had to say things to justify himself and had to badger people to convince them. The word “destroy” is repeated seven times in the chapter (vv 3, 8, 9, 9, 15, 18, 20), but no matter how many times the word appears and whether from God’s (v 3) or Samuel’s mouth (v 18), Saul had more to say (vv 15, 20). Saul went from good to bad, from bad to worse and from worse to hopeless. He lengthened his arguments this time round (compare with 1 Sam 13:11-12), contended with Samuel, and intensified his behavior.

Saul’s attitude was worse than the Israelites’ attitude before they had a king, even though both groups rejected the Lord ultimately. At least, the Israelites thought they were rejecting Samuel (1 Sam 8:7) but Saul knew he was rejecting the Lord.

There are bad I’s and good I’s in life. The bad I’s promote oneself and blame others (vv 13, 15, 20). The good I’s confess shortcomings and accept responsibility: verse 24, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them” and verse 30, “I have sinned.”

The fear of people causes one’s downfall. For the second time,1 Samuel13 included, the fear of people made a bad situation worse. His disobedience was a snare for others. Later, the Amalekites almost put an end to David’s reign before he could begin. They burned the village where David and his followers were staying and carried away the women while the men were away (1 Sam 30:1-2). Samuel mourned and mourned for Saul, but the tears flowed one-way; Saul’s eyes were dry.

Conclusion: The Lord asks little of us besides obedience. Are you green and growing, or are you ripe and rotten? Do you give glory to God or take credit for yourself? Rely on God’s instructions; do not rely on your intelligence or instincts. Warren Wiersbe says, “Life is about 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it.” How is your attitude when you are corrected? Do you humbly listen, correct yourself and reverse yourself?