Learning from Saul's Failure

扫罗失败的警惕 Learning from Saul's Failure
Pastor Dr Ling
25/10/2009 1045

1Sa 15:1-11 And Samuel said to Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the LORD. (2) Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. (3) Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'" (4) So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. (5) And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. (6) Then Saul said to the Kenites, "Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. (7) And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. (8) And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. (9) But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction. (10) The word of the LORD came to Samuel: (11) "I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments." And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night.

1Sa 15:22-23 And 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 listen than the fat of rams. (23) For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king."

Failure is the mother of success. We learn from mistakes or we will be doomed to repeat the mistakes.

Joshua learned from the lesson of Moses’ 12 spies. If only the spies were like Joshua and Caleb, they would have entered the Promised Land earlier. When he took over the leadership, he sent only 2 spies.

The biggest failure of Saul is his disobedient to God.



Saul had a better background compared to David. David was pursued by Absalom but Saul wasn’t attacked by his son.

Saul made some mistakes in his life. One of them is recorded in 1 Sam 15.

God instructed Saul to obliterate the Amalekites. Saul kept the good cattle. He even made an excuse that he kept them for God. He also put the blame on the people.

Saul disobeyed God because he wanted to hold on to his position and power. Disobedient to God is equal to divination and idolatry.
Do Not Let Fear Become A Snare To You
不要让惧怕成为你的网罗
1Sa 15:24 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.
In 1 Sam 13, Saul saw the people and soldier leaving and sacrificed to God himself without waiting for God. Samuel told him because of this his reign would not be long.

When he faced pressure, Saul chose to please the people rather than God. David on the other hand always followed God because he knew everything is from God.

Pro 29:25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.

Sometimes we are pressured into bending the rules. As long as we know we are doing what is right, we should continue. Do we sacrifice our family in favour of work / boss? In a workplace where people stay beyond 8 p.m. we are pressured to stay even after we have finished our work? Most people bribe in business. Do we follow?

If we fear man, we cannot do what we know is right.

We want to please our loved ones. Let’s examine ourselves to see what our motive is. Do we do that because we want them to be happy or do we want to get something out of it?
Do not let Greed Fill Your Heart
不要让贪婪占据你的心
Eph 5:5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

One man cannot serve two masters. Idols can come in the form of money, pleasures, etc. Anything that we love more than God is an idol to us. Don’t just love the blessings of God and neglect the God who blesses. When we have our priorities wrong we cannot receive the true blessings of God.

Greed can take away peace. Corruption can never bring development and happiness.

Balaam agreed to curse Israel because of what he was paid. God turned his curses into blessings.

Jesus cleansed the temple because the people were trying to make profit without reverence to God.
Do not Find Excuses For Our Mistakes
1Sa 13:11-13 Samuel said, "What have you done?" And Saul said, "When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, (12) I said, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.' So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering." (13) 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.

Saul did not admit his mistakes. Instead he tried to look for excuses.

1Sa 15:20-21 And Saul said to Samuel, "I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. (21) But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal."

Saul said he obeyed God. When it comes to God, partial obedience is not obedience. He blamed the people.

Saul admitted his mistake to Samuel but never to God. We read about Saul building the altar only once.

David also sinned. In fact his sin was even more severe compared to Saul. But why did God still bless him and his future generations? When the prophet Nathan confronted David of his sins he repented. David knew God. Saul only knew God through others. Saul didn’t have a personal relationship with God.
Do not be Controlled by Jealousy
Saul was jealous of David as he was better received by the people. The Bible teaches that jealousy as a sin. It provokes damaging actions. Jealousy will destroy your personal relationships with others. Know that we are children of God. We are unique and precious in God’s eyes. Jealousy causes us to think only for the good for ourselves.

Php 2:3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Let’s appreciate the good traits we see in others. Do not crave praises from man.

Questions for reflections:
• What is the biggest obstacle for you to obey God?
• How do you overcome such obstacles in your life?