SAUL


A. "SAMUEL ALSO UNTO SAUL, THE LORD SENT ME TO ANOINT THEE TO BE KING OVER HI PEOPLE, OVER ISRAEL; NOW THEREFORE HEARKEN THOU UNTO THE VOICE OF THE LORD THY GOD" - I SAMUEL 15:1
  1. The story of King Saul is memorable:
    1. It had a good beginning, but a sad ending
    2. And this type of experience has reoccurred over and over in this world
  2. Saul, the son of Kish:
    1. Lost his kingdom to another
    2. Not only his kingdom, but also his soul
B. LET US TAKE A BRIEF, BUT PRAYERFUL LOOK INTO THE TRAGIC EXPERIENCE OF THE FIRST KING IN ISRAEL
  1. To begin with:
    1. Israel desiring a king, like the nations about them - I Sam. 8:5-6, was not God's original plan for them
    2. He was, in truth the King of Israel; in desiring a king, they rejected God as their King - I Sam. 8:6-8
    3. How tempting are the ways of the heathens to the careless and worldly minded among God's people - Jer. 10:1-22; Num. 25:1-16
  2. God directed Samuel to anoint Saul the son of Kish:
    1. To be the first king in Israel - I Sam. 9:15; 10:1-11
    2. He was tall and handsome - I Sam. 10:22
    3. He was meek and humble - I Sam. 15:17
    4. He was an able general in battle
  3. But he had a number of weaknesses which caused him to lose the kingdom:
    1. He was very selfish - seeking to keep his ego in the limelight - PP 650
    2. Had not learned in his youth to control his rash and impetuous passions - PP 608
    3. Blind self-confidence led him to reject reproof - PP 633
    4. He was cruel and presumptuous
    5. A spirit of jealousy possessed him to a point where he had neither reason or self-control
  4. On two special occasions he laid the groundwork for being rejected to be king:
    1. When he violated the law about bringing sacrifices - I Sam. 13:9-11
    2. When he deliberately disobeyed the command of the Lord in sparing King Agag and the best cattle - I Sam. 15:1-23
  5. His final departure from the Lord came when:
    1. He consulted the woman that was a spiritualistic medium - I Sam. 28:1-10
    2. He finally committed suicide - I Sam. 28:7
C. LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF KING SAUL
  1. When we think of the life of Saul, we see the terribleness of sin:
    1. "The wages of sin is death" - Rom. 6:23
    2. Sin is no respecter of persons, of station; the higher the station the more determined Satan will be to destroy as was the case of King Saul
  2. Had King Saul repented in sincerity, God would not have rejected him:
    1. Saul never was truly sorry for the wrong he had done
    2. That was true of Cain, and it is true of many professed followers of God Is. 29:13-14
    3. David, too, committed some very serious sins, but he was penitent from the heart - Ps. 32; 50; 51;55
  3. But one must be tempted to pass severe judgment on King Saul:
    1. We, too, have sinned and come short of the glory of God - Rom. 3:22-23
    2. That we live and enjoy God's blessings is unmerited, undeserved; it is all of grace only - Eph. 2:7-8
    3. We are fortunate that the Spirit of the Lord has not as yet forsaken us, but still labors with and for us, to guide us in the way of obedience and life - John 16:12-13
  4. There is still another lesson to be gathered from the life of King Saul:
    1. We have no information of Saul seeking the Lord daily in prayer and supplication
    2. In desperation he consulted those who had familiar spirits
    3. How different was the life of King David; he was a man of prayer, and therein is the great secret of his success


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