King Saul: Be Faithful in Obeying God’s Will
A Sermon on 1 Samuel 15:1-23 by Pastor Allan Santos
Watch the sermon here.
Introduction
The Lord gave a mission to King Saul to destroy the Amalekites because of their sins and their opposition to the Israelites as they traveled out of Egypt. King Saul obeyed the Lord partly by launching an attack against the Amalekites, but he did not follow the whole counsel of the Lord to destroy everything. He succumbed to the wishes of his people to spare and accumulate all the fatten not honored by his half-hearted obedience and his disobedience to God’s will.
Outline
God’s command to King Saul (vv.1-3)
King Saul’s disobedience to God’s commands (vv.4-9)
God’s reaction to King Saul’s waywardness (vv.10-11)
King Saul’s pride and alibis for his wrongdoing (vv.12-21)
Obedience and being faithful to God’s will are more important than self-centered sacrifices (vv.22-23)
Life Application
King Saul refused to obey God’s whole counsel to destroy the Amalekites. His wrong decisions led to a fracture in Saul’s relationship with the Lord and with prophet Samuel. Saul’s acts of disobedience caused the Lord to take away his kingship. May we always give our wholehearted obedience to God’s complete will in our lives.
King Saul’s pride to exalt himself led to his demise. He made a monument for himself in Mount Carmel to boast about his success in battle. He was focused on lifting his self-image rather than giving God the glory because of His faithfulness to Israel. How are you preventing yourself from pride and fulfilling your selfish desires?
God wants our complete obedience rather than our half submission and sacrifice. Disobedience to God reveals our rebellious heart toward Him. Ask the Lord for forgiveness if you are partly obeying His will in your life.
