Christ-Light Connections: Saul Serves God as King & Saul Turns Away from God

The end of the book of Judges sets the stage for the next phase in Israel’s history. “In those days, Israel had no king, and everyone did as he saw fit” (Judges 21:25). After generations of failing to follow God’s commands, Israel now saw fit to replace their theocracy with a monarchy. Israel would put their hope in the leadership of a man instead of fully relying on the LORD.

King Saul is a complex character. Is he humble or insecure? Does he desire to follow God, or does he want the approval of the people?

The Christ-Light theme this week is: The humble can serve God well; those who take sin lightly cannot.

People who are brightly watching for latest Govt order cheap viagra jobs in India 2016. These horses are worth their weight in gold ?great breeding, highly intelligent, buying cialis from canada great dispositions. Some might last for tadalafil sample http://greyandgrey.com/workers-compensation/ hours or some might last for few hours or few days depending on the person’s health condition. Following are the conditions when surgery is done for nephropathy? Detection of kidney diseases due to diabetes is done mainly by conducting urine test. viagra online

OT3 2A

Saul Serves God as King — 1 Samuel 8-11

Context

Under the leadership of Samuel, Israel was committed to the LORD and was blessed by him. The ark had been returned, and the cities that had been captured by the Philistines were restored to Israel once again. Now that Samuel was old and his sons were unfit to rule, Israel wanted a new leader, a king

Knowing the hearts of men, God predicted this day would come back in Deuteronomy 17:14-18. Here he outlined the type of king Israel should appoint. The king must:

• be chosen by God
• be an Israelite, not a foreigner
• not acquire many horses
• not take many wives, so that his heart won’t be lead astray
• not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold
• make and keep a copy of the Word with him.
• read and study the Word so that he is to revere the LORD and follow his decrease

Big Ideas

Give Us a King (1 Samuel 8:6)

By nature, humans desire to be led and directed. Craving to be like the surrounding nations, Israel wanted to be led by a man. God was not enough for them. Even after God and Samuel warned Israel concerning the hardships a king would induce, they could not be pursuaded otherwise.

Sometimes, we too can become fixated on our perceived needs, and loving, logical warnings can do nothing to deter us. This sin is difficult to identify since so many of our wants cloak themselves as needs.

Conversation Starters:

• Why did Israel want to be like the surrounding nations?
• Do you need to be like the others around you? Is it always wrong to want to fit in? Why or why not?
• How did God, through the person of Jesus, become like the world around him? How did God, through the person of Jesus, set himself apart?

God Chooses Saul (1 Samuel 9:1-10:16)

As Saul searches for the lost donkeys, God uses these ordinary circumstances to orchestrate a divine meeting between Saul and Samuel. How should we characterize Saul? He is handsome, faithful in his work, considerate, and the son of a successful man. We assume these are all good traits for a future king to have. Yet, the most essential trait was that he had been chosen by God.

Conversation Starters:

• What makes a good leader?
• What does humility mean?
• Would you describe Saul as humble? Why or why not?
• How was Saul enabled to rule? (1 Samuel 10:9)

Saul Publicly Chosen (1 Samuel 10:17-27)

Even though Saul had already been privately anointed king, Samuel used the “lot-method” to choose him publicly. This proved to the people that the choice was not his or any man’s but was God’s. Yet, when chosen, Saul was nowhere to be found. His hiding spot was so good that God had to help Samuel find him.

Conversation Starters:

• Do you think Saul was hiding out of humility, or was it insecurity?
• What is the difference between humility and insecurity?
• In what ways did God help Saul?
• How can insecurity be a dangerous character trait for a leader?

Saul Confirmed as King (1 Samuel 1-15)

After Saul was pubically chosen, he went back home to work. Was it out of humility? Insecurity? Or was he resistant to God’s call? In any case, God is willing to use weak men to accomplish his purposes. In Saul’s instance, the Spirit of the LORD enabled his heart to act. Israel achieved a great victory over her enemies under his leadership.

Conversation Starters:

• How did God use circumstances to help Saul?
• Analyze Saul’s words to the people after the victory (1 Samuel 11:13). What characteristics would you ascribe to this new king?
• Think of the best leaders you know. What are their character traits? Would you ascribe all of those same traits to Jesus?

Digging Deeper

The Seeds of Faith resource provides Law and Gospel points as well as application questions.

OT3 2B

Saul Turns Away from God — 1 Samuel 13:1-15; 14:23, 47,48; 15:1-35

Context

The ongoing war with the Philistines continues. King Saul’s faith is tested. Would he be a king who carefully listened to the LORD’s instructions at all costs, or would he be influenced by insecurity and take matters into his own hands?

Big Ideas

Saul Offers Up the Burnt Offering (1 Samuel 13:9)

No doubt these circumstances were terrifying. Saul must have felt like he was between a rock and a hard place. In fear, the army was scattering, and the numbers were dwindling. From a human perspective, hope was rapidly dying. Saul knew he needed the LORD, and he needed him immediately. Sacrifices were only to be done by one from the tribe of Levi. But because of his great need, Saul, the Benjamite, justified making that sacrifice himself.

What if Saul had waited? Would the circumstances have gotten worse? Probably. As we have seen elsewhere in Israel’s history, God tends to act when all reasonable hope is gone. Saul’s sin was evidence that he lacked trust in God. Saul’s actions showed that he was beginning to rely more on himself and less on the LORD and his ways.

Conversation Starters:

• Can you name Bible stories that Saul should have known about where God rescued the hopeless?
• Why did God require that the king know and study the Word? (Deuteronomy 17:14-18)

The Battle with the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:1-9)

Shortly after leaving Egypt, the Amalekites, descendants of Esau, attacked the Israelites in the wilderness. The Israelites miraculously won this battle while Moses held up his hands. God cursed the Amalekites promising that Israel would one day blot out the memory of them. Now it was time for God to make good on his word. Because this was divine judgment, everything was to be destroyed.

Can you see Saul’s disconnect with God’s plan? Saul was unwilling to do the will of God if it did not suit him. Saul viewed the battle politically and used it to advance Israel as he, King Saul, saw fit.

To Obey is Better than Sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22)

Saul thought he could appease Samuel and God through manipulation. He wanted to hide the severity of his disobedience behind a good work of sorts. But God could not be fooled. In God’s eyes, Saul’s actions were the same as idolatry and even divination.

What scares me the most is the gradual turning of Saul’s heart away from God. Justification of my sins comes so naturally. I start by thinking of them as mistakes rather than disobedience. If I make a mistake, especially one that makes me look bad in front of others, I immediately seek to cover it by doing something good. I’d rather do this than fully confess how deeply sinfully I am. My ego prefers to “fix” my own problems rather than experience the humiliation that goes along with repentance.

Conversation Starters:

• Children will not learn about repentance unless they see it modeled. Parents, what can you repent of in front of your children? (Please note, I genuinely struggle with this. I hate admitting failure to my children. I’d rather they view me as their hero than take the opportunity to point to Jesus as our hero.)
• Should we force children to confess/repent? Why or why not?
• What should you do if you know you should be sorry but your heart is not?

Saul’s Confession (1 Samuel 15:24-25)

Samuel’s rebuke worked! Saul confessed his sin and asked for forgiveness! Saul still has faith in the LORD (1 Samuel 15:31). Even though he was forgiven, Saul still would receive the earthly consequences for his disobedience. Later, we will see Saul’s sins lead to more devastating spiritual consequences.

Conversation Starters:

• What was Saul’s motivation for his disobedience? (1 Samuel 15:24)
• How can the fear of others (insecurity) influence your decisions?
• Can you think of ways in which Jesus obeyed instead of being afraid of the opinions and actions of others?
• What does it mean to find our security in Christ?

Digging Deeper