20th October 2023

20th October 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read - 1 Samuel 15:24-35 (focus v30-35)


Message Alan Burke 


Outward appearances mean very little, they may mean lots to how people perceive you but not to the Lord unless that is the outward appearances are a outworking of the reality within for the Lord sees the heart. When Saul arrived on the scene he was a full head and shoulders above everyone else, he was a big lad and the people wanted him as their king, the chosen one who was more afraid of the people than God. For Saul he ticked all the boxes for outward appearances but he lacked the most important think. Time and time again we have seen that Saul did not have a heart for God. Saul had just confessed his sin, justifying his sin for he was afraid of the people and then he concerned for his own honour, grasping at Samuel when he was rejected. 


Once more Saul confesses his sin, this time it is a much shorter confession, he instead of playing the blame game he confesses his sin and asks Samuel to honour him before the elders and to return to him to worship the Lord. His words though deceive him, he as confessed again his sin but he is still unrepentant. While he acknowledges his sin he is only doing it for the sake of his own glory. Look to the words that Saul uses as he confesses his sin as he asks to be honoured, notice the word ‘my’ people (v30), and his request for Samuel to return is the clearest sign of the reality within Saul’s heart, notice the word that Saul uses that I may worship or bow before the Lord ‘your’ God (v30). These two words tell us all that we need to know, Saul while he confessed his sin was not truly repentant, he hadn’t understood the gravity of his sin, of what he had done. 


This time Samuel goes back with Saul, I’ll explain the reason why in a moment to two but for now Samuel went back with Saul to worship the Lord. It was likely that this was a time for the people of Israel to gather in order to give thanks and acknowledge that Lord had delivered them from the hands of their enemy, giving them the viceroy over the Amalekites. 


Then Samuel instructs that the king of the Amalekites is brought to him. Saul had spared him when they defeated the Amalekites. While we are not specifically told of the reason why Saul spared him it was likely out of his own self interest. By sparing the king of his enemies it would have made any future adversary look leniently upon Saul as the king of Israel. Saul had not followed the Lord’s instructions, and in the years to come his failure was shown because although he was supposed to wipe out the Amalekites he did not, they continue to rear their head in the history of God’s people (1 Sam 27:8, 30:1, 2 Sam 8:12). In what follows Samuel brings judgement on Agag. What comes in verse 34 is the end for Saul, he was still king but the prophet of the Lord was distancing himself from him, while their paths would cross in the future everything had changed. Saul’s reign had been a disaster that ultimately showed his own sinfulness, Samuel is left with sadness because of Saul and his failure to truly repent for his heart was far from God and he knew that the Lord was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.


While the king was rejected, In his grace the immutable God was working out his purposes, using the actions of sinful men, he did not abandon the monarchy but uses it in spite of Saul’s failure to bring forth the true King Jesus Christ, the one whom the Father spoke form heaven saying “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt 3:17). Jesus had nothing to repent of for he lived perfectly for us, dying in our behalf so that we might be forgiven. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q75 What is forbidden in the eighth commandment?
The eighth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever doth or may unjustly hinder our own or our neighbour’ s wealth or outward estate. (Prov. 21:17, Prov. 23:20–21, Prov. 28:19, Eph. 4:28)
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