Where, When, How Should We Act When Responding to Loss - II Samuel 1 - 5

In every circumstance and under all conditions if there is a way to gain, then there is also a way to lose. All of us who gain in knowledge, wealth or fame will some-where, some-time and in some-way also suffer loss. God always expects the proper response from his people regardless of their condition. We do not always act responsibly and show care, kindness and appreciation for the good gains that come our way in life. However, we are much more apt to demonstrate our anger, discouragement and feelings of betrayal when we are forced to suffer loss regardless of who is at fault.

There are two major areas of family and personal gain and loss. God created the world and soon found that it would be a lonely place without family, friends and spiritual fellowship, and so he introduced the family plan to properly inhabit the earth. In order to keep the population under control he also introduced the plan allowing loss of loved ones by both natural and unnatural death. There are few things that affect us as dramatically as the death of a love-one regardless of cause.

Very close behind follows any kind of circumstance that threatens our life or livelihood. It seems very coincidental that America is [today as I write] facing troubling times in our financial condition and a general election that may be the most important in our history. The response to our recent losses and to the losses that may come in the next very few months will set the tone for life in America for years to come. We must pray for God to be in ultimate control and guide the hearts and minds of those who gain the power and position to lead our country.

When we suffer the great loss of family or friend, or the loss of security of family and home, other most urgent matters have to be suspended; I don’t know about you…but I just seem to grow numb—I feel lost, scared, anxious and uncertain. I tell myself that it is imperative for me to turn these uncontrollable circumstances over to God. I find this easy to say but hard to accomplish. We have no other choice but to trust and obey. King Saul may have had a trust in God that was as strong as did King David, but he definitely did not obey God as David did. His disobedience was his downfall.

This week’s lesson shows how David dealt with loss when he learned of the deaths of King Saul and his best friend, Jonathan. David demonstrated stability by responding to loss in God-honoring ways. As we examine responses to loss that honor God, we will learn to demonstrate stability in turbulent times by putting these responses into use in our own lives.

When David walked on the battlefield with the sling in his had and the Giant in his sight it was the beginning of a turbulent life of war-fare between the Philistines, Canaanites and the Amalekites and Israel. From that day forward Saul was at war…David was at war…and David was on the run to escape Saul who had vowed to kill David. All things must come to and end. Saul finally lost to the Philistines who killed him and his three sons—and decapitated Saul and hung his body on a wall and took his head home with them to Philistia [Chron: 10-9].

David was at war with the Amalekites when one of their soldiers brought him word of the death of Saul and his sons, especially Jonathan. This Amalekite soldier probably did not know that David was his recent adamant enemy or he would not have risk his neck to tell David of the recent death of Saul and his sons. According to Jewish custom David began to show honor and remorse immediately for his deserving dead by renting his clothes, reverent prayer and mourning. Secondly, they continued in prayer, and fasted. Thirdly, David had the Amalekite soldier that reported the deaths put to death because of his role in the matter.

There has been little said in Samuel about the musical talent of David but we know that his talent was great and that he has been given credit for the writing of much music and many Psalms. Because of his ability and the timing of Saul’s death David wrote the lament to honor the dead king and his sons. David’s musical talent and ability was one of the leaders that brought all kinds of music into the temple worship. As a result of this, much of the history of Israel is recorded through the use of music.

You will note through the early verses of this lament that Saul had caused David a lot of trouble for a long period of time but David did not hold a grudge against him for his hatred and mistreatment. You will find only the good side of Saul spoken of and it makes one wonder just what kind of forgiving heart that David must have had when he refused to comment on Saul’s wicked ways.

The 26th verse was worded in a way that it caught my eye—and because of my bent against any kind of acceptance of homosexual life, I had to look into this verse more closely. I do not believe that David was referring to any kind of sexual relations or implying that this was the case. I searched again and found that homosexual acts were absolutely forbidden in Israel. Leviticus 18 says that homosexual acts are detestable and chapter 20 calls for the death penalty for anyone that practices homosexual ways. God said personally that the practice was an abomination in his sight. David was probably thinking of the love of mothers for their children one of the strongest loves that ties people together. David was simply explaining the deep brotherly love that had built up from their long life of friendship.

David knew that Saul was dead and that he [David] was now the new king—but he did not assume any kind of personal control and in the first verse of chapter two, he asked God what he wanted him to do. God sent him and his two wives to Hebron where he was to be crowned king of Judah. Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, was crowned to follow his father as king of Israel and the war continued between the two factions.

I was a bit confused at first as the word says that both Saul and David were anointed kings in service at the same time. On must remember that this was during the time before the nation of Israel was divided and became known as the North and South, or Northern Kingdom and Southern Kingdom. Later on, when the division came, Judah including the land and cities around Jerusalem was called Judah, or the Southern Kingdom.

During the period covered by the lesson today, the division between the north and south is beginning to happen. David was sent to Judah which became the area with the good trade routes, big business and commerce later on; and Saul’s son was assigned to Israel, which was actually just the northern part of the entire country of Israel. Immediately these two kings were at war with each other, and it never stopped…even today the problems still rage in this area.

It is somewhat sad to read [2: 12-28] and find just how frivolous some of the [fighting] [wars] were. Go now to 2: 14-17 and read aloud. Think about it. This was one of the wars you read about in scripture. It reminds us of the war that was settled when David killed Goliath, the giant. However, in this man to man fight, all were killed, there was no winner and nothing was settled. This type of warfare was not totally without reason, for in some cases a decision was made without the death of thousands of soldiers in real battle.

Abner appeared in this conflict between David and Saul as Saul’s military leader. Some of his first assignments were given by Saul and they were to find and kill David. He was not successful and lived to see his king die on the battlefield. He then took over as the military leader for Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, who was now at war against David to see who would finally control all of Israel. The war that started with Saul against David lasted a long time but David continued to grow stronger while the house of Saul grew weaker.

While David was at Hebron, his six sons were born and grew to be a serious part of his life. King Ish-Bosheth accused Abner of sleeping with one of his father’s wives causing a split and Abner decided to change sides…so he promised to deliver the northern part of the kingdom to David which would make him King over all the land of Israel.

We have often studied the life of David and given him credit for his desire to obey God. Now we have looked at another trait that pleases God and that is that David did not hold a grudge against those that mistreated him. He showed respect for those in power, and responded to their loss with a proper attitude. Christ could have had him in mind when he told us that we should learn to love our enemies, and pray for those who persecute us; even to turn the other cheek.

Conforming to God's Image - I Samuel 24:1 - 31:13

I started teaching school in 1948 and through necessity I obtained a vital interest in the local school board race each year. I learned early that a vast majority of the candidates run for a position on the School Board simply because they have a personal agenda and for no other reason. When I say this is true a vast majority of the time, I really mean that it must be as high as ninety percent of the time.

Only honest, God fearing people that live by the golden rule should ever run for the board and surely they are the only ones that should ever win a seat on the board. There is only one acceptable agenda and it could be labeled God’s Agenda. A personal agenda is never acceptable. Here are just a few examples of personal agendas. 1. My taxes are too high and I will work hard to get them lowered; and guarantee there will be no new taxes. 2. I do not trust the Superintendent, the board had a much better applicant and they failed to hire the right man. [ There can be many reasons listed why they will see that the present man is fired. 3. The foot ball coach should be replaced and I will see that it happens—because: a. He has no game plan…passes when he has no competent receiver…runs the ball when the team is far behind and even when the best ball carrier is injured…b. he does not know a good player when he sees one, c. my son would be excellent at…d. and he has only played in three downs this whole season. In this list b, c, and d is the heart of the personal agenda. The number one agenda is: I will get rid of what or whom I don’t like.

There is only one acceptable agenda. You could word it better than I, but the meaning would be the same, and would look something like this. We have an excellent school system; I am truly proud of it and I willingly offer my abilities, knowledge and expertise to help it grow even stronger. Then list your knowledge and experience that would be helpful to a successful school operation. You must be able to truthfully say: “My only agenda is a growing desire to help provide an educational system that will be best suited for each and every student enrolled.” On behalf of the students attending your district I pray that you will not run for the board because of your personal agenda. But, please do run if you are willing and able to help make things better for students and teachers. I believe this same philosophy would apply at any level; from city council to Mayor, from state representative to Governor and on to President of the USA.

There are some life experiences that seem to make lasting impressions simply because many of these experiences cut across the grain. I was a free spirited teenager in December of 1942, facing a sure draft into the army after graduation from high school in May of 1943. I volunteered for the Air Corps and was turned down for medical reasons in January 1943. While I was in classification 4-F, Juanita and I got married, and just a four months later I passed the medical exam and was inducted into the Army as an Infantryman. I wanted the Air Corps and got the infantry instead and was never really a happy camper. This must have been God’s agenda, because it surely was not mine. This is only one of several incidents in my life where I truly believe that God has a plan for each one of us. Finding our purpose in life is probably the most important discovery we will ever make.

It is imperative that we not lose our train of thought, so I will pause here for a moment and let you know that this lesson today gives an excellent comparison to two men with different agendas. Saul represents the one with a personal agenda, while David was willing to be guided by God’s agenda and had refused to harm anyone else in order to promote his own agenda. David waited for God’s time and intent to be in force and in full charge.

There is a bit of a problem here that is hard for me to understand and it seems that it might be impossible for these two kings to understand. However it is easy to see which one was willing to allow God to have his will and way in making the change. First—Saul was a man sought out by Samuel and anointed king at God’s command. When Saul fell into disfavor because of his disobedience, God chose the same man, Samuel who found Saul, to seek, find and anoint a new king. Samuel chose David, through God’s guidance when he went to the house of Jessie and picked his last and youngest son who was out on the farm tending his sheep.

David was anointed, king and put into service soon as a member of the army that killed the Philistine giant and ended that war. Now we have two kings. Nothing has been said as to the exact time that Saul will step down and David will take over. David is willing to let God’s agenda guide this change of command. Saul became angry, vengeful, and even lost his mind thinking about this young, inexperienced sheep herder moving in over his head.

There are about twelve chapters beginning with chapter 20 and extending on to chapter thirty-two that covers a series of wars waged against the Israelites by several different countries. When David was first introduced to Saul, he was accepted and even became Saul’s private musician. Saul was known for his ability to protect his country but on several occasions when he got into trouble David and his army successfully defended against the enemy. One would think that David had proven himself as a patriot and even a supporter of Saul—but Saul never accepted him—and spent much of his time hunting for David with his explicit intention to kill him.

By having the friendship of his faithful buddy, Jonathan, David was always able to dodge the close encounters. On one occasion these two enemies were in a cave together and Saul did not know it. David was able to cut and keep a piece of Saul’s robe as proof that he was close enough to him to have killed him if he had desired. On another occasion David took Saul’s sword to taunt him and to prove again that he was not trying to kill Saul.

It seems that there was a lot of unnecessary feuding between these two kings. However God always has a reason…he had an agenda in this situation. Saul was being let out because of his repeated disobedience to the Lord. But David was young, and needed experience. He did not take over as king until he was thirty years old, so there were several years here where he had his own army and was getting experience in the offensive field, while at the same time he had to stay on the move to avoid being killed by his own king. David was being tried, and proven to be the man that God could depend upon when times were hard.

Cultivate Godly Friendships - I Samuel 18 - 24

One of the saddest charges against the American family today is that there are very few families that have developed and maintained a group of Godly friends. Many parents are working four regular jobs. Most of the time the man works his regular job or profession for eight hours and then goes to his second choice work place while his wife arises early and helps the family get off to work and school and then she goes to her Dolly Parton secular job from nine to five. She returns home and finishes her sixteen hour day keeping the home presentable, cleaning, and doing a hundred tasks over and over week after week. The family is lucky if there is three or four hours each week when they can be friends with each other.

There are very few parents that realize that children go through three or four specific periods of psychological change when they are in desperate need of parental friendship and adult guidance. Many parents do not feel that the problems that children encounter are of any significance and that they will just go away. The truth is that even though childish problems seem of little importance to the adult—they are sometimes a matter of life and death to the teenager. Mom, Dad…their problems are pretty serious to them and all they want is for you to act like you care and want the best for them. It is so very important for young people to choose Godly friendships that parents should feel proud when their children are willing to confide in them. Far too often they feel forced to seek friendships outside of the home. The most valuable quality of a friendship is personal loyalty and one can not always be sure that a new friend will continue being loyal through rough times.

To my knowledge there is no better example of two Godly friends that got together by chance than that of David and Jonathan. Jonathan was loyal to his father Saul, who was serving as king but had really not been the type of loving and caring father that always was there for his son. Jonathan had gone outside of this royal home and found David, son of Jessie whom he appreciated and befriended often. He found himself caught up in the conflict between his father and David and proved that by acting Godly he could be a friend to both.

The story of David is probably one of the best known that is written in the Bible. And the bond between these two young men forever set a pattern for all of us to live by if we propose to be a neighbor and friend to man kind.

Many have wondered why God chose to list David as a man after His own heart considering the fact that he had sinned often and that his sins include even murder and adultery. I have searched for an explicit answer and found none. The one thing that stands out is that David knew when he did wrong and he immediately repented and asked for forgiveness. He proved the immediate and constant necessity for a Christian to practice obedience, and confirmed the fact that God is always willing to forgive us when we seek forgiveness and remain loyal to Him.

The Old Testament is a book of conflicts that arose between Satan and God in the Garden of Eden and will finally close with the fighting of the battle of Armageddon. Saul became the first king and found that there were already two or three nations set and ready to attack him. One of these conflicts included the Giant of the Philistines who was taunted as a super-man. Well known is the fact that David had been chosen by God to be the next king, and that God used this incident to introduce the young man David, to the world of war and conflict.

Saul watched the fight when and where David slew the giant, and he inquired as to who he was. In the last verses of chapter 19, we read about their first meeting. Then the lesson for today begins in chapter 18 with the story of how Saul respected David and did not let him return to his father. There is no doubt that Jonathan saw something great in this man David, because they became very good friends. In fact there indication that Jonathan and David became more than just friends… there was a Christian love that blossomed that first day and neither man ever broke that brotherly bond.

The killing of the giant was the key to their bonding but it also was the inspiration for a song that was written that was the beginning of their problems that would grow worse very soon. The new song indicated that Saul was a great war hero who had killed thousands; but it also implied that David would be greater and would kill millions. Saul was adamant and outraged and because of his jealously he began to plot ways that he could get rid of David.

The lesson today has a total of five chapters included in it and deals with several years of struggles in battle after battle and many incidences that proved that David was superior to Saul. Saul had actually begun to lose his mind, and his hatred for David had obsessed him.

These chapters contain a running history of daily happenings. Saul was continually finding new reasons why David had to be dealt with. Saul ordered that David be killed, and he also attempted to do it himself. There are several occasions when Jonathan met with his dad and pleaded for him to allow David to exist since there was no reason for him to be killed. Then there were also several occasions when Jonathan met with David and cautioned him when his dad was about to be successful in destroying David.

There are very few of us who work together in the church where there is no danger to our livelihoods that will ever be able to develop a brotherly love for each other as did Jonathan for David and David for Jonathan. There is no doubt that God led Samuel to tell the story about these two young men to show the world how important friends can really be.

One of the greatest applications that can be made of this lesson that regards the importance of close friends is recommended to the young people that are making life changes. The change from elementary to junior high school or to high school, and finally those that are entering college will be meeting and making new friends. Would you like to be just like the one you have chosen? The closer one gets to another person, the more apt you are to immolate or adopt his/her way of doing things or living life. Take a good look first and ask yourself if you really want to look and act like your new friend.

There is a second side to this coin. As you start living your new life among new friends, are you carefully choosing and living your life in a way that it will set the right example for someone that may like you and pattern their ways after you. Do you want to be the bad example that leads some soul astray? Do you realize that there is a penalty for misleading people? The Bible says that it would be better for you to have a millstone tied about your neck and be cast into the sea than for you to intentionally lead some little one astray.

One more caution! It is also dangerous for you to allow someone else to choose you as their friend if they have ulterior motives in doing so. It is so easy for one to make this fatal mistake…evaluate them real good.

Embrace God's Perspective - 1 Samuel 16 - 18

“He that says that he has no sin is a liar and there is no truth in him.” “All have sinned and come short of what God expects of his people.” “There are none perfect, no not one.” These truths apply to the lady in the pew, the teacher in religious education, the deacon, the pastor, the king, queen, judge or prophet—even though they are all Baptist. Any of these, regardless of the station held, can become a disappointment to those who have placed their trust in them. I dare to say that there are very few who will read this lesson that have not been disappointed in the life of some person in whom you had placed your trust. Samuel became very disappointed with Saul.

Try to imagine the load that is placed on a trusted member of the church that is in her seventies when she is chosen to serve on a pastoral search committee. Assume that the committee is unanimous in their recommendation and the church calls the pastor with no opposing votes. They were all in agreement that the right choice had been made and the church prospers and grows. Then bad news comes that the pastor has a hidden flaw in his character—one that God and the church can not condone. Can you guess who will feel the greatest remorse? Yes, it will be the lady that anointed the new pastor with her first choice and trust.

As adults we all experience disappointment. Loved ones and trusted friends are too often the source of some of our greatest sorrows. Whether young or older Christians we must learn that we can not allow disappointment to write the script for the rest of our lives. There is always a better way and that is to embrace God’s perspective of the situation we are in. What do I mean to say? We can not let our disappointing experiences defeat us, but instead we must learn to profit and grow stronger because of them.

Though God has experienced incessant disappointment as a result of the failure of His people down through the centuries, He has been able to advance his purposes for them and through them. Saul is a good example of one who served a purpose even though he was a disappointment to God. Samuel represents that lady on the pulpit committee that searched and found Saul—he anointed Saul as the first King, and worked hard to help him be successful. When God finally rejected Saul, it was Samuel that was hurt the most. God approached Samuel and asked him how long he intended to morn the fact that Saul had been rejected. What God really meant was that Samuel should get over the loss and the bad feelings just because a friend had disappointed him. He was to fill his horn with oil and go find a new king, anoint him and let him get busy and lose no more time.

The indication here was that they would be looking for a new king that would have many of the outward characteristics which Saul had. However God warned Samuel that he was not concerned with the outward appearance of the new King. The value of a man can always be ascertained by finding what his heart is like.

Samuel was afraid of Saul. God protected him by sending him to search for the new king before Saul was told that this was taking place. God already knew who the new king would be…he told Samuel where to go…and to look up the house of Jessie who had eight sons. Jessie and his house were consecrated because they were being prepared to make a sacrifice—which was the gift of a son.

I can imagine that Jessie was becoming annoyed with Samuel by the time he had turned down all of his oldest seven sons. You could tell from the tone of voice and the way Jessie answered that he did not want to send for David who was too young and inexperienced. The choice was made and Samuel anointed David to be the one to take Saul’s place as king. Remember that at this time Saul is still king and David actually is placed in service secretly.

God always prepares for his people to move in and take over on his terms and not theirs. Saul needed a harp player to play for him when he was having one of his pity parties and was told about David who had recently come into service for the king. We need to remember that Saul did not know that David had already been anointed. And he became well pleased with David and his service to the king. This continued until he found that David had been chosen as his successor and then he changed to a man of hate with murder in his mind and heart.

Those who have studied history of the ancient world will tell you that there is a lot of similarity between Saul and Nero, the nutty Emperor of the Roman Empire. In verse 14 of the 16th chapter, you will find the hardest verse in this lesson to fully understand. It says, “Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.” This is another one of those verses that no one wants to tackle. I searched in five different commentaries plus the footnotes of four different study bibles and found that the authors completely ignored this fourteenth verse. Dr. B. H. Carroll thinks that Saul died an unsaved man. My question is: Was he saved at one time. He must have enjoyed having the Spirit of the Lord with him—because the bible says that the spirit left him. Does that mean that he was saved and then lost? No. I don’t think this is possible.

Does God intentionally torment people? I do not believe he does. But this verse says that “An evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.” So the Lord must have at least allowed the evil spirit to torment him. Here is a chance for you students to help ye-ole-teacher.

It appears very clear to me that Saul was a high strung, independent, self-centered man that found his life of importance slipping away from him. Because of his nervous background…always at war…always on the alert and feeling self-sufficient he now realizes that his power and prestige is slipping away and it is more than he can bear. To some degree, Saul began to lose his mind and do things that he should not do and he lost all faith in anyone, especially Samuel, and David. He saw David as a threat that would eventually destroy him. The truth was that David was a power-house with the backing of God Almighty that would have set Saul completely free and in good standing even though he had failed so many.

I can imagine that Saul was so weak of mind and losing all the power of reason he had ever had. He simply was going crazy. He believed that music was a soothing balm for his misery. David just happened to be a talented player of the harp, and was brought in to play for Saul. During these early days Saul grew to love David and was well pleased with his service. David treated him as his king and served him well. When Saul finally knew that David had been chosen by God to be his replacement he went mad. The spirit of the Lord left him, and I really believe that this simply means that he no longer had any guidance from God. God gave up on him. His spirit no longer strove with Saul.

God is all powerful and nothing is out of his reach when he needs help. He can minister to his children through his spirit in many different ways. He wanted to use David to minister to Saul but Saul would not accept him.

Carry Out God-Given Instructions - 1 Samuel 13: 1 TO 15: 35

Last Sunday our lesson focused on man seeking God’s guidance. We found that God does not read our mind…and will not give spiritual leadership until we ask Him to help us. It is not that he does not already know our needs even before we ask—but it is that He simply wants us to recognize him and be willing to give him the credit deserved. The Lord knows that we do not always follow his instructions; but the truth is we are less likely to ignore his instructions if we have made a personal request for guidance. B.H. Carroll, the founder of the Southern Baptist Convention indicates that King Solomon may not have been a regenerated person. And if this be so, it becomes somewhat easier to understand why he did not trust and obey God daily.

We should remember that Israel was still being ruled by Judge Samuel, the last of the Judges, and that he was the judge in charge of finding and anointing the first king, Saul. Following the instructions of God, Samuel was led to a young man that was presently on a search for a heard of livestock that had gone amiss from his fathers farm. The thing that Saul would not admit was that God was the one who chose him…using Samuel as His envoy. Because of this fact, Saul, owed his allegiance to God Almighty and him only, but he never did really admit it.

As a scholar of Bible history you must understand that every day since the incident in the Garden of Eden there has been a war in progress. God denounced Satan and Satan declared war against God’s children. When Saul was declared king of the Israelites he found that his most formable enemies were the Philistines. Saul was thirty years old, strong, handsome and a man of honor and character when he became king—and he reigned forty-two years. What you see is not what you always get, and Saul failed God’s tests.

First impressions can be deceiving especially when the image created by a person’s appearance is contradicted by his or her qualities and abilities. Saul presented the ideal visual image of a king, but the tendencies of his character often went contrary to God’s commands for a king. Saul was God’s chosen leader, but this did not mean that he was capable of being a king on his own—he needed instructions from God and he needed to follow them. His greatest success resulted while he was within the will of God—and his greatest failures came during his disobedience. How can we be naïve enough to believe that our life will be any different? We should go one step further and realize that God has the ability to use those of us with little strength; he can take our weaknesses and turn them into some of his most powerful witnesses. It is not through our strengths and our abilities that we succeed but it is through our willingness to trust in God to work through us.

Take a good look at the men in this Faith Builders Class in First Baptist of Heber Springs. We are a group of fairly successful men who have lived fulfilling lives—our strengths and talents make us tools but our failures and shortcomings remind us that we need a Spiritual \craftsman to control our lives. What ever we have accomplished on our own is only a small beginning of what God could have done through us had we always been submissive to his instructions. Be honest…not with me…but with yourself and with God—Does God control your life? Saul was a king, chosen by God, but he soon lost favor with his Master because he did not obey God’s instructions.

It is very difficult for me to understand why the land of the twelve tribes of Israel has historically been a land of constant conflict and war. The last verse in chapter fourteen tells us that “All the days of Saul there was bitter war with the Philistines” and it drove him to be constantly on the watch for strong men to become soldiers. It was king against king, tribe against tribe and nation against nation. Now look closely and think clearly—it was, is and will always be Sin and evil against God and righteousness.

Think about this for a moment. Since recorded time began, we have had leaders who were successful. There have been poor leaders of men who have recorded no successes. And then there are many examples of men who started doing quite well and relapsed into total failure; as well as those who started out in complete failure that were able to turn their failures into successes. I do not believe there is a single example that can be given where the swing from evil to good did not result from a leader who chose to CARRY OUT GOD GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS. Now look for a moment at those that started strong but soon lost control and you will observe leaders that forgot the GOD GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS that they at one time believed in and were guided by. We must thank Almighty God that he has made it possible for those that forget him to repent and return unto him.

In chapter fifteen God gave Saul one last chance to CARRY OUT GOD GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS. The instructions seem harsh; but you must believe that God is perfect and good and that any instruction he gives is for a purpose that may be beyond our understanding. God sent Samuel to tell him His plan. He told Saul that it was not the Philistines now, but that it was the Amalekites that must be destroyed. Listen to this command! Go attack the Amalekites and kill every man, woman and child. Do not spare one person, kill them all! Do not spare anything they own—destroy everything they have including all animals, buildings, equipment, everything of value.

Note: This seems harsh, but God had a reason and failure to follow His instructions brought more pain, suffering, and sorrow than if Saul had obeyed.

Saul summoned his troupes and attacked the Amalekites and was overwhelmingly successful in the battle. He was a king, and his pride drove him to capture the king of his enemies, Agag, and bring him back as a prize token of his success. For some reason the Amalekites had become renowned for their special herds, and there could be no reason to destroy the finest animals on earth, especially when he needed them to offer as his perfect sacrifices in the worship of Almighty God. Note this: Saul did not take the perfect cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys for his own good—they were to be used in worship and honor of God. This sounds pretty reasonable to me—but it is not what God had instructed him to do. Just remember that our ways are not God’s ways and things that seem right to man may be abominations in God’s sight. Those who claim to believe in alternative life styles need to heed this warning.

If you have read your lesson for today, you know that God sent Samuel to deal with Saul because of his disobedience. More than likely there are some who are studying this lesson that have used the same mind-set that Saul used when he tried to prove to all that he had done the things he had done in order to praise God, provide more perfect sacrifices which He deserved.

Samuel listened and then asks Saul: “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….Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” Oh my dear friends, there is no other way, Repent of your sins and be saved, then TRUST AND OBEY! Even kings must.