The Heart-for-God Series: 1 Samuel 13:1-15

WHAT HAVING A HEART FOR GOD…IS NOT

 

A good principle of life is to accentuate the positive in any given situation. We don’t want to dwell on the negatives; it’s bad for our mental health. There are times though, when we need to acknowledge the negative examples and learn from them.

            Teaching from the negative. We ourselves never want to be the negative example but given our fallen natures it does happen. 

            Following Jesus is not easy. You are faced with dilemmas and ethical issues that require a choice: What would a person who has a heart for God do in this situation? Have you ever messed up in that choice? Of course you have. We all do. Whether it is our own negative example or another Christian’s failing, we need to learn from the negative. 

            Learning from the negative requires a few things:

Humility – a recognition that we are fallen and that we all make mistakes (i.e. we sin).

Grace – we always have forgiveness through Christ for our failings. It is also Christ’s work of forgiveness in our lives that impacts our view of others. With the grace that has been extended to us, we extend grace to others. 

Reflection – It is easy to dissect the negative example, a Christian who fails morally or otherwise, but rather than pick their choices apart, we need to reflect and learn from what we have witnessed. Why did they act the way they did? What would have been a better way to act? What would keep you from acting the same way? 

            Today we want to examine the negative example of King Saul in 1 Samuel 13. Saul failed to live up to the expectations of a king, Yahweh’s representative before the people. As I studied this narrative, my eyes were drawn to the phrase, “The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart.” And my question was, what does it mean it have a heart for God? Or in this case, what does it not mean? 

What a Heart for God is NOT:

 

You know that Israel wanted a human king. The divine intention was that God was to be king of Israel and Samuel was his representative. But Samuel was getting old, and his sons were too corrupt to take over. With their enemies pressing in, the people wanted a king “like all the nations,” (8:5b). 

            Yahweh said to Samuel, give them a king but warn them that they won’t like it. A human king is going to draft their young men for war, he’s going to take their daughters as servants, he’s going to tax their crops, and he’s basically going to make slaves out of you all. But the people replied, “We want a king to fight our battles,” (8:19-20). 

            The LORD sends a young man to Samuel as a candidate for the throne. Read how he is described in 1 Sam. 9:1-2. One writer described Saul as “the Goliath of the Israelites,” a slight exaggeration. But he was tall, handsome, and physically stood out. From all appearances, Saul was the perfect man for the job. 

            I often wonder if the LORD didn’t set Saul up for failure. God gives Israel a king who looks like a king but is really just a mouse with a squeak. When the tribes of Israel gather to choose a king, Saul’s tribe is chosen, but he’s nowhere to be found. He’s actually hiding in the baggage (10:21-22). God teaches them a lesson from the negative.

            Saul’s reign starts out okay, but his heart is revealed by circumstances and challenges. We soon see in 1 Samuel that Saul does not have a heart for God. I will give four examples of what a heart for God is not.

 

Impatient – A person with a heart for God is not impatient. When Samuel anointed Saul as king over Israel, he gave him signs and instructions. One specific instruction he gave Saul was that he should wait at Gilgal seven days for Samuel to come and sacrifice offerings (10:8). 

            We read in our text (13:8-10) that Saul waited the seven days, but Samuel was slow in coming. If you read carefully, Saul waited 6 ½ days and then got antsy. His impatience overcame him, and he decided to offer burnt offerings himself, something that he was not authorized to do. Then Samuel shows up…

            Impatience grabs us all the time. An Isos survey of 1003 adults found that when we are waiting in line at a store, it takes only 17 minutes for us to lose our patience. On the phone, nine minutes. Women have more patience than men; they have an extra three minutes of grace. 

            I discovered that after waiting in an airport for two hours or more, I have very little patience when boarding an airplane and the guy in front has to dig around in his bag endlessly before finally stuffing it in the overhead bin. 

            What Saul demonstrates is typical of our own experience. We grow impatient with the LORD waiting for him to act. We pray and ask for his response, then expect immediate action. Samuel said to wait 7 days; it must have seemed like an eternity to Saul. We get that. The enemy was closing in, his people were getting scared and deserting him, the crisis was mounting. Sound familiar? We are not comfortable with waiting but want to act and fix our problem. Conversely, the prophet says, “They that wait upon the LORD will renew their strength,” (Is. 40:31a). 

 

Deflecting – A person with a heart for God does not deflect. Do you know what I mean? The act of blaming another person for your own mistakes or shortcomings rather than accepting the blame or criticism yourself is called deflection. Deflection is often used in an attempt to preserve one’s own self-image. It’s a coping mechanism we use to avoid or deny wrong-doing or unpleasant thoughts or feelings. 

            Consider Saul’s response to Samuel’s question: “Samuel said, ‘What have you done?’ And Saul said, ‘When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So, I forced myself and offered the burnt offering,’” (13:11-12).

            That question, “What have you done?” in that tone tells you, you have done something wrong. Admit it. Own it. Does Saul? No! He deflects. Saul blames everyone else including God:

·      The people were scattering from me

·      You (Samuel) did not come within the days appointed

·      The Philistines had mustered

·      I forced myself and offered the burnt offering (read: God made me do it)

To be clear, you are never forced to do the wrong thing. You may be tempted, and the temptation may be strong, but you are never forced to sin. You choose to sin. Saul thought he could seek the LORD’s favor through an act of disobedience. You cannot please God by disobeying his word. We need to remember this: It’s not the will of God if it goes against the Word of God (Jesus is the Word). 

            The correct answer to Samuel’s “What have you done?” is “I have sinned.” Saul could have confessed his anxiety and poor decision-making, but instead chooses to blame the people, Samuel, the Philistines, and God. 

            A person with a heart for God does not deflect. We will see later that David sinned, and when he sinned, he owned it. 

 

Fake Spirituality – In moments of self-reflection, have you ever wondered if you were sincere in your faith? What is the assurance that you are growing spiritually in your walk with the LORD? 

            In another episode of Saul’s reign, he is told to attack Amalek (15:3 note the specific instructions). Saul gathers his army and goes to war on Amalek. This is supposed to be “total war,” a complete destruction of the people and all their goods. Saul has other ideas though (read 15:9; Saul keeps the quality stuff and burns the rest). Then he has the gall to say to Samuel, “Blessed be you to the LORD, I have performed the commandment of the LORD,” (15:13). 

            What? You did not! A person with a heart for God lives and behaves in the knowledge that God is always present. Saul thought he could claim complete faithfulness in his duties even though he clearly went only halfway. God knew it. Samuel knew it (bleating sheep). Saul tried to fake it.

            What is the sign of a sincere faith? Obedience. Samuel tells Saul, “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 listen than the fat of rams…” (15:22). Feelings are deceptive; we may feel poorly in our spiritual journey at times, but it is not your spiritual highs or lows that indicate faithfulness, but your obedience. Disobedience is a heart problem; Saul placed himself as the authority over God’s word instead of making God’s word his authority. 

            You can’t fake it till you make it with God. He sees the heart. 

 

People-pleasing – The final nail in the coffin…Remember when Saul was confronted earlier, and he blamed everyone for his faux pas? We may learn from our missed opportunities to own our sin; Saul did not. 

             Saul starts out okay, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words…”but reverts to deflection, “because I feared the people and obeyed their voice,” (15:24). 

            The people-pleaser needs to please others for reasons that may include insecurities (re: hiding in baggage; inadequacies), fear of rejection (re: 13:8,11 when the people scattered), or the need to be well-liked. In this situation, Saul felt the pressure of his soldiers to keep some of the plunder. Soldiers were poorly paid and would enrich themselves on the spoils of war. There was likely some pressure on Saul to allow the men to keep the livestock and treasures they found. The LORD, however, had specifically told them not to keep the plunder, which probably included idols and items offered to idols, to keep them from pagan influences. 

            The challenge we face is similar. Do we compromise our faith values and obedience to God for what is popular? Are we trying to please people over and above pleasing God? There is a temptation to make the Christian faith more attractive by loosening our grip on moral issues. A spectrum exists where we react to legalistic rulemaking by becoming too permissive. Where is the balance? Who are we trying to please? 

 

We have seen what it does not mean to have a heart for God. Turning these negatives upside down, the heart for God is easily discernible. Having a heart for God involves:

·      Patience – a willingness to wait upon God and God’s timing for rescue, deliverance, or resolution.

·      Honesty – a transparency before God knowing that he sees all and knows all about you. All he asks is that you look at yourself honestly.

·      Sincerity – a genuine spirituality that recognizes that life is messy and full of hard decisions. In this you seek to be obedient to God’s will.

·      God-centered – a desire to put God first, even when or especially when people want you to go another way. 

Saul never seemed to grasp what it meant to have a heart for God. This was demonstrated in his failures and sins. And this is why God took the kingdom from him and gave it to someone who was called “a man after God’s own heart.” 

            A person with a heart for God is someone whose life is in harmony with God’s, whose life is sensitive to the things of God versus the things of this world. 

            If you struggle to wrap your head around this when thinking of your own heart, if you feel like you weren’t born with this innate desire, don’t worry. None of us were born with this propensity to please God. It is only through Christ and his transforming Spirit at work within us that we grow a heart for God. 

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,

Titus 3:4-6

 

                                                            AMEN