Plot Twist: Rejected and Replaced
1 Samuel 15 – 16
July 9, 2023
Jay Haugh
Despite our rebellion, God is gracious.
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.” —1 Samuel 15:1 ESV
“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.’ —1 Samuel 15:2 ESV
They were wicked and ruthless and God hasn’t forgotten their sin.
‘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.’” —1 Samuel 15:3 ESV
It’s severe, but it’s a divine act of just punishment.
God always removes the righteous before judgment.
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. —1 Samuel 15:6 ESV
And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. 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. —1 Samuel 15:7-9 ESV
Saul uses Agag to declare his greatness and he’ll take the spoils of the land to increase his wealth.
Kings use their position for personal gain and their power to declare personal greatness.
“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” —1 Samuel 15:11 ESV
And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.” —1 Samuel 15:12 ESV
Saul gives himself a hand.
And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” —1 Samuel 15:13-14 ESV
Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” —1 Samuel 15:15 ESV
Samuel calls out Saul’s sin.
And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” —1 Samuel 15:17-19 ESV
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. 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.” —1 Samuel 15:20-21 ESV
As Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore. And Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” —1 Samuel 15:27-29 ESV
God desires obedience, not sacrifice.
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. —1 Samuel 15:22 ESV
Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the Lord.” And 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 Samuel 15:25-26 ESV
As Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore. And Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” —1 Samuel 15:27-29 ESV
Then Samuel said, “Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully. Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.” —1 Samuel 15:27-29 ESV
“Now comes bitter death.”
A righteous man is going to finally put down evil.
And Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” —1 Samuel 15:33 ESV
Lesson: Disobedience to God’s word will lead to destruction.
The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” —1 Samuel 16:1 ESV
“And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. —1 Samuel 16:3-5 ESV
Be careful on judging others by their physical attributes.
When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” —1 Samuel 16:6-7 ESV
Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” —1 Samuel 16:8-11 ESV
He is the least and lowly, but he’s faithful.
And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. —1 Samuel 16:11-13 ESV
If God calls you to do something, He will provide the grace and power to accomplish His plans.
Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. —1 Samuel 16:14 ESV
Saul is becoming a jealous, paranoid, murderous man.
Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” —1 Samuel 16:16 ESV
One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” —1 Samuel 16:18 ESV
As David is being faithful, God providentially opens a door.
And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. —1 Samuel 16:21 ESV
And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him. —1 Samuel 16:23 ESV
David is committed to being faithful and trusts God to take care of the rest.
BIG IDEA:
Disobedience to God’s word leads to destruction, but God bestows grace and provision for those who wait on Him.
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Memory Verse: 1 Peter 5:5b-6 NIV
“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
Read 1 Samuel 15
Saul and the people took the best things for themselves and destroyed that which was despicable and weak. This was not the direction the Lord gave. Do you ever find yourself thinking that you can improve/modify the instruction God has already given? What heart issue leads you to think/act in this way?
Saul shares that the reason he did not fully obey God was because he was concerned about his image and reputation in the eyes of the people. How can we guard against prioritizing human approval over obedience to God? How can the pursuit of personal interests hinder our ability to obey and trust God fully?
Consider the role of accountability in our obedience to God’s commands. How can being part of a supportive community or having accountability help us stay on track in our commitment to follow God wholeheartedly? If Saul would have had such a person to remind him about the Lord’s commands, do you think this narrative would have played out differently?
Saul was so pleased with himself and how the military operation against the Amalekites went that he created a monument to himself to commemorate the event. By doing this, who is Saul declaring responsible for the victory? Who really is responsible for the victory? When Saul is confronted with his shortcomings, who does he blame? Who really is to blame? We see Saul taking credit for the good things and passing blame to the people for the things that went wrong. Do you ever see yourself with rose-colored glasses like Saul? What or how do you maintain a proper perspective of yourself that keeps in mind your sinfulness but also your intrinsic value as someone made in the Image of God?
Restate in your own words what Samuel is telling Saul in verses 22-23. Thinking in modern-day equivalents, what kinds of sacrifices would the Israelites have made? Name an area of your life where this truth needs to be applied. What do you need to do in order to see a change in this area?
Read 1 Samuel 16
God tells Samuel not to judge a person’s spirituality based on outward appearances. When you meet a person for the first time, do you use their appearance to discern something about their character? What are some questions we can ask that will help us gain a better understanding of what is in a person’s heart?
Do you ever attempt to keep up appearances when your heart is not right? How can we avoid allowing a person’s appearance or charm to influence our judgment or choices? How can we cultivate a deeper appreciation for the inner qualities and character that God looks at?
God chose David because his heart was aligned with God’s. What are some ways that we can continually work toward greater alignment with God? What is one area that you will commit to working on this coming week?
David serves Saul to help him through times when Saul is being tormented by an evil spirit. Do you ever have times when you feel like you are being attacked by an evil spirit? In these times, how do you restore peace to your spirit?