In today’s text, Pastor Paul’s aim is to demonstrate how the redeemed are to live successfully before the Lord. The passage focuses on King Saul, a man who appeared to be at the height of worldly success. He was admired by the people, and although he reigned for more than forty years, his life ended in misery, resentment, and failure. Despite a promising beginning and an outwardly successful future, Saul ultimately proved unsuccessful—both by worldly standards and in the eyes of the Lord. At the heart of his downfall was a critical deficiency in character. Biblical success is defined not by external achievement, but by full surrender to the Lord, growth in Christlikeness, and faithful stewardship of the gifts God has given.
Saul’s failure is rooted in his refusal to obey God. The key to true success lies in dependence on and obedience to the Lord, who alone grants success. In verse 9, Saul personally offered the burnt and peace offerings instead of waiting the full seven days as Samuel had commanded him (1 Sam. 10:8). He acted prematurely because the people were scattering and he feared the impending battle. However, only priests were permitted to offer sacrifices before the Lord. Saul therefore violated both God’s law and God’s word delivered through Samuel. His actions revealed that he did not abide in the Lord. Christians must continually be reminded of the necessity of abiding in the Lord in order to live in obedience to His word.
Biblical obedience flows from love and is a relational, Spirit-empowered response to God. It results in a life that brings glory to Him. Yet, as Saul’s example shows, even believers can misunderstand true obedience. Saul’s misunderstanding is reflected in several common errors. First, obedience does not earn God’s love; rather, God’s love precedes and produces obedience. His love was decisively demonstrated at the cross and is the foundation—not the reward—of obedience. Second, legalistic obedience driven by fear or pride seeks self-approval and human acceptance. Third, misunderstanding the relationship with God leads to a performance-based faith, resulting in forced service rather than joyful obedience. Fourth, partial obedience is not genuine obedience. Saul likely believed that partial compliance could be counted as full obedience.
This truth is clearly expressed in 1 Samuel 15:22: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” God desires a surrendered heart. Delayed or partial obedience is ultimately disobedience. Although believers are imperfect, God looks for a willing and responsive heart that desires wholehearted obedience.
Samuel confronts Saul for failing to wait the full seven days and for choosing his own way, which led to disobedience (v. 10). Saul’s actions revealed his misunderstanding of obedience according to God’s standards. Obedience expresses the condition of the heart; genuine salvation is evidenced through obedience. God is concerned not merely with religious activity, but with whether His people trust and follow Him. Obedience also reflects trust in the Lord, acknowledging that God’s timing and methods are always best. Furthermore, obedience is essential for the believer because it is the means through which God’s blessings are experienced. Disobedience disconnects us from our true source of life, which is Christ Jesus.
This principle is affirmed in Deuteronomy 28:1: “If you diligently listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, being careful to do all His commandments… Yahweh your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.” Obedience is the natural byproduct of a living relationship with the Lord. Because the Holy Spirit dwells within believers, Christians desire to obey, and through obedience, the Spirit comforts and strengthens them through life’s trials.
Saul’s response to Samuel was to shift blame, claiming that Samuel arrived late and that the people were scattering in fear. This tendency to rationalize and justify disobedience is also common among Christians. Saul’s obedience was hindered by several fears. He feared people, as the soldiers were deserting him. He was impatient, allowing anxiety to override trust in God’s timing. Impatience often replaces faith with impulsive action, choosing short-term relief over long-term faithfulness. Saul also relied on himself rather than God, demonstrating self-sufficiency and denying God’s authority. Finally, pride led Saul to elevate his own judgment above God’s word, rendering him spiritually blind and deaf to divine instruction.
Loving the world also hinders obedience (1 Jn. 2:15). The world trains the heart toward disobedience by prioritizing immediate gratification and self-rule, both of which contradict Scripture. Worldliness shifts authority from God to self and conceals unconfessed sin in the heart. As 1 John 1:6 states, “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.” Confession is a gracious gift from the Father to His children. Worldliness also leads to foolish and presumptuous behavior—not intellectual foolishness, but moral and spiritual folly—by choosing what is temporary over what is eternal.
For Christians, the world should be viewed as a wilderness. Just as the Israelites wandered for forty years in what should have been a three-day journey due to disobedience, believers risk prolonged spiritual barrenness when they fail to obey. The pursuit of joy, peace, and righteousness in Christ enables believers to live lives marked by obedience.
Unchecked disobedience eventually leads to a hardened heart. One of the most dangerous spiritual conditions is not open rebellion, but silence from God. When disobedience hardens the heart and God’s presence seems absent, believers must remember that God remains gracious and willing to forgive and restore those who turn back to Him.
Christians are called to faithfulness and obedience, yet many live joyless lives because of disobedience. True joy and peace are found in becoming people after God’s own heart. God desires hearts that prioritize His will above self-will. David exemplified this posture by depending on God, seeking His presence, glorifying Him, and worshiping Him above all else.
Believers can apply this description of David to their own lives by setting their primary goal as knowing who God is, rather than focusing on what He can provide. They must pursue full, not partial, obedience, allowing the Spirit’s conviction to lead to faithful action. Dependence on God should be expressed through prayer and seeking His will before acting. Finally, believers must persevere through life’s challenges by trusting in the Lord.
Although Saul’s reign appeared successful at its outset, it was not the life of redeemed success God desires. David provides a better example, yet even he failed despite his love for God. Ultimately, neither Saul nor David is the perfect model of obedience. Jesus Christ alone is the supreme example. Hebrews 4:15 reminds us that Christ sympathizes with our weaknesses, having been tempted in every way, yet without sin. Hebrews 5:7–8 further teaches that Jesus learned obedience through suffering.
True success is not found in outward achievement or partial obedience, but in wholehearted surrender to God. Saul’s failure points us to our need for Jesus Christ, the perfectly obedient Son who fulfilled God’s will on our behalf and secured our salvation through the cross. Because we are saved by grace, we are now empowered by the Spirit to obey from love rather than fear. Therefore, let us turn from self-reliance and trust fully in Christ, living lives of joyful, faithful obedience that bring glory to God.
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
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