When we offer Sacrifice
Notes
8 He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him.
9 So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering.
10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him.
11 Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash,
12 I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.”
13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”
- A) How pressure works against us v8-9
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- Saul under unrelenting pressure
- Fear and panic comes to everyone at times and we feel like we have to act even though we know it's not the correct thing to do
- We have to rely on God for timing and the correct response
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- Legitiment reason to fear (Corinthians 4)
- We often "bargain " with God instead of simply obeying God
- B) List of reasons versus conscience v10-13
- Reason 1) Losing support of people
- Reason 2) Some blame could be on Samuel
- Often this is an issue of deflection
- Reason 3) Limited timing & odds getting worse!
- Reason 4) Get God's favor by sacrifice - good thing!
- 1 This list sounds familiar? Adam & Eve
- 2 "Forced myself ": Conscience
- Satan is great at blinding us against simple obedience to God
- Our human logic works against the will of God
- When we are up against pressure we truly discover the strength of our reliance and trust in God
- C) The only thing harder than trusting God, is NOT trusting Him
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- God promises to take away the one thing he was scared to lose
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- Application: so what has God commanded, what to WAIT for?
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- Jesus' perfect obedience, substitute, death