OBEDIENTLY FOLLOW THE UPRIGHT EXAMPLE - SAMUEL AND SAUL

Pr. James Victor Lubwama

The failure of the ministry of the sons of Eli – blaspheming God, led to the rise of Samuel. God looked out for someone to use and serve Him, and He chose to raise Samuel. This goes a long way to show that whenever you fail to do what God expects of you, you pave way for someone else to be uplifted in your position. The Bible says in 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NLT) that;  

“The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

When Eli became of age, he appointed his sons to perform priestly duties in the house of God. It would have been wise for Eli to first go back and consult with the Lord but I do not think he did this. It is important to note that in the kingdom of God, it takes divine appointment for one to start ministering. You need to wait for God to give you direction because it is God who appoints someone for ministry not your wisdom or instincts.

When God decided that Samuel was going to become a prophet, He spoke about the death of Eli and his sons; who died on the same day, and by the time of their death, Samuel had already started getting spiritual insight and after their passing he ruled over Israel (1 Sam 4:12-22). 

      

Deal With Generational Recurrences  

Both Eli and Samuel had the same problem – unruly and disobedient children who regardless of upright examples set by their fathers of living a righteous life and being faithful, they deliberately chose to go the opposite direction (1 Samuel 2). Though Eli and Samuel lived their entire lives dedicated to serving God, their sons did not.

Eli's two sons, Phinehas and Hophni, were priests who committed evil deeds of greed and immorality. They had no fears about committing these deeds in the tabernacle, the house of worship. One could not accuse them of hypocrisy as they made no attempt to cover up their lifestyle and Eli did not restrain them at all. 1 Samuel 3:12-14 (ESV) says;

”On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

On the other hand, Samuel’s sons - Joel and Abijah were appointed judges, but when he grew old, his sons turned aside and began accepting bribes to pervert the course of justice. 1 Samuel 8:1-3 (NIV) says;

“When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

You need to know that evil spirits that cause bad events to occur over and over again do not grow faint or die. And if you do not want to see devious generational events reoccur in your life and family, whenever you go in the presence of the Lord, wage spiritual warfare and stop the old habits from happening again – close the doors of the past. 

       

Follow the Upright Example

1 Samuel 3:1 (ESV)

”Now the young man Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli”.

The two sons of Eli – Hophni and Phinehas did not follow the righteous example set by their father, but Samuel followed it and walked in the ways of the Lord, and thus his life turned out so well. He grew up in a home with crooked mannered children but amazingly, he chose not to be like them. In the same way, you can be in an organization with wildly behaved colleagues but not adopt their behaviour - it’s a matter of choice

If we are to bring Eli’s family to the church level, we note that in church, there are two types of Christians – the Phinehases and Samuels (1 Sam 2:12-36). The Samuels are obedient and always ministering to the Lord under His servants, while the Phinehases are unruly type vested in wicked dealings. 1 Samuel 2:12 (AMP) says;

”The sons of Eli [Hophni and Phinehas] were worthless (dishonourable, unprincipled) men, they did not know [nor respect] the LORD” 

You can choose to follow the upright example and turn out as a Samuel, and not as the worthless Phinehas!

    

Displeased And Confused? Seek Guidance

1 Samuel 8:6 (NLT)

“Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance”

Because of the behavior of Samuel’s sons, the elders of Israel went with a request to Samuel. They wanted him to put his sons aside and appoint a king to rule over them and also judge them. This really shocked God because He was their King and used to choose the leaders (1 Samuel 8:1-4)

When they made this request, Samuel was displeased, so he prayed and sought guidance from God. God gave Samuel a go-ahead to give the Israelites a king (1 Samuel 8:6-10). This should teach us that before we make fundamental decisions, we should pray and seek the will of the God first. If you want to avoid struggling and setbacks in life, always seek guidance from God.

The elders would have first inquired from the prophet but they instead just ordered Samuel. God accepted and granted their request but also warned them about the hardships ahead, however, they were stubborn and refused to adhere to the warnings (1 Samuel 8:10-19). In the same way, there are times when we persist and ask God for something, but when He delays, we devise other means and get it. But in the end, it causes you a lot of suffering, losses and disputes. Why? Because it wasn’t His will or right time

    

Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice

Saul was a carnal king. He never obeyed instructions and always did things according to his will. We see Samuel giving him instructions from the Lord in 1 Samuel 15:1-3 (NIV)

Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. 2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.”

The Lord instructed Saul to kill all the Amalekites starting from the king to the least person in the kingdom. He had given him a heavenly army that was going to fool Amalekites so that the army of Israel slays them with ease. However, in 1 Samuel 15:9 (NKJV) the bible says that;

“But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.”

Saul failed to do as God had commanded him to do. So God went back to Samuel. God told Prophet that He regretted having chosen Saul as king. Sometimes God can regret why He blessed you if you fail to follow His commands, especially when you selfishly utilize the blessing He gave you. And Saul boldly lied to Samuel that he had followed God’s commands yet he hadn’t. When Samuel asked him about the sounds of animals he was hearing, Saul responded that he had brought them from the Amalekites to offer them as a sacrifice to the Lord (1 Samuel 15:14-15)

As a Christian you should know that, God does not only delight in offerings. I am talking about those who do prostitution, embezzle project funds and offer it to church or ministry. God does not desire your money because it is full of filth. What Saul did was in despise of God. All the things Saul spared, God had not asked for them but he thought that because they were good, they would be offered to God. I want to tell you that, God is not amused by sacrifices but obedience to his commands. You can offer Shs10,000/- to the Lord and you delight Him rather than offering 10 million that you embezzled.

Some people think that God works because of their offerings but even when you do not sacrifice but obey and do what God expects of you, he will bless you. Samuel asked Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22 (NKJV) that;

 “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 heed than the fat of rams.

God can reject big offerings or sacrifices because they are coming from wrong hands or they have been offered with the wrong motive. Most people do not obey, because they do not listen, and others can’t hear because the Holy Spirit departed from them. The Holy Spirit is with you provided you obey and heed to Him. Many times people walk in sacrifice forgetting that at times God is not interested in your sacrifice; when all He wants is that you obey His commands. God is more pleased interested in obedience than offerings.

  

Demerits Of Rebellion And Stubbornness

1 Samuel 15:23 (NKJV)

“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”

In the church today, we are guided by the Holy Spirit but because of personal reasons, pride or stubbornness, some people don’t obey – they rebel against God. When you do this, you will have committed a sin of witchcraft

Some of you are ignorant of the curse you might get from rebelling against God, your parents and pastors. Rebelling can seem fun but be aware that it brings a curse upon your life. So many people have caused trouble to themselves because they are stubborn and also have a rebellious spirit.  Rebellious people are habitually proud - this was the same attitude that Saul had when he stubbornly decided to spare what God had told him to destroy.

Good ideas emanate from the mouth of God - Holy Spirit and His servants. Whenever you want to do the will of God, always seek guidance from the Holy Spirit and the servants of God. Everything must be started by God and Him alone – Alpha and Omega. If it is fasting, let it be started by the Holy Spirit; let Him lead and you follow. Today will not be the same as tomorrow. I might have prepared a particular topic to preach about, but if God decides otherwise, I do as instructed and change. Obey God’s voice rather than deciding to follow your own plan.

THE CONSEQUENCE OF PRIDE - LESSONS FROM SAUL

Pr. James Victor Lubwama

Proverbs 16:18 (ESV)

“Pride goes before destruction,

And a haughty spirit before a fall”

By God’s instruction, Samuel anointed Saul king over Israel. (1 Samuel 10:1). After he had been anointed, Samuel told Saul to go ahead of him to Gilgal and wait for seven days so that he would come and offer the burnt offering. 1 Samuel 10:8 (NIV) says; 

“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do”

Saul Plays Priest - The Unlawful Sacrifice

When seven days ended, Saul committed a fatal mistake before God when he played the role of a priest and burnt the offering himself because of what he felt was a delayed arrival by Samuel. 1 Samuel 13:8-9 (NIV) says; 

“He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. 9 So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering”

You cannot play a priestly role just because you are a king. The results cannot be the same when Christians not called choose to perform the priestly functions. Why? Because the hand of God for that office is not upon them. It is God who calls and anoints people in different ministries; and if He has not called you, He cannot use you. Saul did not respect the office of the prophet who was anointed and called of God.

Pride made Saul perform a priestly function even when the servant of God told him to wait for him for a specified number of days. Even in the church today, the priestly office has been trampled over and some people have become like Saul. For example some people anoint the sick without being sent; and some allocate the tithe to the needy without taking it to church yet God requires us according to Malachi 3:10 (GNT) to;

 “Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there”.

Additionally some people have started prayer altars without the knowledge of their spiritual parents, which eventually grow into fellowships and then into churches without God’s covenant in place. 

Sometimes we need to be a little patient for the men of God to come because immediately after Saul offered a sacrifice, Samuel arrived. 1 Samuel 13:10-12 (NIV) says;
“Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. 11 “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, 12 I thought, “Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.” So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering”

Saul is Rejected by God

We later see that the Holy Spirit had already revealed to Samuel what Saul had done in his absence. Saul lost the favor of Samuel and of the Lord, which made him lose his crown. 1 Samuel 13:13-14 (NIV) says;
“You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people because you have not kept the Lord’s command”

Again, here we learn that if you fail to follow God’s commandments, instructions, and statutes, God will appoint another person in your place. Rightly, so God appointed a man after his own heart who followed God’s charges, laws, and statutes. God is looking for a man who would hear the Holy Spirit’s voice and do exactly as commanded. 
Christians need to directly download from the Holy Spirit and do exactly what the Holy Spirit says without any speculation and compromise. Some people have planned for God without first hearing from the Holy Spirit and God has hence rejected them. If you want to see God’s work in your life, you must have a relationship with the Holy Spirit who is the heart of God. Saul did not have an element of always inquiring from the Lord or His servants.

Because of pride, Saul disobeyed God and lost favor with Him. And we know from the bible that; pride goes precedes a disaster, and an arrogant attitude precedes a fall - Proverbs 16:18 (GW). In order to maintain favor with God and people, you need to kill pride; and in order to do this, you need to be able to identify pride. Pride manifests itself in many ways, and there are many facets of it to look out for.

25 Characteristics of Pride

1) If you cannot submit yourself to a higher authority.

2) If you find it difficult to accept corrections.

3) If you are too big to say sorry.

4) If you think that your success or achievements are based on your efforts.

5) If you do not have respect for people.

6) If you always feel superior to others.

7) If you want to always control and dominate others.

8) If you think that you are better than other people are.

9) If you cannot work under people with lesser qualifications.

10) If you always want people to bow down to you.

11) If you want people to notice you wherever you go.

12) If you are a graduate and feel too big to do any small job.

13) If you cannot marry those with lesser qualifications.

14) Always angry with those who correct you.

15) If you avoid those who criticize you.

16) If you feel too big to learn.

17)  If you feel ashamed to ask questions about what you do not know.

18) When you're always bragging about your achievements or connections.

19) If you do not consider it necessary to recognize those who helped you.

20) If one has competition.

21) If you think nobody knows more than you do.

22)  If you think you cannot make mistakes.

23) If you are fond of blaming others for your actions.

24) When you look at those who helped you to the top as nothing.

25) If you consider your country, race, tribe and family better than others.

It was because of pride that Saul failed to have a heart like God’s and thus led to his downfall. There is a reason that God hates pride (Proverbs 6:16). As C.S Lewis says; “it was through pride that the devil became the devil; pride leads to every other vice, it is the complete anti-God state of mind.” A proud person will reject God’s will every time it conflicts with his own desire; a proud person cannot love others more than himself, in fact he will only serve someone else if it feeds his own ego or interests. 

It is very important for us as Christians to discover the elements of pride and deal with them with the help of the Holy Spirit through repentance and prayer.