1 Samuel 15:1 “Because you have been anointed king, listen to the words of the Lord.”
We have been elevated to a higher position than any of the prophets and kings in the OT. How much more should we listen? Jesus said that to those who have, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, so it pays to listen and keep what you hear. We see by Saul’s example that he lost dearly. Yet our gains by the training of the Spirit through the grace of God are incalculable. It will be worth all we have to gain what God has to give us.
1 Samuel 15:4 “So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah.”
Saul formerly had more than 600 men. Now it’s over 200k men. When we believed in Jesus, God placed us in Christ. There are over 100 verses that speak of our being in Christ. Based on those, we have more than enough resources to defeat any sinful foe the Spirit reveals in us. If by the Spirit we put to death the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8), we shall live. We read this book, and the Spirit points out what issue to address next. Are our resources with God in Christ enough for us to overcome, or not?
As Saul numbered the people, we should count our blessings, every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, Ephesians 1:3.
1 Samuel 15:24 “Then 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.’ “
Worrying about what others might think has been my downfall again and again. The fear of man is a snare, Proverbs says (Prov. 29:25). But the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 1:7). When you get more of the fear of God, then you begin to see the difference between the two and start making better decisions that honor the Lord.
1 Samuel 15:22 “So 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 heed than the fat of rams.’ “
To listen and obey is more important than normal religious duties, the prophet Samuel said to King Saul. Why? Because it indicates a genuine relationship with God where He is Lord in fact and not in title only. A life of submission to the Lord is a life where you really know yourself and have crucified the flesh to put the Lord first. We can’t listen if we’re trusting in ourselves and busy doing our own thing and setting our own priorities.
1 Samuel 15:23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.”
King Saul had just disobeyed the Lord’s command, and the prophet Samuel called him on it. Divination, or witchcraft, means the person is seeking direction from the spirits instead of from the Lord who leads. It signals an outright rejection of God. It is punishable by death.
Rebellion is doing the same thing. It is determining good and evil on your own. “I’m going to follow my own spirit.” It rejects God’s wisdom and authority.
God knows His holiness and our depravity. We have no idea of either. We have no idea of the oneness with the godhead Jesus was praying for in John 17, that to see us is to see God. That is a high and holy thing. Listening and obeying gets right to the root of being one with Him. We hear and respond; our wills and works are one; and God works through us. God’s goal for Israel was to make it the light of the world so the Gentiles would come to the light and know and worship God. That’s His goal for the church. When we read these chapters, we must read, apply our God-given minds, and above all, listen. The Lord wants to reveal what our normal intellect will never know, as we read in 1 Cor. 2, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, the things God has prepared for those who love Him. Then it says, He has revealed them to us by His Spirit. Not by our natural resources, but by speaking to us He reveals Himself.
Our Spirit-taught mind knows this, so it makes room for the Lord to speak. If we do not hear and obey this, then we are those who hear but do not perceive, as Jesus said. Our natural intellect is not enough to carry us where the Lord wants us to go. We need to have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying, and have the humble submission to respond appropriately.
