Stories of the Bible that Teaches Us Morals

The focus of our lesson is King Saul, the first appointed and anointed king of Israel. It comes from the Old Testament book of I Samuel. You can find the entire story of his life between Chapters nine and 31.
The story of Saul unfolds when the people of Israel ask for a king. God was their king and was leading them through His chosen vessels. Samuel was judge and His chosen vessel, however, he was getting old and his sons were not following the ways of the Lord. Israel had asked for a king and this was all the excuse they needed to validate why they wanted a king. Samuel was distraught, but God told him not to worry about it, because it's not you they are rejecting, but Me. God permitted Israel to have a king. It wasn't His perfect will, but His permissive will. In I Samuel 10:1, God had Samuel anoint Saul as king. In verse 9 it reads, "So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day." Saul was converted. Today, you will learn what can cause the downfall of a converted, anointed, and appointed man of God.
Saul had a good start, but two years into his reign as king, he got what we call "the big head". He began to rely on his power, wisdom and authority. I Samuel 13:8-13 revealed an occasion when Saul and Samuel had made arrangements to meet at Gilgal in 7 days. Samuel was late so Saul got impatient and foolishly violated God's commandment by assuming the role of the Priest. He was just finishing the burnt offerings when Samuel arrived. Samuel saw what he had done and admonished him for his disobedience and prophesied the end of his kingdom in Verse 14. You might say this was the beginning of his end. In another situation, I Samuel Chapter 15:2 & 3, Samuel brought a commission from the Lord to Saul that read like this, "Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way, when he came up from Egypt. 3Now go and attack Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." If you read on, you'll find that Saul gathered his men together, went into the city of Amalek and smote the Amalekites, but spared Agag (king) and the best of the sheep, oxen, lambs, and all that was good. Saul was so proud of himself. He was proud of his victory over the Amalekites so he built a monument to himself. He ignored the one who made him king and gave him the victory. The Lord spoke to Samuel in Chapter 15:11 and said, "I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he is turned back from following me, and has not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried out to the Lord all night." When Samuel visited him after the victory at Amalek, he could hear the bleating sheep in the background and the lowing of the oxen they had taken. In Verse 13, Saul happily greets Samuel, "Blessed are you of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord", but this was not entirely true, for he had not disposed of the king and all the cattle as he was told to destroy. And in verse 14, Samuel asked, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen I hear? On top of not following God's instructions, he is lying. He has done things his way not God's way. Samuel counseled him about his disobedience. In verse 15, Saul's excuse was, "They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed." How often is it that God's chosen men start out on the right track, but they get caught up in themselves and the admiration of the people and they forget God. They forget who they represent.
Samuel reminded him when he was a no-body, but out of all the people and tribes of Israel, God chose and anointed him king over Israel. (I Samuel 15:17&19) Was that not enough that he could obey Him that had rule over him? He blamed the people whom he feared. What is it that makes man fear man more than he does God? Proverbs tells us "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." If we are wise, we will fear the one who has power over both body and soul. God rejected Saul as king because of his disobedience, pride, jealousy, and self-will. His disobedience destroyed his relationship with God. (I Samuel 15:21-28)
Saul was the king. He had power over the people, but he forgot that it was God who took the nobody that he was and made him somebody. All he cared about was the admiration of the people and the pedestal he was on. Some of us are that way. We don't care what God thinks as long as we have the approval of people. But we've got to dare to be different. So what if all your friends are sleeping around. So what if everybody agrees that same-sex marriage is ok. Is it better to please people who have no power to save you or to please God? I Samuel 15:29 NCV says, "The Lord is the Eternal One of Israel. He does not lie or change his mind. He is not a human being, so he does not change his mind."
It is wonderful to be faithful in attending church, tithing, participating, giving to the poor and visiting the sick, but let us make sure that it counts for something. There isn't anything that pleases the Lord more than obedience. "To obey is better than sacrifice." Remember that your life in the body of Christ is all about change. If you are a part of the body of Christ, stay there and allow yourself to be molded and made into His likeness. Remember that it is better to obey and be saved than to go through all the rituals and still lose our soul.