Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20020224.htm

1 AND 2 SAMUEL: GOD'S SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS IN OVERSIGHT
Part XVII: The Need For Leaders DAILY To Study Scripture For Their Subordinates' Needs
(1 Samuel 14:24-52 with Deuteronomy 17:18-20)
  1. Introduction
    1. When God puts a party into an oversight role, is it important that he faithfully study Scripture? Why?
    2. 1 Samuel 14:24-52 in light of Deuteronomy 17:18-20 reveals WHY such overseers must study Scripture faithfully for the welfare of their subordinates as follows:
  2. The Need for Leaders DAILY To Study Scripture For Their Subordinates' Needs, 1 Sam. 14:24-52.
    1. Deuteronomy 17:18-20 reveals Israel's king was daily to study Scripture so he would respect so as to heed God, and thus not place his own interests above those of his subordinates to their loss of blessing.
    2. However, Saul consistently put his own agenda above his subordinates to the point that it jeopardized Israel's being blessed of God, and thus revealed he was not faithfully studying Scripture (as follows):
      1. In the battle where Jonathan and his armor bearer were used of God to begin to defeat the Philistines (1 Samuel 14:1-23), Saul had put a curse on any Hebrew who ate food before evening to motivate them to pursue the Philistines so he could personally avenge himself of his enemies, 1 Samuel 14:24b,c.
      2. However, this self-centered pledge only hampered his men from having the strength to pursue the Philistines and end the war by completely routing these enemies of God, 1 Samuel 14:24a.
      3. Well, Jonathan and his armor bearer had attacked the Philistines when Saul made the oath, so they unwittingly ate some honey in the woods for strength to continue their efforts, 1 Samuel 14:25-27.
      4. When told he had violated his father's oath, Jonathan claimed his father had only troubled Israel in not allowing Israel's soldiers to be refreshed by eating so they could route their foes, 14:28-30.
      5. The truth of Jonathan's words is seen in how Saul's curse led Israel to miss even long-term blessing:
        1. The people were so faint in heeding Saul's vow that when they captured the Philistine animals, they hurriedly killed and ate them in their blood opposite Lev. 17:10, cf. 1 Sam. 14:31-32.
        2. As news of this sin reached Saul, he had to arrange for an orderly feast and build an altar in an effort to appease God's anger, 1 Sam. 14:33-35.
        3. However, Saul failed to see his own guilt in the crisis, and so sought to continue his attack on the Philistines to meet his own goal of vengeance, 1 Samuel 14:36a,b.
        4. His waywardness led Saul nearly to kill his own son, Jonathan, 1 Sam. 14:36c-44: (a) Before attacking the Philistines again, Saul sought God's leadership in consulting the priest, 14:36c. (a) When God did not answer him due to Saul's failing to confess his sin of performing the burnt sacrifice in Samuel's place back in 1 Samuel 13:8-14, Saul assumed someone else was guilty and so sought God's help in defining the guilty, 14:37-39. (b) When it was proved by lot that Jonathan was in a more minor transgression for unwittingly partaking of the honey in violation of Saul's oath, Saul planned to execute him, 1 Samuel 14:40-44. (c) However, though Jonathan was guilty of a relatively minor infraction due to ignorance of Saul's oath, he was not guilty of a capital offense; hence, Saul's men countered Saul's leadership to address his own son's need for justice and be allowed to live, 1 Samuel 14:45.
        5. This near-execution event of Jonathan effectively ended Saul's influence to lead the people to attack the Philistines that day, curtailing Israel's blessing, 14:46.
        6. Thereupon, Saul continued his effort to try avenging himself of his enemies, creating an ongoing oppressive situation for Israel (as follows), 1 Samuel 14:46-52: (a) Saul proceeded to fight against all sorts of Gentile nations around him, 1 Samuel 14:46-47. (b) This produced some deliverance, particularly from the afflicting Amalekites, 1 Samuel 14:48. (c) Yet, Saul's influence continually promoted war as he kept conscripting more men to fight, oppressing Israel, 1 Samuel 14:49-52.
Lesson: By not faithfully readying Scripture, Saul consistently promoted his own goals above Israel's needs, thereby afflicting the nation Israel by influencing them to sin and miss God's fuller blessings.

Application: (1) The best thing an overseer can do for his subordinates is HIMSELF faithfully to be in God's Word; only then will he do what is in the best interests of his subordinates with God's blessing. (2) Also, the BEST a subordinate can do for his overseer(s) is to encourage him to be in God's Word!