1 Samuel 15

If chapters 11 and 12 present Saul at his best, as a man, as king and in the spiritual and moral sense. These next three chapters, 13, 14 & 15, reveal the very different moral characteristics and spiritual depth of two men: King Saul and his son, Jonathan. Here in chapter 15 king Saul reveals most clearly that he is more a pragmatist than a principled spiritual man, that he fears the opinion of his subjects more than he fears God, and has a prideful heart that is disinclined to repent publicly, but seeks to save face instead.

In chapter 15 we see the judicial rejection by the Lord of Saul as king, how the word of the Lord through Samuel brings it out in the open, and the tragic withdrawal of prophetic access as Samuel permanently withdraws from the royal court. It takes some time for Saul’s kingdom to wind down into the death of king Saul, but starting in ch16 we will see the rise of David, son of Jesse in the eyes of the Lord.

A key lesson here is that when the Word of God speaks to an issue, it is inherently right, and is the final and sufficient word and over-rules all human preference and apparent wisdom. God’s word is to be obeyed and conformed to by us and not vice versa. Worship of God is to be as He prescribes, not as seems fitting to us. God cannot be integrated into our lives, rather we are to be integrated into His.  Disobedience to God has serious consequences. The test of true worship is not so much that we feel good about it, but that God is worshipped as He reveals Himself to be. Worship is objective: Has God been actually obeyed and revered and loved?  Let us be a people who love Him by obeying Him. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”