So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the LORD’s word. He even consulted a medium for guidance, but he did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse. 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 HCSB
Today’s title sounds pretty harsh doesn’t it? As a teenager, I can recall saying things like, “My dad would kill me if I did that.” I didn’t really believe he would kill me, it was an exaggeration. In the Bible, however, we see that disobedience can lead to death. Sadly, as our Scripture passage tells us, that’s exactly what happened to Israel’s first king, Saul.
God had anointed Saul as king over Israel. Saul just couldn’t follow the rules. In 1 Samuel chapter 10 verse 10 tells us that the Spirit of God took control of Saul. Again in 11:6 we are told that the Spirit of God took control of him. He was confirmed as king. In chapter 13, the prophet Samuel had set a certain time to meet Saul and his troops to offer a burnt offering to God. Samuel didn’t show up on time and the troops were fearful. Some began to desert Saul, so Saul offered the offering himself. This was his first failure. Samuel told him that he had disobeyed the LORD’s command and that his reign would not endure. This means that it would end with him and not be passed down to his son. This is strike one.
Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding, but to acknowledge him in all our ways and he will guide us on the right paths.
In chapter 14, Saul made a rash oath which almost cost his son’s life. In chapter 15, he was instructed by the LORD to completely destroy the Amalekites and everything they have (15:3). But in 15:8-9 Saul captured the king alive and spared the best of the animals. He said he did so in order to sacrifice to the Lord. Samuel pointed out to him that the LORD prefers obedience over burnt offerings and sacrifices. It is here that Saul is rejected as king.
In 1 Samuel 17, Saul allowed a giant named Goliath to blaspheme God for 40 days and made no effort to stop him. This is where young David comes in and slays this giant with a slingshot. The rest of Saul’s days were as though he had fallen into some type of mental illness. He loves David one minute and is plotting to kill him the next. He spent years hunting David down like an animal.
His sad life is summarized in our Scripture passage for today. Saul had been anointed king over Israel by the LORD. But he had repeatedly disobeyed the LORD. He had done things his way. His disobedience eventually led to his tragic death where he took his own life to avoid being tormented by the Philistines.
Saul isn’t the only person whose disobedience led to death. Adam and Eve were the first case of disobedience in the Bible. In Genesis 2:16 God told Adam they could eat from any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day they eat from it they will surely die. God was referring to a spiritual death or a separation from God. They were cast out of the garden. They were cursed. No good came from their disobedience.
Samson was a man of great strength. In Judges 13, the Angel of the LORD appeared to Samson’s mother and told her that she would conceive and give birth to Samson. She was told he would be a Nazirite to God from birth. God gave Samson incredible strength as he was to save Israel from the Philistines. But Samson was disobedient. God took his strength away and allowed him to be captured and tormented by the Philistines. Samson cried out to God and God gave him his strength in order that he may destroy the Philistines during which he took his own life. A tragic ending for someone set aside by God. Just as Saul had been God’s anointed king but had a very similar tragic ending.
No good comes from our disobedience. It will eventually lead to our spiritual death or our separation from God. People often try to justify disobedience, but the bottom line is God will never honor it. We should live our lives in obedience to Him. We should trust in Him and obey His commands. It’s for our own good. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way.
Have a great day!