The beginning of Saul’s reign as king over Israel brought great promise. He was a fierce warrior, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, was moved to defeat the Ammonite army. However, Saul’s foolish choice revealed that he was not the king the people needed. We see Samuel’s warnings come true: an earthly king could never fulfill the role of the eternal God.
What did Saul’s disobedience reveal about his view of God? How do we see the need for Jesus in this passage?
Saul’s willingness to defend the people of Jabesh and secure a victory over the Ammonites only served to encourage the people’s hope in him as their king. All the people went to Gilgal, where they made Saul their king.
After Saul’s victory over the Ammonites, Samuel gathered the people of Israel together for a final public speech. Samuel acknowledged the callousness of the people’s hearts after the threats of Nahash, going so far as to call their actions evil in the sight of God (1 Samuel 12:17). Samuel reminded the people to continue walking in obedience if they wanted God’s protection over them. However, Samuel also added the warning that if they disobeyed God or turned away from God, both they and their new king would be swept away.
A wise proverb reminds us, “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18), and Saul’s pride led him to a foolish choice. Saul sinned against God by offering a burnt sacrifice on his own accord, rather than waiting for Samuel to perform this duty as priest. Saul did not honor God as holy and ultimately revealed that his heart was not after the things of the Lord but his own selfish desires as king.
Samuel condemned Saul for his foolishness and spoke of the king who would replace him—one who would be a man after God’s own heart. Though in the short term, we see this prophetic word fulfilled through King David, its ultimate fulfillment would come through his lineage to bring us King Jesus.
Lead kids to see that only Jesus has ever been able to perfectly obey God and change the hearts of His people. By placing faith in Him as Savior and Lord, we can receive the gift of salvation that leads us to desire the things of the Lord instead of our own selfish gain. Jesus is the perfect King our hearts were made to worship.
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