I Samuel Chapters 13-15

13:10-12 - Shows how different eh Israelite kingship is from the typical kingship in ancient times. Saul is not in control - Saul is not is charge...God is. God commands the king to act and then the king should act. God has commanded Saul to wait until Samuel gets there to make the sacrifice...Saul gets nervous, rejects God's plan because he lacks faith and pays a heavy price as we will see.

13:13-14 - We see that Saul actually could have been the head of the line that would lead to the human birth of the eternal king Jesus, but he rejects God's will. The Lord is going to instead seek a man who is actually interested in chasing after His heart. Imagine the great eternal cost when we choose to reject the will of God for our lives.

13:19 - The Philistines are totally in control of all military advancements/weaponry/technology in the area...they have the Israelites under their thumb. They dominate in numbers, they dominate in armaments - that is why they feel they can split their main force into three "raiding parties (v.17)" to cut the Israelites off. They are toying with God's people...taking their time with them.

14:6 - It is interesting to see the contrast between Saul and his son Jonathan. Every picture we get of Jonathan is a picture of a man of faith. He is a man of action who is willing to act in the name of God's honor. Everything we know about Jonathan tells us that he would have been a great king...he would have been a man after God's heart, but Saul's foolishness destroyed the opportunity.

14:15 - Because of Jonathan's faithfulness and willingness to trust God...God acts on behalf of the Israelites and goes to war for them - sending the Philistines into mass confusion.

14:19 - Contrast Jonathan to Saul...here we find Saul sitting back from the battle, unsure of what o do and how to act (He is always nervous about what people think of him). He summons the priests to tell him what to do and then abandons that idea in the middle and charges into battle. He shows us the picture of the incompetent, confused leader.

14:24 - The craziness continues...Saul makes a ridiculous oath. His men are in the midst of a long, brutal battle. They are fighting for their lives and burning energy, and he make a vow that none of them can eat anything until the battle is over. His idiotic oath actually lessens the extent of God's victory.

14:29 - Jonathan hears about his dad's oath and rejects it. He eats food and remarks about the idiocy of his father's words. He knows that Saul has spoken from ego and boasting, and not thought about what God would want for his people. Jonathan knows that Saul's oath has actually tainted their victory and driven the people into sin (When they become so hungry they start eating raw, bloody meat).

14:39 - Another hasty oath like the one Jephthah made - even if it is my own son who has eaten food...I will kill him! Oops...it was his own son - stop bragging and trying to prove your worth to people and lead you ninny!

14:45 - In the end after his son has rejected his leadership, even the army rebels against him. Saul has lost all credibility and effectiveness.

15:8-9 - Here we see that Saul only partially obeys God. He kills all the people, except the king who he keeps alive to parade around as a trophy (Again, he is all about showing people how important he is). He destroys all the useless items and keeps the healthiest livestock alive. Unfortunately for Saul, partial obedience has another name...it is called disobedience. You and I need to remember that the next time we are running through a list of excuses in our heads about why we are partially disobeying God.

15:11 - God is grieved that He ever made Saul the king over Israel. Saul has rejected God's leadership over him and has led God's people astray.

15:17 - The bible lays out for us that Saul has never thought much of himself. He has never been able to see himself as worthy of the calling God placed on his life, and so he destroyed that calling by trying to overcompensate and honor himself. Christians will hamstring their ministry potential in life if they never accept that they are worthy of being God's children and worthy of being used to build His kingdom in this world.

15:22 - God wants obedience, not empty religion.

15:24 - A godly leader acts to honor God, not please the masses.

15:33-35 - Samuel steps up and does what Saul refused to do - he brings an end to the Amalekites as God promised would happen in Ex. 17:14 and Deut. 25:19. So in the end, the prophet of God parts ways with the king who rejected God and Saul is never truly God's king again. His true reign is effectively over at this point.