I Samuel 14:24-15

“The Marks Of Autonomy” • 10.23.07 • Autonomy, Authority & The Man Of God, Session ^#7

Intro.

- We begin on the heels of a mighty victory won by the Lord on Israel’s behalf.

- Where there should have been celebration and excitement, there was instead distress.

- Saul dictated that the men were to go without food until he carried out his campaign.

- Saul’s mandate put the men of Israel at a disadvantage, as all suffered from hunger, and it put his own son in danger.

- Verse 27 says that Jonathan had not heard the charge and had enjoyed some honey.

- At verse 31, we see that the attack was successful and the Philistines are driven back. Saul is determined to continue in pursuit. He asks of the Lord whether he should continue on the attack but is met with silence.

- It’s obvious that there has been some wrong committed among the troops. Lots were drawn and Jonathan was discovered.

• I Samuel 14:43,44 : “Then Saul said to Jonathan, ‘Tell me what you have done.’ And Jonathan told him, and said, ‘I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. So now I must die!’ And Saul answered, ‘God do so and more also; for you shall surely die, Jonathan.’”

- At this point, the people of Israel stood up and defended Jonathan and he was spared.

- It is telling at this point in the story, that for the sake of his own pride, Saul is willing to take his own sons life! But then we come to chapter 15 and God’s word comes to Saul.

• I Samuel 15:1-3 : “Samuel also said to Saul, ‘The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

- God’s command was for complete annhilation. Saul started toward the right actions, numbering his men and going out after Amalek, but then we read verse

• I Samuel 15:9 : “But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.”

- This event was especially tragic and the cause for God to utter these words:

• I Samuel 15:11 : “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.’ And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night.”

- Samuel comes to Saul and see him in complete self adulation mode, celebrating his victory.

- But Samuel is not impressed and calls Saul on the inconsistencies that he can see and hear.

- As usual, Saul is ready with excuses and blames the people for taking of the spoils, adding their value for sacrifice.

• I Samuel 15:22-31 : “Then Samuel said: ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.’ Then Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.’ But Samuel said to Saul, ‘I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.’ And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. So Samuel said to him, ‘The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent.’ Then he said, ‘I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.’ So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.”

- Saul, we have concluded, embodies the typical characteristics of an autonomous man. I want us to look at the ones that show themselves in this section of scripture.

I. Pride & Arrogance

II. Partial Obedience

III. People Audience

Text

I. Pride & Arrogance

- Take a look with me at the following verses.

• I Samuel 14:24 : “And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had placed the people under oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.’ So none of the people tasted food.”

- We spoke of the verses detailing Saul’s requirement of Jonathan’s life. Now, take a look at

• I Samuel 15:12 : “So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, ‘Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal.’”

- Every indication points to a man who is filled with himself and dedicated to his own agenda.

- It is his enemies that he will take vengeance upon, it is his armies to command and curse. And it is a monument to himself that he builds.

- Pride is in the heart of Saul. How does God feel about pride?

• Proverbs 8:13 : “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.”

- In the New Testament, Jesus is talking with the Pharisees who are debating with him about eating and drinking and the laws that had been propogated by them.

- Jesus tells them, “it’s not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of him.”

• Mark 7:21-23 : “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.’”

- Whoa, fornications and murders are listed with pride!?

- Of course, the world looks at Saul and probably thinks, “Hey, what’s the problem with Saul!? I don’t see what’s wrong!”

- As men who are not autonomous, but are under authority, we must resist pride in our lives.

- I am not talking about confidence, or satisfaction with regard to achievements in your life.

- But, I am condemning, with scripture the attitude that fails to glorify the Lord for what He has accomplished in our lives.

- One cannot help but think about King Nebuchadnezzar who was warned by God to humble himself. In the next chapter, Neb is walking along the edges of Babylon's hanging gardens and thinking about his great accomplishments in the city that he had built.

- God would have to humble him after all! For the next seven years, Nebuchadnezzar lost his mind and groveled on the ground like a wild animal.

- Is your life about you and your agenda or is it about His!

II. Partial Obedience

• I Samuel 15:8,9 : “He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.” : Here is a perfect picture of the actions of an autonomous man.

- He is proud, but that pride is built on a spiritual record, reflecting some obedience to God.

- He does enough, in his mind, to satisfy some requirement before God. He is religious!

- Saul was told to exterminate the Amalekites, which he did, save the King of course.

- He was told to wipe out all of their cattle as well. And he did… selectively!

- Later, he asserts that he followed God’s command and he did to a certain degree.

- But partial obedience is no obedience.

- Saul did what “made sense” to him. He must have reasoned that he had done enough and that God would understand his motives! God does not honor that type of servitude.

- Religion is always concerned with what is just enough to please God. What do I have to do to please God?

- Consequently, the religious person is always testing the limits of how close he can get to sin without offending God.

- The law of the autonomous man is the law of just enough! And just enough is never enough to the God who requires all!

- It’s not about one day a week, it’s about every day lived out for His glory!

- It’s not about how much you have to do, it’s doing everything to lift up the name of Jesus!

- It’s not about how close you can be to sin without sinning, it’s how close you can get to the heart of God in intimate relationship!

- Saul did the good things, the enjoyable things, the agreeable things to his nature.

- Just like the autonomous man, who doesn’t mind listening to sermons about how to be happy or how to be rich and prosperous. These things are agreeable to his flesh.

- But don’t ask him to sit through a message about sin and the necessity of Christ’s blood to expiate him from his offensive sin toward God! That would be distasteful!

- An autonomous man also loves religious exercise, just like Saul and his proposition that the cattle be used for sacrifice.

- The autonomous man today loves to boast about charitable work and social awareness. He also loves giving up meals for special months of the year for God. But this never goes far enough.

- Paul refers to this attitude of religiosity in his letter to the Colossians.

• Colossians 2:20-23 : “Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations - ‘Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,’ which all concern things which perish with the using--according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.”

- It’s not enough to do the things that are agreeable to you, or to bring an offering that you think has value to him.

- What he wants is all of us, every day, every hour, every moment, spent living out His life among the nations as a testimony to His reality in our lives!

- Partial obedience to God is partial disobedience to God!

- Any part that is disobedient is rebellious to the Lord, an offense to His character.

III. People Audience

• I Samuel 15:20,21 : “And Saul said to Samuel, ‘But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” : Note also the next time Saul speaks.

• I Samuel 15:24 : “Then Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.”

- Saul’s deepest allegiance, beside himself, is the will of the people surrounding him.

- This mentality clears up quite a bit about him.

- Why take risks in battle when you might end up losing, and thus losing reputation.

- This explains why he might seek to find out who has gone out to battle without him and why he might make the entire group swear an oath to him to fight alongside of him.

- Saul was concerned with what was popular, what would benefit his image or what might be politically advantageous. In the end, it was his undoing!

• Proverbs 29:25 : “The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.”

- It’s not a proverb, but it’s a saying that I have held onto with all of my heart since Bible College: To fear the Lord is to fear nothing else!

• Matthew 10:26-28 : “Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

- An autonomous man, far from being truly independent, is often caught in the throes of the dilemna that places his interests in the line of the fire of the interests of people in his life. At those times, Saul like men, give in the pressure of popularity.

Conclusion

- Today, let us humbly recognize the Lord’s place in our life, remembering that every gift that we have comes from Him.

- When we start there, our attitudes will be right with regard to God’s commands and we will follow them with all diligence.

- And the people that surround us will hold little sway over our decisions.

- Then, we will be men under authority!