Sermons on 1 Samuel (Page 3)
1 Samuel 15:1-35 (Part 2)
In 1 Samuel 15:11 we learn that God regretted making Saul king; however, in verse 29 we read that God is not a man that He should have any regrets. How are we to understand these two statements? It is from passages like this that we see that God is not like us. His nature is not like ours. Though God may be said to “repent” or “regret”, this is merely creaturely language being applied to an infinite, eternal, and…
1 Samuel 15:1-35 (Part 1)
In 1 Samuel 15:1-35 Samuel commands Saul to destroy the Amalekites. Saul destroys them, mostly. When confronted by Samuel he argues that his disobedience was really done to serve the Lord, since the things not destroyed were to be offered to God. Samuel then gives one of the great fundamental principles of service to God: Obedience is better than sacrifice. Attempting to do things for God that He has not commanded, that is making sacrifices for God in an attempt…
1 Samuel 14:24-52
In 1 Samuel 14:24-52 Saul, like Jephthah before him, makes a rash oath. God’s people must be careful about the kind of oaths they take. In today’s world oaths and vows are treated as things that are insignificant, things that can be broken on a whim. The Scriptures, however, teach that you must uphold every lawful oath and that every unlawful oath is sin.
1 Samuel 13:16-14:23
In 1 Samuel 13:16-14:23 God gives deliverance to His people through Jonathan. Jonathan believed in God, and his trust is seen in the fact that he states God can save by many or by few. It is such faith that is needed today.
1 Samuel 13:1-15
In 1 Samuel 13:1-15 Saul’s reign begins to unravel. He fights against the Philistines and appears to have some success, but once things appear dire, he disobeys God causing Samuel to tell him that he will lose the Kingdom. True service to God, even when things are difficult, entails obedience.
1 Samuel 12:1-25
In 1 Samuel 12:1-25 Samuel gives a final exhortation to the people highlighting the sinfulness of their request for a king once again. Judgment, however, is not the final word. Samuel affirms that God will be with His people if they are faithful to Him. Ultimately, both the people and the king need God and must be faithful to Him.
1 Samuel 11:1-15
In 1 Samuel 11:1-15 Saul fights against the Nahash, the Ammonite, and defeats them. His victory foreshadows Christ’s crushing the head of the serpent. Though Saul’s reign will be a disaster, God shows that He is able to use Him to His own righteous and good ends.
1 Samuel 10:17-27
In 1 Samuel 10:17-27 Saul is publicly chosen as King. Samuel reiterates the sinfulness of the request and yet God still gives the people what they want. Such is the danger of making sinful requests of God.
1 Samuel 10:1-16
In 1 Samuel 10:1-16 Saul is privately anointed king of Israel and is given signs of confirmation which culminate in the Spirit coming upon him and turning him into “another man”. Saul receives the benefits of the work of the Spirit, and yet his reign is disastrous and he likely was not a believer. How then are we to understand the work of the Spirit in this context? We are to understand that the Spirit can give gifts to equip…
1 Samuel 9:1-27
In 1 Samuel 9:1-27 Saul, the king like the nations, is introduced. He is described as a great man, from a noble family, who is humble, and receives the Word of God. Surely, if having a king like the other nations is going to work it will with Saul. His reign, however, will be disastrous. The example of Saul teaches us not to look on outward appearance but to trust in God who sees the heart. Such is the contrast…
1 Samuel 8:1-22 (Part 2)
In 1 Samuel 8:1-22 the people ask for a king “like the other nations”. This, however, is contrary to the will of God. One distinction between the kings of the other nations and kingship in Israel is the king’s relationship to the law and more particularly to God. If the king is under God, then he is subject to God’s law. If he is subject to God’s law, then his power is limited. If, however, the king is a god…
1 Samuel 8:1-22 (Part 1)
In 1 Samuel 8:1-22 the people ask Samuel for a king like the other nations. This is understood by both Samuel and God to be a rejection of God. Why is this the case? The reason is because God was fighting the battles of the Israelites, but they thought that they needed a king like the nations to do this. This illustrates a general principle: When people turn away from God, they will often put their hope in the government…