A Foolish Heart
1 Samuel 13:1-23
Turn to 1 Samuel 13. If you have read our passage this week, and I trust that you do read our passage before each Sunday. I have been sending out an overview of the passage for the past few weeks. Good if you can take a few moments and read the passage and consider some of the questions I have asked. And I asked you this week to consider our title A Foolish Heart, and consider the human tendencies of Saul that challenged him in his decision-making, and how may these be a struggle for us today and what was the consequence of his actions? And I think that as we read 1 Samuel 13 we realize that times have not changed, and how God’s Word is just as relevant today as it was when it was written during the time of these people. In other words, our issues and weaknesses never really change. The story begins with a positive slant as it speaks about the reign of Saul about his attack on a Philistine garrison. Positive that is until the Philistines heard about what had happened and got angry.
You know those times in life when you sort of pick on someone until they get mad. And they might say, okay, now you’ve done it! I remember when the boys were young and believed everything I told them. And we would be watching say a Blackhawk game and maybe down one or two goals and the other team would score again and the boys would say, oh no Dad! And I would say, don’t worry the other team made us mad, and they shouldn’t have done it. They are going to pay for this. Well, in most cases we ended up losing anyway, but it was fun to just think that we got mad.
Well, that is all fine when it is about sports or something fun we are doing, but when it is about making an enemy angry it may have some grave consequences. So, when the Philistines mount a massive army the people of Israel become fearful, in fact, some even flee. And this is the setting we find Saul and his crew this morning. And what this chapter does is let us in on times when we are tempted to disobey God. Times in our lives when we make decisions and move in a direction as if God does not exist. And it does not mean that we quit going to church. Or it doesn’t mean that we would ever admit unbelief, for we can do many of the same things on the outside, yet inwardly we can be indifferent toward God.
And there is a basis for such action. Psalm 14:1, “The fool says in his heart, there is no God.” Now this can be hard to see as many in our world could not be described as fools in many ways. For some of the most brilliant minds in the world do not believe in God. Some very intelligent men and women over the centuries have argued against a God, as there are millions of people much “smarter” than I am, who do not believe in the existence of God. Are they fools? But the verse in Psalm 14 actually says something different. The fool says in his heart there is no God. For brilliant intellectuals might say in their minds there is no God, but this is talking about the heart. The fool says in his heart there is no God. John Woodhouse submits that this would now include many more people. For we are now including those who might believe in God in their minds, but not necessarily in their hearts. Woodhouse wrote:
“The issue is the acknowledgment of God not just in my understanding, but in my consciousness, in my desires, in my anxieties, in my ups and in my downs, in my inmost thoughts—and therefore in my character and in the things I say and do.”
John Woodhouse: 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader 227
This is what the psalmist is speaking of. This kind of fool. The one who says in his heart there is no God. He is the fool. Now this is still may be hard to figure out. Because we all know people who work hard, love their families, they save wisely. And basically, make good decisions about matters in life. In fact, we might ask for their advice on certain matters. Yet they have no thought of God or worshipping Him. Are they fools? And then we might know someone who claims to be a believer, who makes terrible financial decisions, their family situation is not good. And we may not ever think of asking them for their opinion on things. Wouldn’t it make sense to think them a fool more than the first guy who didn’t believe? Well, thus far in our story we have seen a reluctant leader called to be king. But then last week we saw Saul take charge and do what he was called to do. So, look at (vs 1) with me:
“Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty-two years over Israel.”
1 Sam 13:1 (LSB)
Now some of you are reading (vs 1) as Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel. There is some mystery about what was actually written here. Later Jewish copies read that Saul was thirty when he became king and reigned forty-two years. We actually do not know for sure. We do know a few things for certain. Saul was not age one when he became king, and he did reign for more than two years. We have already been reading about Saul’s life before his kingship, so he could not have been one year old. And we read in Acts 13:21 that Saul reigned over Israel for forty years. So, it is certain that this was a long reign.
So, it is good to be reminded again of the longevity of these periods. For we need to realize when we read these stories that not everything is happening in a few months or even over a few years. That we are not reading about a strong Saul and a weak Saul in a short time. But these are weaknesses in Saul’s reign over a course of many years. Is also good to set straight exactly what Samuel had instructed Saul to do. Though he had defeated the Ammonite threat last week, Samuel had specifically told him to defeat the Philistines. Just before Saul was anointed, the Bible tells us this:
“About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be ruler over My people Israel; and he will save My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have regarded My people because their cry has come to Me.”
1 Sam 9:16 (LSB)
So, this was to be Saul’s priority as king, that of delivering Israel from the Philistines. And the other direct command that Samuel had given to Saul is found in 1 Sam 10:8:
“And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and make you know what you should do.”
1 Sam 10:8 (LSB)
That’s clear. Hard to get those instructions mixed up. One, defeat the Philistines; and two, wait seven days for Samuel to come. So, (vs 2):
“And Saul chose for himself 3,000 men of Israel, of which 2,000 were with Saul in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while 1,000 were with Jonathan at Gibeah of Benjamin. But he sent away the rest of the people, each to his tent.”
1 Sam 13:2 (LSB)
This would seem that the first thing that Samuel had instructed Saul had been accomplished, or at least the first immediate threat from the Philistines (vs 3):
“And Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout the land, saying, ‘Let the Hebrews hear.’ Then all Israel heard the news that Saul had struck the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become odious to the Philistines. The people were then summoned to Saul at Gilgal.”
1 Sam 13:3-4 (LSB)
So, we have the victory and Saul is in Gilgal, where he is to wait for seven days for Samuel to come, that was the instruction. You got it? Like we may have said to our kids at one time, hear is what you are to do. A time when my Mom would have put her hands on my face and said, listen! I got it, Mom! Our boys used to come home for lunch every day when they were in elementary school. So, on a rare occasion one day Anne sent them with their lunch, as Anne and I were away somewhere that day. Well, our third oldest Aaron didn’t remember the instruction and joyfully came home for lunch, only to find no one home and the house locked. And he was standing by the front door looking in the window, poor little Aarie! Well, fortunately, Mrs. Gleeson who lived just around the corner saw him and had him over for lunch. And of course, we laughed when they all came home after school and asked them how they enjoyed their lunch at school, only to find out that Aaron had lunch at Mrs. Gleeson’s house.
So, Samuel had given Saul clear instructions. Now this is where we read that some of the people of Israel had fled. But to Saul’s credit, he was in Gilgal. So far, so good. Now when you consider the fear of the people and the size of the Philistine army, we could feel a little sorry for Saul here as he is in charge with likely no idea of what to do. So, with some men with him, but many had left. We read (vs 8):
“So he waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him.”
1 Sam 13:8 (LSB)
Okay the time had arrived. Anybody seen Samuel yet? You’ve been there. The time is set and you are waiting. Supper is ready. So should we start without them? Heading off to a special event and one of the parties has not arrived, What should we do? Should we leave without them? Now you might think that Samuel could have come a few days earlier just to be on the safe side. Maybe something has held him up? And to make it worse, some of the people were deserting from Saul and the Philistine attack was mounting. Anybody see Samuel? Oh no, you’re not leaving too? Samuel? Where are you? Okay, let’s get this done (vs 9):
“So Saul said, ‘Bring near to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.’ And he offered the burnt offering. And as soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. But Samuel said, ‘What have you done?’”
1 Sam 13:9-11a (LSB)
Remember what Samuel had said to Saul (10:8), “Behold, I [Samuel] will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings.” So, how would you have responded if you were Saul? (middle vs 11):
“And Saul said, ‘Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days [not told, but Samuel may have come late on day seven or even day eight], and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, therefore I said, “Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favor of Yahweh.” So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.’”
1 Sam 13:11b-12 (LSB)
I mean we can all sympathize with Saul here in this predicament. It says here in the Legacy Standard Bible, Saul said, so he forced himself. In other words, I didn’t want to Samuel, but as the New American Standard says, I worked up the courage Samuel. I saw my duty and I did it! Are you proud of me Samuel? We do not get any hint from Saul that he was saddened by Samuel’s arrival. Verse 10, when Samuel came, Saul went out to meet and greet him, probably somewhat excited to tell Samuel of what he did. What would be Samuel’s response? He has already said, what have you done? Yet surely once he gets an understanding of the situation, his “what have you done,” would not be so harsh. Certainly not like what the Lord said to Eve after she ate the fruit in Genesis 3, “what is this you have done?” Or to Cain after he had killed his brother, “what have you done?” Or to Achan when he had been greedy in Joshua 7, “declare to me now what you have done [Achan]?” Surely Samuel would understand the predicament Saul was in.
“And Samuel said to Saul, ‘You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of Yahweh your God, which He commanded you, for now Yahweh would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. Yahweh has sought out for Himself a man [David] after His own heart [a phrase we will look at in a few weeks when it is stated again], and Yahweh has appointed him as ruler over His people because you have not kept what Yahweh commanded you.”
1 Sam 13:13-14 (LSB)
Time out! Time for a pity party. Talk about unfairness! Hey Samuel, I didn’t want this job in the first place. I’ve acted foolish Samuel? I had no idea where you were and people were leaving me right and left. I wasn’t going to go into battle without first seeking God’s favour. How did I know you would show up in a few minutes? What else was I supposed to do? Here I thought I had been courageous and you call me foolish? Samuel’s condemnation to Saul is this, Saul, you did not keep the commandment of the Lord. I think we understand why he did not keep the Lord’s command, and we might even admit that we would struggle being in Saul’s shoes. So, let’s ask the question, what caused this in Saul? Why did he act foolishly? For there are certain tendencies here in the heart of Saul. Question – What human tendencies cause us to act foolishly?
- Our Struggle to Wait on the Lord
This is so specific to this story. And the fact that Saul could not wait illustrates our struggle in waiting. Moving ahead of God when he has not answered yet. Trusting in God when His answer is delayed is hard. See, if Samuel had come on day two or day four or even earlier on day seven Saul would have been fine, yet his disobedience came when he would not wait for the time that God had determined. Maybe you wish to be married and you have been praying for a spouse. You don’t want to act too soon and marry someone you shouldn’t, when God has asked you to wait. We are not all that good in waiting, as I am sure those seven days for Saul seemed like a lifetime for him as the pressure mounted. Yet some of those who are the most like Christ, are those who have learned to wait when God asks us to wait. In other words, if you are desperately praying for something and the Lord has not answered, it is pretty safe to say that God is saying “no” or “wait.” And when God says that He will act on day seven, we do not want to jump on day five. Or if He doesn’t ever tell us when, but expects us to wait until He does answer. Yes, it is a struggle to wait on the Lord. Secondly, what other human tendency causes us to act foolishly?
- Our Fear of Life’s Pressures
Sometimes because of our schedules, we can often act foolishly, as we can become so wrapped up in what we have to do, that we have no time or energy for God. We may feel the pressures of being a Mom or Dad, the struggle with a son or daughter. Or the pressure of a job position where decisions have to be made, or even the pressure of a ministry, that God gets pushed to the side. Craig is going to talk to us about finances in a few weeks. And it is so easy to push this blessing of giving aside because of the thought that I have other responsibilities. And they may not be selfish, it might be caring for your family or trying to pay something off. The pressures of finances can overwhelm us, and we worry of the future. That our thinking and being are just consumed by the matters of life, that we have no thought-time for God and therefore we act outside of His wisdom.
Folks, here is the lesson. Commitment to Christ for life. Following Christ for life, a high priority, and long-term. Young people, this is your challenge today. Not when you are five years older, or when all of you guys are married. And you are sitting here with your spouse whom you brought from all over the world to live here in Arkona and attend Elim Bible Chapel, that is your only option! Seriously young people, commitment to Christ today. Older Christian, this is your commitment today as well. Zeal and passion to follow Christ just as if He were here with us, just as if we walked with Him as the disciples did. And Moms and Dads with kids. When life is busy, passion for Jesus Christ today. It doesn’t mean that you are running all over the place, but in whatever ministry God has called you to, give it your all. Charles Spurgeon said:
Charles Spurgeon
Paul said it the best, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. So, the struggle to wait upon God and our fear of life’s pressures. What other human tendency causes us to act foolishly?
- Our Leaning on Human Wisdom
And this goes back to Psalm 14, the fool has said in his heart there is no God. This becomes a heart issue, where our hearts are unwilling to do what we know is right. And keeping the command of God can be such a difficult thing to do. In other words, it is not easy and it often goes against our human desires and wants. And the battle for obedience sometimes will come when we think that God’s way is not best or it simply will not work, that we have God’s ideal over here, but we have what we must do over here. Woodhouse comments on Saul’s predicament when faced with acting immediately or waiting on God:
“Because to obey God in those circumstances would have required him to trust God against every instinct, against every evidence, and against every aspect of his experience at the moment. The Philistines were coming in massive numbers, the Israelites were slipping away, and everyone was terrified!”
John Woodhouse, 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader 235
So, human intuition will often tell us one thing, while the wisdom of God will say something else. And that is the battle, that will daily go on in your heart and my heart. We may all believe the same thing in our heads, but it may not always translate into our hearts or our actions … leaning on human wisdom. Finally, I see in this story an action by Saul that can be common among us causing him to act foolishly. Notice what Saul says (vs 12):
“Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favor of Yahweh. So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.”
1 Sam 13:12 (LSB)
I wish to title this final tendency that causes us to act foolishly as:
- Our Desire to Gain Approval
Saul was under duress. He had been given the command of God to wait for Samuel and so he disobeys by forcing himself to do the offering. In other words, he has this legalistic view of obedience. Let’s get this done so that God will favour me, believing that legalistic law-keeping will bring approval from God. It would be like today preaching that obedience to the Law will save you, whereas the Bible teaches that salvation through law-keeping will actually condemn you. The Apostle Paul wrote (Gal 3:11) that no one is justified by the Law before God. Paul also wrote that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law (Gal 3:13), for the Law could only bring death to us. And if we are obeying the Law for salvation, we are still under the Law, and therefore, we are cursed. And we bring an affront to Christ for what He has done for us, as it is Christ who has accomplished the Law for us, and we could never repeat that accomplishment. But if we are people of faith, we have been freed from the Law through Christ. We are then free to be obedient to Christ and His commands. In other words, our motive for obedience is completely different, as the Apostle John wrote that:
“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”
1 John 5:3 (LSB)
This is the importance of our obedience from our heart, as this becomes our desire. So much so that the apostle could say that it is not burdensome. D. Edmond Hiebert wrote:
“Love-prompted obedience is not a crushing burden that exhausts the believer’s strength and destroys his sense of freedom in Christ. He finds that the new life in Christ makes obedience possible and has implanted in him a desire to do the will of God.”
- Edmond Hiebert
Listen, folks, if you know Jesus Christ this morning as your Lord and Saviour, you are accepted by God by faith through the death of His Son. Not by works, lest anyone should boast. That is your approval before God. That is the gospel that will never change! And your obedience is not under the Old Testament Law, but your obedience is to Jesus Christ. He is who we follow, Christ alone. And it is not a burden, but a joy because we love Him.
Our foolishness: our struggle to wait on God; our fear of life’s pressures; our leaning on human wisdom; and our desire to gain approval. What is the cost of this foolishness? Samuel told Saul the cost (vs 14), but now your kingdom shall not endure. See, Saul actually did what was humanly wise, what he thought he should do, and he lost the kingdom. Verse 13, God would have established your kingdom forever Saul, but you chose the human over the spiritual. This is a hard lesson, isn’t it? I didn’t choose it. It is in the text. This is the advantage of going through a book, expository preaching. This is what is before us this morning. And it is not presented as sort of a good, better, best scenario. No, it is presented as obedience versus disobedience. The fool has said in his heart there is no God.
Some of you may be familiar with Polycarp who was born about thirty-five years after the death of Christ. He lived at a time when Christians were being persecuted for their faith, He made two great quotes, one well-known, the other not as well known. In Smyrna, Christians were being burned at the stake and Polycarp was arrested for his faith at some age over eighty-six. As they brought him to the place of execution some cried out, save yourself! And even some of the officials tried to convince him to denounce his faith. He was brought into the stadium where the proconsul told him to just say, I swear by the divine power of Caesar. But Polycarp kept silent. So, the proconsul said to him again, this time, just curse Christ and I will let you go. To which Polycarp responded, “Eighty-six years I have served [Christ], and he never did me any wrong … How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” The proconsul persisted and threatened to send out wild animals if he did not recant his faith. To which Polycarp responded, “Call them in … for we are not allowed to change from something better to something worse.” “For we [the Christians] are not allowed to change from something better to something worse.”
What Saul chose from a human standpoint was wise and good, but spiritually, it was foolish. He was not willing to wait on the Lord, a cause of our foolishness. He was pressured by his responsibilities, causing foolish action. And he was leaning on human wisdom, which is foolishness to God. It is greatly important what we believe, but it must be a belief that directs our hearts. In other words, beliefs that direct your desires, your thoughts, and therefore, determines your actions and character.
Let’s pray. O Lord, would You give us this kind of heart, that is obedient even when the circumstances are hard. Our passage this week is not what we would describe as a horrendous sin. But it is the sin of a lack of faith, a lack of trust in You as God. Lord, You know every heart here this morning, for You know all that is inside of us. And You know that at certain times we may all struggle to fully trust You, whether we are young or old. So, would You forgive us and grow us. Might we learn to wait on You, that we might learn to make You the master passion of our soul, and might we lean on Your truth and not our own wisdom. That we might desperately desire Your will to live for Your heavenly kingdom. And may we live with the same determination as someone like Polycarp who said, how could I ever disappoint my King. For we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. May that be a heart verse, and not a head only verse. That we would shine for the glory of Christ. And all God’s people said, amen.