Last week we looked at the lives of the 12 judges of Israel found in the book of Judges. The judges conquered the oppressors, giving the chance for the Israelites to repent and serve God.
This week, we find that Eli and Samuel were also judges. Samuel was born 30 years before Samson’s fiascoes as judge. And then Samuel appointed his sons judges over Israel (1Sam.8:1).
We also witness the rise and the fall of Saul
There were four steps in the fall of Saul
1. Legitimate needs should not be met in illegitimate ways
2. Incomplete obedience - letting self preferences overshadow God’s instructons.
3. Obsession with preserving own status.
4. Succumbing to abominations.
1 Sam.1
1:5 Hannah “...the Lord had closed her womb...” Does He do that?
1:15 She poured out her soul before the Lord.
1:17 Eli, the priest, at first thinks she’s drunk, but then asks that the God of Israel grant her petition.
1:20 In due time, Hannah conceives, gives birth to Samuel, and takes him to Eli to serve God all his life.
1 Sam.2
2:17 “... the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men despised the offering of the Lord...”
These were Eli’s sons.
What do you think it means to “despise the offering”?
Do people fail to honor the sacrifice made by Christ?
Are we willing to follow the system that God has established?
2:21 “...The Lord visited Hannah; and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew before the Lord...”
Hannah gave up a treasure, and received much more.
It was counter-intuitive for her to give up Samuel (just like Abraham being willing to give up Isaac).
Why do most people cling to their blessings? [they love the blessing more than they love God]
2:30 “...those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed...”
Compare Hannah/Samuel with Eli/his sons.
2:29 Eli wasn’t teaching his sons properly.
3:13 He didn’t rebuke them.
2:35 “...But I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul...”
Actions need to line up with the heart of God.
1 Sam.3
3:1”...word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent...”
Why the rarity?
And yet he spoke audibly to Samuel 4 times.
3:19 “...Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail...”
1 Sam.4
Battle with the Philistines, and the ark is taken.
The symbol of God’s presence is not the same as His actual presence. (form without the power).
Eli’s sons are killed, along with 30,000 foot soldiers.
98 year old, overweight Eli falls backwards, breaks his neck, and his 40 years of judging Israel were over.
Phineha’s wife, Eli’s daughter-in-law gives birth to Ichabod - “the glory has departed from Israel”
1 Sam.5
The ark is placed in the house of Dagon, a Philistine god.
The ark didn’t save Israel from defeat by the Philistines.
Dagon didn’t fair so well. He toppled over. The people propped him back up (typical of false gods - can’t do a thing without help). Then he’s beheaded and behanded.
5:6 the Lord smote the Philistines with tumors, so they moved the ark to Gath. Gath is then smitten with tumors, so they move it to Ekron. Ekron is also smitten with tumors.
What’s the principle here? [We aren’t in control - God is]
God can’t be manipulated to bless us. Israel tried using the ark to control their destiny. The Philistines thought it would fit in nicely with their gods. Not so!
God doesn’t “fit in”! He’s God.
1 Sam.6
3 of the 5 Philistine groups were plagued, so they decide to rid themselves of the ark.
6:11,19 cows pull it to Beth-shemesh, where the Israelites foolishly look into the ark and 50,070 die. [KJV-fifty thousand and threescore and ten, ESV-70, NIV-70, NASB-50,070. Earliest manuscripts have the bigger number. Later may have changed to smaller number because Beth-shemesh seemed unlikely to have a population of 50,000 people]
1 Sam.7
7:3 “...Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines..."
Samuel gives the same consistent requirement for blessing.
Still applicable?
They finally get some victory over the Philistines, and Samuel sets up the Ebenezer (stone of help) as a stone of remembrance.
1 Sam.8
8:3 Samuel’s sons take bribes and perverted justice.
8:5 People demand a king.
8:7 Which was a rejection of God as King. (Deut.17:14 predicted this would happen)
What was the problem with appointed a king?
They wanted to be like the neighboring nations.
They were shifting allegiance from God to a man.
8:10-18 Samuel gives all the downsides of having an earthly king.
8:19 The people refused to listen.
8:20 They wanted to be like all the nations.
Didn’t want to be set apart.
Didn’t resist the pull of culture.
1 Sam.9
Who picks Saul as king?
9:17 Samuel, at God’s command.
9:21 Smallest of tribes. Why? [wiped out for sin against Levite’s concubine]
Make note of the fact that Saul starts out quite humble.
1 Sam.10
Samuel tells Saul all that is going to take place. Fulfilled prophesy has a way of solidifying a person in God’s intentions.
What’s the end goal? 10:6 “...you will be changed into another man...”. [only way to meet God’s expectations]
Serving God required being born again, even pre-Christ!
Where was Saul when it was time for him to be officially appointed as king? 10:22 “...hiding himself by the baggage...” So a person can be a born again coward? [called but not ready for war]
1 Sam.11
11:1 Jabesh-gilead needs to be delivered from the Ammonites.
Saul gets his first taste of victory.
1 Sam.12
Again we’re told that asking for a king wasn’t a good idea.
12:17 “...you will know and see that your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the Lord by asking for yourselves a king...”
But Samuel gives the marching orders.
12:21 “...You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which can not profit or deliver, because they are futile...”
12:24 “...Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you...”
1 Sam.13
Saul reigned for 42 years.
How long did he reign well? [Not long]
13:7 The people trembled as the Philistines assembled.
13:9-10 Saul gets impatient and offers an illegal sacrifice, trying to entreat God’s favor.
STEP 1: legitimate needs should not be met in illegitimate ways
13:14 “...But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you..."
What does “a man after His own heart” look like? [goes beyond “thinking” like God to actually sharing core values, intents, and purposes]
Is that what we’re after?
What were the odds like in the upcoming battle?
13:5 Philistines had 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, people like the sand of the sea.
13:15 Saul had 600 men, and only Saul and Jonathon had a sword or spear (13:22).
In the face of these overwhelming odds, does it make sense that Saul was anxious to summon God, somehow, someway?
Is it important that we approach God in the correct way?
Is there a right and wrong way to use the sacrifice of Jesus?
1 Sam.14
Jonathon’s victory
Kills about 20 men.
Then there’s another natural/supernatural event - earthquake.
14:16 the multitude melted away (trouble dissolved).
14:20 the enemy fights itself.
Victory is tainted by Saul’s foolish order that no-one was to eat.
Jonathon ate some honey and was refreshed.
People had meat with the blood in it - forbidden.
1 Sam.15
Second careless act of Saul.
Doesn’t follow the instructions to completely destroy Amalek - all people, all livestock (15:3).
15:9 Spared Agag and the best sheep, oxen, and lambs
STEP 2: Incomplete obedience - letting self preferences overshadow God’s instructons.
15:11 God’s response? [regret that He made Saul king].
Saul went from humble, chosen, and sent - to rejection.
15:22-23 “...Samuel said, "Has the Lord as much 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 divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king..."
15:26 “...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..."
1 Sam.16
16:7 “...But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart..."
Seven sons of Jesse were passed over to get to David, the Lord’s anointed.
16:13-14 “...Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah. Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him...”
** Supernatural basis of good and evil.
Difference between walking by the Spirit (Holy Spirit) or by the flesh (spirit of this age)?
1 Sam.17
How big was Goliath?
6 cubits and a span (known)
9 ½ feet (interpretation)
17:12 From where was David? [Bethlehem]
Boaz, the kinsman redeemer was, too (Ruth,Obed,Jesse)
What about Joseph, Mary, and Jesus?
Goliath taunted them for how long? 40 days (17:16)
Along comes David, operating in a different dimension. God’s heart. Different eyes. Different reality.
17:46 “...there is a God in Israel...”
17:47 “...the battle is the Lord’s...”
1 Sam.18
Women give David more accolades than Saul.
18:18 Saul is very angry. What happened to his humility? [started operating in a self-centered dimension]
18:10 Evil spirit from God comes upon Saul - he tries to kill David.
How would we classify Saul’s condition? [Bipolar, Depressed, Mental Illness].
How would we deal with Saul’s condition? [Counseling, Drugs]
What was really needed? [repentance, God’s deliverance]
Rom.1:21-25 Is a New Testament passage that reveals an undesirable sequence: Dishonoring God leads to God giving over to self, and lies replace truth.
1 Sam.19
David’s wife helps him escape through a window.
What does she put on his bed? [the household idol!]
Why is this in David’s house?
1 Sam.20
David and Jonathon set up an emergency warning system
Arrows to be shot.
Jonathon warns David using the system.
Then they end up face-to-face anyway.
1 Sam.21
21:2 David lies to the priest.
21:13 Feigns insanity before the people of Gath.
Any problems with this? I think this is the beginning of David’s besetting sin (manipulation). It becomes a habit, which is later used to kill Uriah, which hastens the destruction of his family.
1 Sam.22,23
The prophet Gad warns David to flee.
Saul, moved by hate, has 85 priests killed.
23:14 Saul sought him every day. Absolute obsession with killing David.
STEP 3: Obsession with preserving own status.
Remember that David had been anointed as king back in chapter 16.
Why is it always such a struggle to move through the present, into the future that God has prepared?
1 Sam.24
David doesn’t take the opportunity to kill Saul in the cave.
Saul has a sane moment and acknowledges that David will be king.
1 Sam.25
Nabal sets himself up to be attacked.
His “intelligent and beautiful” wife intercedes for him and turns David from slaughtering the community.
25:38 God kills Nabal
1 Sam 26
David again spares Saul.
26:9 “...Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord's anointed and be without guilt?..."
He was leaving it to God - perhaps he learned a lesson through the Nabal incident.
Does God prepare us to properly face our future by giving us lessons in our present?
1 Sam 27,28
David parks himself in Ziklag.
He attacks the Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites, then lies to Achish, telling him he was raiding Judah.
The Philistines gather against Israel
28:6 Saul inquired of the Lord and heard ...nothing.
So he consults a medium.
STEP 4: Succumbing to abominations.
28:11 Brings up Samuel from where? Is there a spirit realm reality that we don’t understand?
28:16 Samuel reminds him that “.. the Lord has departed from you and has become your adversary?...”
1 Sam.29,30
David is sent back from the Philistine ranks.
Finds Ziklag overthrown by Amalekites.
What was his response in the midst of chaos? [30:6 He strengthened himself in the Lord his God] ‘Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord...’
How does one do this?
How do you hear from God?
30:18 David rescues and recovers all.
1 Sam.31
Saul and his sons are killed.
31:11 men of Jabesh-gilead recover the bodies and cremate them.
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