Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20020303.htm

1 AND 2 SAMUEL: GOD'S SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS IN OVERSIGHT
Part XVIII: The Need For Leaders DAILY To Study Scripture For Their OWN Blessing
(1 Samuel 15:1-35)
  1. Introduction
    1. Though we know from our last lesson in 1 Samuel 14 that an overseer must faithfully study Scripture for the welfare of his subordinates, is such a Bible study necessary for his own welfare? How so?
    2. These questions are answered in depth in 1 Samuel 15:1-35 in light of Deuteronomy 17:18-20:
  2. The Need For Leaders DAILY To Study Scripture For Their OWN Blessing, 1 Samuel 15:1-35.
    1. Deuteronomy 17:18-20 teaches Israel's king was to study Scripture daily so he thus not fail to respect and hence obey GOD, and thereupon have his reign prolonged!
    2. However, Saul failed faithfully to read Scripture as is evidenced by failing to be humble so as to respect and hence obey God in his reign, and that cost Saul his oversight position as king, 1 Samuel 15:1-35:
      1. God ordered Saul through Samuel to destroy the Amalekites utterly for their mistreatment of Israel in the wilderness caused by their lack of respect for Israel's God, 1 Sam, 15:1-3 with Deut. 25:17-19.
      2. Now, had Saul daily READ Scripture as required of him in Deut. 17:18-20, he would have known Deut. 25:18 taught the Amalekites attacked Israel's stragglers out of disrespect for GOD. That would have impressed Saul to respect God himself and obey His call UTTERLY to destroy the Amalekites!
      3. However, Saul failed to study Scripture on a daily basis to the undoing of his own office as king as is evidenced in how he responded to God's directive to destroy the Amalekites, 1 Samuel 15:1-9!
        1. Saul tried be just in asking the descendants of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenites, to leave the Amalekites lest he unjustly destroy them, 1 Sam. 15:4-5, 6 in view of Jud. 1:16; Num. 10:29-32.
        2. This fairness was in response to Saul's knowing the Kenites had helped Israel in the wilderness, so he sought to protect them Kenites from the guilty Amalekites, 1 Samuel 15:2 with 15:6.
        3. However, Saul showed his knowledge of the wilderness events was PARTIAL in failing totally to destroy the Amalekites: (a) In fighting the Amalekites, Saul did not obey God's command to destroy utterly the Amalekites, but spared Agag, the Amalekite king and the best of the animals, 15:7-9. (b) From God's call for Israel's king faithfully to read Scripture so he himself would respect and obey God (Deut. 17:18-19), we see Saul had not faithfully read so as to have known Deut. 25:18c or he would have seen his own need to respect God and destroy the Amalekites unlike what their disrespect for God had led them to do long before to Israel's stragglers! (c) Thus, Saul followed his lusts to save the best of the Amalekite booty above respecting God so as to obey Him!
      4. Hence, God through Samuel announced His judgment on Saul's reign akin to that of the Amalekites, saying He would remove Saul from being king as He had removed the Amalekites from this life:
        1. God informed Samuel about Saul's disobedience (15:10-11), so Samuel confronted Saul, 15:12-14.
        2. Saul replied the people pressured him to save the animals for a good cause of sacrificing to Samuel's God, and thus sought to placate Samuel via disrespectful manipulation, 1 Samuel 15:15.
        3. Samuel proceeded to reveal Saul's failure: (a) Samuel revealed by Saul's being big in his own eyes (opposite what Saul would have done had he read Scripture daily, cf. Deut. 17:18-20), Saul failed to respect and obey God above heeding his lust for spoil, 1 Sam. 15:16-19. (b) Saul thus failed to take responsibility for his sin, but even tried to placate Samuel as though Saul was relating only to Samuel and was not accountable to God, 1 Sam. 15:20-21. (c) Thus, Samuel had to announce God's removal of Saul as king, for his stubborn disobedience was as the sin of witchcraft and idolatry, 1 Samuel 15:22-23. (d) Saul still tried to gloss over his sin to look politically good to the people, revealing his continued sense of a lack of accountability to God, 15:24-31. (e) Samuel killed Agag as God willed, and permanently withdrew fellowship from Saul, 1 Samuel 15:32-35.
Lesson: By not faithfully reading Scripture, Saul ceased to respect God to the point that he began to rule according to his own lusts and political agenda, and that cost him God's blessing in his reign!

Application: Not only do one's SUBORDINATES need the overseer faithfully to study God's Word -- it is IMPERATIVE that he faithfully study Scripture for his OWN needs of God's insight and blessing!