1 Samuel #13: an exposition of 1 Samuel 13:1-23. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, March 4, 2012.
Intro:
The apostle Paul said, “The wages of sin is death.” Do you believe that? Oh sure it’s in the Bible and I know that we “believe” what the Bible says is true, but come on, do you really believe sin brings about death? If you say that you believe it, how is that reflected in your daily life? How does that fact affect or influence you on a daily basis? If the consequences of sin are that far reaching, that devastating what precautions are you taking? I’m afraid we are sloppy in our theologizing. We have a set of doctrinal beliefs over here. We believe them to be true. They are solidly based in the text of Scripture but they stay over here in the category of “beliefs” and never interact with “real life” over here. Unless this is a game we are playing, that will never do. You cannot separate doctrine from life, belief from practice. When building our theology we are not done until we ask the question – “So what?” If this is true – so what? If this is true how am I to respond? What am I to do? What am I to avoid? How am I to act? I’m afraid that because we do not often see the consequence of our sin immediately we assume there are no consequences to our actions. The wages of sin is death – “Yeah I know one day I’m going to die and that’s because sin entered the world but that’s down the road and there’s really nothing for me to get all worked up about right now. Besides I’m under grace. Because of Christ I’ve been forgiven and there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. That’s Bible. That’s Romans 8!” Tell that to Ananias and Sapphira who fudged on their contribution record and dropped dead in the church house. That’s Bible too. That’s Acts chapter 5! The sign of a depraved society, according to Romans 1, is that there is no fear of God before their eyes. Sin is serious business for the pagan and for the believer.
This evening I want us to consider what happened to king Saul and what it teaches us about the subtlety of sin and its devastating consequences. Our text is found in chapter 13 of 1 Samuel.
Text: 1 Samuel 13:1-23
Israel clamored for a king.
“We want a king like the nations around us.”
Monarchy was “in” and Israel didn’t want to be left out.
We know, by revelation from God, their desire for a king was a rejection of God’s sovereignty.
They mistakenly thought if we have a king we’ll have more say.
God made it clear both Israel and her king will be under His sovereign control.
Both Israel and her king will be accountable to the law of God.
Obey and there will be blessing.
Disobey and there will be consequences.
Saul is anointed king in a private ceremony (9:27-10:1).
Saul later is publicly declared Israel’s king (10:20-26).
God uses Saul to defeat Nahash and the Ammonites and Saul is affirmed king (11:12-15).
Both the king and the people are commanded to obey the Lord or suffer the consequences (12:24-25).
Now listen to the God’s prophet…
And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you. (1 Samuel 13:13-14)
What happened?
What great evil was done?
As we explore the 13th chapter the message is clear.
Thesis: The tragic downfall of king Saul reminds us of the devastating consequences of sin.
There are two things I want to point out.
- Sin’s subtle nature. (13:1-12)
- Sin’s devastating consequences. (13:13-23)
Conclusion:
Saul obeyed the Lord – for the most part.
He only inserted his own will when necessary.
It cost him his kingdom.
It brought judgment upon his house.
Sin is a serious matter. Sin is rebellion against God. It is an open act of defiance and there is a price to pay.
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
The wages of sin is death.
But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.