Even in Christianity, we have Christians that think that because they're saved and born again, they have these rights to come into God's house and sort of dictate policy. You don't. That creates chaos and havoc. What happens when your way disagrees with 10 others who just can't agree with themselves? You have this spastic machine and not good for anybody.
There is order in God's house, and there's to be order amongst God's people. And Saul just stepped out of that order. This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of 1 Samuel.
Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross-reference radio, specifically, how you can get a free copy of this teaching.
Now, let's join Pastor Rick in the book of 1 Samuel chapter 13 with his continuing message called Godless Rhythm. God is giving Saul every chance to trust God. If he's going to be successful as the king of the people of God, then he's going to have to work in rhythm with God. Let's not do that. That would make it's insane.
You meet people that have no logic, and they're constantly getting in trouble and making a mess of things and causing everybody else to have to rally to help them out, and they can never say, Did I do that? They never say, was it me? When the Lord said, One of you are going to betray me, is it I? That's what they all said. But there are those people that will never ask that question because they know the answer.
They know it's them. He says, okay, if you know, then why don't you just change direction? Why don't you just stop hitting yourself on the head with the hammer? Oh, hello, feels good. Yeah.
Yeah. Gosh. And so the rest of us, what do we do? We attack in prayer on our knees. By faith.
No matter how long it takes, we're committed to that. We, you know, we read, I think it's Hamlet, screw your courage to its sticking place, and we're like, oh, yeah, screw your courage.
Well, God says the same thing. He just says that Just his way, which is better. Verse 9.
So Saul said, Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me. And he offered He offered the burnt offering.
Sorry for the theatrics. I just can't help it. I can see this guy's face, and I just don't like him. It was not his place to act as leader over the priest. It was never his place to command the priesthood.
They were separate entities. If God wanted the king and the priest to be the same entity, then he would have just made Samuel king. But Saul No, not the deep meanings of God. He just wanted the rituals on the surface if it could manipulate the people. Just enough Bible to manipulate others, just enough scripture verses to make others think, I am spiritual.
And they can overlook the wrong I'm doing because they've just listened to what I've said. That's all. If you listen to Saul, bring the burnt offerings, the peace offerings here to me, you'd say, well, he's deep, he's spiritual. No, he's not. And he found after a while, in his own thinking, being out of rhythm.
That it was acceptable to disobey God and Samuel. After all, he wasn't struck with lightning that day. And he's going to eventually win the battle. Do you think at the end he's going to give that credit to anybody on the planet? No, nobody in the heavens either.
But, but, if you, if you disobeyed Saul, if you dip your spear in honey just to get a little energy and you're his own son, he's gonna kill you for it. I don't know why the people didn't say, What just happened here? How did we get this fool to be our king? And do something about it. Samuel, you gotta help.
It's crazy because it still happens to this day.
So typical of Saul. Laws were for others, they weren't for him. No, he was above the law. Just the little people. They are the ones.
Now, there is such a thing as executive privilege. I mean, there are certain positions in life, they have to have certain wider margins to be able to function in their office, but that does not put them above the law. There are critical laws that are just adamant laws. They're hard as stone, they don't move. With Saul placing himself above God's priest, Revealed that he is unfit to be the king of God's people.
Verse 10.
Now it happened as soon as he finished presenting the burnt offering that Samuel came, and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. Sammy, Sam, Samster. Yeah. How you been? We just finished the sacrifice.
Just relax. Lord bless you. Yeah, it is. Again, you see, he lived out of rhythm with God. The man of God who is in tune with God, in harmony with God, he shows up.
And you can just see the look on Samuel's face. And not as hard as Moses coming down the mountain, but it wasn't, hey, buddy. Loss rhythm. A serious thing. because Saul eventually became a full blown savage.
That's where this is going. It's like, well, he's only a degree off, yes, but if he keeps going on that degree off, he's going to be way off. By the time he reaches His end. Samuel's delay evidently, well, I don't know about evidently, intentional or not. It flushed out.
Saul from his hiding place, his character, that is, who he really was. Even in Christianity, we have Christians that think that because they're saved and born again, they have these rights to come into God's house and sort of dictate policy. You don't. That creates chaos and havoc. What happens when your way disagrees with ten others who just can't agree with themselves?
You have this spasmic machine, and not good for anybody. There is order in God's house, and there is to be order amongst God's people. And Saul just stepped out of that order again, verse 11. And Samuel said, What have you done? And Saul said, When I saw that the people were scattered from me.
And that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Mi'kmash, verse 12, then I said, The Philistines will now come down to me at Gilgal. and I have not met the supplication to Yahweh, made the supplication to Yahweh, therefore I felt compelled. and offered a burnt offerings. We'll take verse 11 first.
So to Saul Enough pressure was enough reason. To abandon and to disobey. It won't be that way again. When Jonathan, his son, who didn't even know the order initially, uh takes uh honey in the middle of the fight. Saul was determined to kill that man.
So, if the situation changed in Saul's head, so could the commandments change. How convenient. If God takes too long to do a good thing, then who needs God? I can step in and do it myself. He is to do it yourself carnal man.
And those out of rhythm with God will blame others for their own mistakes, their own disobedience, their own sin.
Some kind of way, they're going to blame somebody else. They will not admit that it is really they And therefore, they can't be corrected, they can't be fixed. How do you argue with someone who insists that water is not wet? It's the end of the argument. It's nothing you can do for that person.
They're not willing to be rational. They want to be treated with utmost respect. You don't love me, you know. You're not mean to me.
Well, just say water is wet. No So what can I do with you? The unwillingness to obey. Takes one a long way from God. It's it.
creates a distance. Separation from God. And it doesn't fix itself. The flesh never fixes itself and it does not die a natural death. It requires constant And this is Retaliation.
Never does Saul think as a man of God. Never do we find him thinking in such a way. And Saul prayed unto the Lord and said, and was like, boy, I love that. You'd have to wait for David to get something like that. Verse 13, well, you get it from Samuel.
Verse 12 now. And then I said, The Philistines will now come down to me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to Yahweh, therefore I felt compelled. offered a burnt offering. He was emotional. The emotions began to run the ship.
And that brings shipwreck.
So then I said, The Philistines will now come to me at Gilgal.
So I better do this, yeah, right. He wanted to have absolute influence. What a perfect opportunity. If Samuel wasn't there, I can step in for Samuel. I can feel Samuel's sandals.
On the seashore. Samuelson So You should see how many things I don't say. Mm. Saul wanted to be known. He's a great king.
and a great spiritual leader, and he got neither. 'Cause he did it in his own strength. You know lying. Lying as as he is right now. It cannot kill the truth.
It only breaks the rhythm and takes away the peace. That's what it does. But the truth stays. Otherwise, there'd be no conviction, there'd be no guilt. And he says, Then I said, The Philistines will now come down to me at Gilgal.
Rather than take responsibility for his actions, instead of saying, Samuel, you know, you delayed, I blew it, I'm sorry, I was wrong. You're right. I was wrong. Instead of doing that, He blames Other people, three groups get the blame. One stroke, the people, Samuel and the Philistines, they're all guilty, but I'm innocent.
Because I am Saul. Say it with me. Yeah. Saul associates himself With the sin. that is going on around him.
Only by saying he came to the rescue with the sacrifice. That's the only association he's making with sin, that he is the cleanser. And I have not made suppli he says and I have not made supplication to Yahweh. Yea did, but in the negative, through disobedience. He made contact with the face of God.
But it was not the lifted countenance, it was the frown. And Likely, there were priests there, other priests there involved in the offering, but it was his command and it was not his place. to give that command. Um This is about he should have obeyed Samuel in this matter, and he did not. The prophet priest was the one he was to listen to.
Therefore I felt compelled and offered a burnt offering. Was Samuel understanding? Samuel says, oh, well, why don't you say so? Absolutely not. Samuel Well Not wait for this man to figure it out.
He's going to make a pronouncement on him, and it won't be the last one. It gets worse. Imagine going to church and you get hit because you know, by the sermon, or just the material of the verses. You get singled out again and again and again because you won't change. Not because of any other, no one to blame.
This is the case with Saul. Exodus thirty-two.
Now, when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron. and said to him, Come, make us gods, that we sh that shall go before us. Whereas This Moses The man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. We can't wait anymore. We've got to have gods.
We've got to have something to pray to. We have the invisible God. No, no, we need something we could touch. You're dictating to God. And we think He should look like this.
Have you ever seen him? No, but this is what he should look like. Don't you agree? Yep. And that's how the idolatry just kept going.
Verse 13: And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly. You've not kept the commandment of Yahweh your God. Which he commanded you, for now Yahweh would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. Would have been a dynasty. You were that close.
Samuel says, You've done foolishly. This is a tone that's not. Necessary. The words speak for themselves. You've done foolishly because it's God's word you broke.
How foolish is that? Do I need to use inflection? Do I need to really say, you idiot? I'll leave that for Pastor Rick to say, Saul. You kept not the commandment of God.
Let him have it, Samuel. Tell them like it is. We all know what it's like to not be able to wait. But we have to be careful. Remember, Abraham, he couldn't wait for a child.
So he went with Hagar. And he created an Ishmael. And Ishmael's hand was against every man, and every man was against Ishrael. Every man's hand was against Ishmael. Not a good kid.
In the end he seems to be tolerable, but How much trouble did he cause? Ruth chapter 3, verse 18. Then she said, This is that wise Naomi. Sit still, my daughter, said until you know how the matter will turn out, for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day. Our great Boaz is at work for us, our Lord Jesus.
I love the way it reads. I didn't see this when we went through Ruth, but Ruth was probably pacing. And Naomi says, Sit still, my daughter. You're annoying me. No, she doesn't say, but she says, sit still.
You know, just. Stand still. See, God is in this. Naomi knew it.
So after this rebuke, False stupidity. will intensify. And by the time we get to chapter fifteen, it just it's it's all over the place. How can this be? This godless rhythm Refusing God's peace and dictating to God the terms of peace.
Verse 14. But now your kingdom shall not continue. Yahweh has sought for himself a man after his own heart. And Yahweh has commanded him to be commander over his people because you have not kept. What Yahweh commanded you.
So this was pretty deep. None of this Saul could say, you know, we read it, we say, well, was Saul really guilty? Oh, he was over the top guilty. Samuel says, Now your kingdom will not continue. You blew it, you ruined it.
Yahweh has sought for himself a man after his own heart, in contrast to Saul, whose heart was after his own heart. Saul's heart was after Saul's heart. Nobody else's. It is therefore clear that Saul ceased being a man after God's heart. It's a devastating rebuke.
David wrote this in Psalm 40: I waited patiently for Yahweh. And he inclined to me and heard my cry, He also brought me up. out of the horrible pit and the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth. Praise to our God.
Many will see it and fear And will trust in Yahweh. Blessed is the man who makes Yahweh his trust and does not respect the proud. nor such as turn aside to lies. Saul would never live that, think it Approve it. Want it.
In fact, the man that wrote it, Saul would end up hating. hating to death. And what is it about God's heart? The Lord has sought for himself a man after his own heart. What is it about God's heart?
It is love, the heart of love. David loved God. David knew God loved him. David also wrote about times when God would seem so far off. He would weep night and day.
This just went on and on and on, and God would not answer, but God was shaping David. For what? To be the David we know? Who has not been blessed as a believer by the Shepherd's Psalm? And so, with as much intensity as a man can love God, David did.
1 Chronicles 29:2.
Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might.
So David says to Solomon, Here, here's the blueprints, and here's the money. You build this. I won't be here to see it. But you build it. What an opportunity.
And There are those that come across these words. And they have a Jesus Christ that is obscured by their personal. Preferences as opposed to just simply receiving the revelation of Jesus Christ. You receive Christ for who He is, you have a heart after God. You start objecting, hemming and hawing, kicking up the dirt.
Looking for ways to get away from God? I know, you know, when I was a boy, I sure loved the Lord. I loved God so much. Those teen years got me, man. If it wasn't for the mercy of God, it wasn't for the mercy of God.
He says here, the Lord has commanded him to be a commander over his people. Samuel speaks of David's appointment in the present tense. It's as though it's already happened. Yahweh has commanded him to be commander over speaker. David, he's out, you know, playing, you know, I don't know, space invader.
Mario, whatever. I know. I don't know what the games are. I remember those. But anyway.
Pac-Man was kind of fun, actually, for like the first five minutes. Then it was like, somebody gonna throw a ball? Anyway. Yeah. So David's out with the sheep, killing bears and lions.
Messing with his sheep. He doesn't even know this is happening. It's the same with us. We don't know what's going to happen. We just want to be there to catch the ball if God should throw it in our direction.
Verse 15. Then Samuel arose. Oh, pause there a minute. I just had a terrifying thought. At the rate we're going, will the next generation even know what a ball is?
I mean, I've never seen one except on the screen. I'm not criticizing you, I'm exploring it with you. I am. 'Cause I I know. All right, I I know, the generation before me thought that we were wacky.
Well, actually, they didn't. We were actually pretty cool in the 60s. We were just. Man. Anyway.
Verse fifteen. Then Samuel arose and went from Gilgal to Gibeah. of Benjamin, and Saul numbered the people present with him. about six hundred men. You see Saul Samuel arose and went up.
From Gilgal, leaving Saul behind. I think, you know, in my spot solved, Samuel, do you have to go? Can you stay another day? Remember, you know, d Moses with Jethro? Not with Saul.
Saul's glad to get rid of him. Oof, man, I don't have to be under that guy's eye anymore. The cat's away, I could play. The flesh. He shrugs his shoulders.
ponders his possessions and just picks up where he left off with whatever he has. He is now preparing to go forward with battle, but he only has 600 men now, it says here at the bottom of verse 13, because the other. 1400 deserted him. They'll be back in chapter 14, but that will mention it. Verse 16, now.
Saul and Jonathan his son. Saul, Jonathan, his son, And the people Present with them remained in Gibeah of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Micmash.
Well, Micmash is where Saul was, and they came there looking for Saul. Battle is on. And again, there have been many.
Sons of fools. who proved themselves Heroic. And it's up to the individual. Then the raiders, verse 17, came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned on to the road to Orpah.
to the land of Shual. Verse 18. Another company turned, you know, once you read those hard Jewish words. It makes even the English hard after because your tongue is just all over on one side of your head.
So so The raiders came out verse seventeen of the camp of the Philistines and Well, I read that. I'm not reading those Jewish words again. Another company, verse 18, turned to the road to Beth-Horon. And another company turned on the road of the border that overlooks the valley. of the bohemian toward the wilderness.
So the raiders or the Destroyers, they're on these raiding parties, they're dispatched. To harass and destroy whatever they could. And they were quite terrifying. Verse 19.
Well, pause. Satan does this, he still sends out his three companies, his raiders. To ruin and to destroy and to harass. He still does this. You ever have a good day, and all of a sudden, you know, the shadow of something bad comes up to just steal it.
That's those raiders. Verse 19.
Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, lest the Hebrews make swords or spears. This is a parentheses given to us, and a parentheses means it's something important, not unimportant. You see, a parentheses, when you're reading a book, you're tempted to say, parentheses. No, it's actually telling you something. This is an important part of the story.
Well, the Jews, not uncommon in the ancient world, you know, it's said that the Japanese. They would not, in the 18th century or so, allow the Okinawans to have anything metal. They had like a town knife. that was, you know, tied on and guarded in in the villages.
So it's not a new thing to it to sort of uh A disarmament. of the people. They would not allow them to develop any military technology. To weaponize, verse 20, but all Israel would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man's plowshare, his maddocks, axe, sickle. and the charge of the sharpening was a PIM.
for the plowshares The mattocks, the forks, the axes. and to set points of the goads.
So the blacksmiths were all on in Philistine territory. The the amount was it's said to be expensive. They would impoverish them. I don't have that kind of money.
Well, Keep you off balance, won't it? The Philistines were pretty Cream. Almost done. Verse 22.
So it came about on the day of the battle that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.
So the only people with swords mentioned here. Saul and Jonathan, they had swords. But everybody else makes shift weapons. Verse twenty three and the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Mi'kmash. This is all going to change.
Again, because of the heroic son Jonathan, who is just a great Bible character, a great man, and a man of God. And we'll get this in chapter 14. Where he's Sort of like, you know, something's gotta give. I'm gonna go pick a fight with these boys. And if God is with us, and we uh we're going to do this.
If God is not with us, then it won't happen. Uh Um Thanks for joining us for today's edition of Cross-Reference Radio. This is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville, in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Rick is in the book of 1 Samuel. If you'd like to listen again to this or other messages or share it with someone you know, please visit crossreference radio.com.
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