Sermon: Lessons From Saul and David

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Ted E. Bowling
Given 09-Nov-24; 39 minutes 2024-11-09

Today, I want to look at the first two men that were anointed kings over Israel, King Saul and King David. Now there are many similarities between these two men, yet they are vastly different in their character. And there are crucial lessons that we can learn from both of these men and help us in our preparation for leadership in God's church.

Please turn to I Samuel 8, please. Because this is really where the story begins with the people rejecting God as their king and demanding Samuel to be replaced.

I Samuel 8:4-7 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like the other nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And Lord said to Samuel, "Hear the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me that I should not reign over them."

God was not surprised with this request. He knew His chosen people. He knew that they would reject Him as their leader. I do not know if you realize it, but they already had a king. It was Jesus Christ. They actually were rejecting Him. Deuteronomy chapter 17, verse 14. God already knew what was going to happen because it is a part of the Pentateuch.

Deuteronomy 17:14-15 "When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, 'I will set a king over me like all the other nations that are around me,' you shall surely set a king over them whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall choose as king over you."

So God was not surprised with this request. He had already prophesied it in Deuteronomy. But it was God that would choose the king.

And they said, "Give us a king like the other nations," and that is exactly what God did. In I Samuel 9, God chose Saul. He was a man from the smallest and the weakest of the tribes, which was Benjamin.

I Samuel 9:2 And he had a choice and handsome son whom his name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any other person.

See, God gave the Israelites exactly what they asked for. Saul fit the bill; he had the look, he looked kingly. He looked like royalty. Again, he was head and shoulders above everyone else. And at the beginning, he possessed something that is very important to God: humility. You see, Saul worked for his father. And when we are introduced to Saul, he has been sent out to look for some lost donkeys—very humble beginnings, just like David. Remember, David worked as a shepherd for his father. So their duties were very similar.

Then Saul met Samuel. He met Samiel because he was there looking for his donkeys. He was simply looking for some lost donkeys. He was asking Samuel, "Where are they, do you know where they might be?" And Samuel told him that he knew where they were and that they were safe. And then he told him, you are going to be anointed king.

This had to be a remarkable thing for Saul. In fact, this had to be an extremely overwhelming moment. Remember, a king was not a concept in Israel at that time. The poor man was just looking for donkeys and now he learns he is going to be king over Israel! And when Saul told him this, he had to be in shock. From that first moment when Saul was put in that impossible situation, God provided him with what he needed to do the job. God gave Saul something that was so important, that special promise that He gives all of us. Samuel says to Saul,

I Samuel 10:6-7 "Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you."

I Samuel 10:9 So it was, when he turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day.

God was not just telling Saul that he was going to be king and left him hanging out to dry. There are three things here.

1. God gave his Saul His Spirit.

2. Saul turned into another man. This is the only place in the Scriptures that I could find where this term is used.

3. God gave him another heart. God assured him that he would never be alone and no matter what impossible task that might come up before him. God was going to be with him.

Three promises here basically set it in three different ways.

You know, I have heard that it has been said that Saul was destined to fail. Well, I do not believe that for a moment because if he was, why would God give him His Spirit, turn him another man, and give him a new heart? God does not do that. God does not set up men to fail. God gave him exactly what he needed. He gave the people exactly who they wanted. He gave them a king, he gave them a man that was competent and capable of doing the job.

And we do see humility in Saul, but we also can see fear. We see this in I Samuel chapter 10, verse 22. Saul thought so little of himself that when it came time to be presented as king, he was nowhere to be found. Ironically, the people actually had to ask God, "Where is this new king?" And God tells them that he is hiding over there among the supplies. No one could have accused Saul of being ambitious for kingship.

But the question is, did Saul really see God? Because from the very beginning, we saw Saul displaying a lack of confidence in God, even though Samuel was telling him that "God will be with you." And here is an important lesson for you and I: when God gives us His Holy Spirit and He gives us a new heart-like soul, our life changes, our focus changes. The tests of life come upon us in a different way. But do we trust that God is with us? As John Ritenbaugh used to always say (in his very first sermon), "Do you see God?" Because that is the beginning and how we build faith and confidence in God.

Our confidence in God must be the cornerstone in how we lead our lives. Trust and faith must be at the core of our relationship with God because that faith will touch every aspect of our lives. Even though Saul was proclaimed king, he went home. He did not say, "Well, where we are going to set up this kingdom? Where we are going?" No, he went home and went back to work for his father. Makes you wonder, how much confidence did he have in what Samuel told him? What was on his mind and what was really in the heart of Saul?

Then in I Samuel 11, we finally do see where Saul hears about his nation that is at risk and his anger is greatly aroused. And guided by the God's Spirit he wages war against the Ammonites and defeats them soundly. You see, God blessed Saul's leadership, and the first few years of his reign he was very successful. God was with him and he did many good things for Israel.

But in I Samuel 13, we see the beginning of Saul's downfall. Saul began to think so highly of himself, the power went to his head and he forgot his place. He forgot to trust God. Even when Saul's back was against the wall, he should have realized and trusted that God would be with him. We see that when he goes up against the Philistines later on. They had a vast army, they were greatly outnumbered (this is again in I Samuel 11), and he was at his wits end. Again, his back was against the wall

Breaking into verse 7,

I Samuel 13:7-9 As for Saul, he was still at Gilgal and all the people followed him trembling. Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. So Saul said, "Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me." And he offered the burnt offering.

No doubt, again, he was in a very, very difficult situation. And when Samuel did not arrive, instead of taking it to God, his pride kicked in and his presumption kicked in and it was fueled by his lack of trust in God. And Saul took matters into his own hands and he sinned greatly against God.

I Samuel 13:10-11 Now it happened, as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. Samuel said, "What have you done?"

I Samuel 13:13-14 And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He has commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. [Saul was not destined to lose, he was not destined to fail, it came by his own hand.] But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be the commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you."

There is a lesson for here for us. When our backs are against the wall, no matter how great, we cannot take matters into our own hands, but we need to take it to God. We need to trust God that He will protect us, guide us, and give us what we need to go through any trial, any test. Even though God had given Saul His Holy Spirit, Saul did not see God.

From that point forward, we start seeing the life of Saul unravel. And in the same chapter, we see Saul directly disobey the command from God to destroy all the Ammonites and all of their possessions. Instead, he spares King Agag and keeps all of the best stock. And when Samuel confronts him about this disobedience, Saul tries to justify his actions by claiming that he set the best of the plunder to offer as a sacrifice to God.

But Samuel's response is clear and it really does sum up Saul's story. In I Samuel 15 he told him,

I Samuel 15:22 "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice."

You see, Saul's humility was gone, replaced with ego—pride—which caused him to disregard the commands of God. There is another valuable lesson here for us. God values obedience over sacrifice. God values our obedience and humility more than any outward show of devotion to Him.

When we look at the life of Saul, his real enemy was not David. It was not the other countries. It was not the Philistines or any of the other nations. It was his own pride and jealousy.

In I Samuel 15:12 Saul even set up a monument to himself; not an altar to God to give God praise. Because he did not see God, honoring God was not even in his thoughts. These internal struggles that he had caused him to make the decision to ultimately cost him everything. This is a powerful reminder that the greatest battles often that we fight and battle are within ourselves. By allowing pride and jealousy to take root we risk losing sight of God in our lives.

God gave the Israelites what they asked for in Saul, a man capable of doing the job—and in the beginning he did. But again, power went to his head and his heart was not loyal to God. In fact, I believe Saul was more faithful to Samuel than he was to God. He could see Samuel, he could talk to Samuel, but he could not see God. And that is why he even went to the witch of Endor and said, "Please bring Samuel back to me. I need to talk to him." Which really does show you the state of his mind. God was not in his thoughts in any way, shape, or form.

I Chronicles 10:13-14 So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. But he did not inquire of the Lord; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

God chose the first king of Israel for the people, but the second king God chose for Himself. He chose a man after his own heart. He chose David.

I Samuel 16:1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons."

I Samuel 16:6 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him!"

So when Samuel saw Eliab, he just knew, because maybe he had the same look as Saul. He might have been tall and stately looking; because Samuel was looking on the outside.

I Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or his physical stature, for I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

I Samuel 16:11-13 And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your young men here?" Then he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here." So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good looking. And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one." Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.

You see, again, as men, we look on the outside, we look at the stature, we see what people present. But God looks on the heart and He saw something in David that nobody else could see, including Samuel. And we do see something very special in David from the very beginning, when he volunteers to face Goliath. Even as a young man, he saw God.

In I Samuel 17, beginning in verse 34 you can read when Saul questioned David, how could he possibly fight Goliath? David answered that God gave him the power to save the sheep from both the the lion and the bear, and that God would do the same thing with respect to Goliath. So when Goliath taunted him and as he went out to battle, David did not boast of his agility or his skills with a sling, but he told Goliath that he came in the name of God and that God would give him the victory.

Now, David really displayed some real courage, character there. He could have taken the glory too, but he did not. He gave God the credit for the victory and that is the way he lived his life. And he was a very great king. I think we know the stories of David so I am not going to address any more of those today for the lack of time, because anyone can read about the life of David.

But you know something? David was not a perfect man either. He committed some very terrible sins as well. Again, David was very far from from perfect and a prime example of that is his weakness when he committed adultery with Bathsheba. Following, he had her husband killed, which was Uriah, which were horrific, horrific sins.

So here we have two kings, Saul and David. Both have committed grievous sins. But the question is, why was one rejected and the other blessed? What is the difference between these two men? It is important to us. In II Samuel 12, we see that God sent Nathan to David to expose his sins that he had committed with Bathsheba and with the killing of Uriah. And Nathan brought David sins front and center, totally exposing him. And through the few verses here, we really see God expressing His disappointment in David. And I have to believe the man was crushed. I really do. And then down in verse 13, David said to Nathan a simple sentence,

II Samuel 12:13 "I have sinned against the Lord."

You see, no excuses. He did not blame anybody else, no defense. Only the acknowledgment of the depravity of his actions. Here is where we see the difference between David and Saul. Saul made excuses. He did not want to take responsibility for any of his actions no matter the magnitude of the sin against God. But David faced them head on. David understood the seriousness of his sins. And he also realized the barrier that he had created between himself and his God. He also knew that God was the only one that could remove that barrier.

And so when Nathan told him this, I think it hit David like a ton of bricks. I think that he was hurt. I do not even think I could imagine the amount of remorse that he felt for what he had done. And you know, we really can see that expressed if we turned to Psalm 51. It is one of the best known verses in the Bible, but I think it really encapsulates, we really see how David felt and his honesty and sincerity.

Psalm 51:1-3 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions. . .

Again, no justification, not trying to sidestep what he had done. He took total responsibility.

Psalm 51:6-7 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:10-12 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore me to the joy of Your salvation.

It reminds me of what God gave us all. He says, "I'm going to give you a new heart. I'm going to give you a Spirit." And that is exactly what David is praying God to do. He says, "Don't take Your Spirit from me, and create a new heart in me."

You know, when we fall, and we do; we all sin, we all struggle, have you ever thought about asking God after you have asked forgiveness, give me a new heart because He understands, He knows what you are going through. And he does. Again, He looks on the heart.

David's psalm is filled with heartfelt words as he seeks forgiveness. By the way, not just relief from the consequences of sin. You know, there are those that ask God when they are feeling guilty, they are just looking for relief from the sin and not necessarily genuine forgiveness. But when we look at David we see that, because he was asking God to restore the relationship that he had had with God

And brethren, we can be assured—we can be encouraged—through these scriptures because what we can read here is that God is willing to forgive us no matter the sins we commit against Him. If we have a humble heart, if we ask Him in a sincere way, not just sidestepping because we do not want to go through something but sincerely want to change, God will happily and willingly show us mercy. Again, if we honestly repent. And He wants to forgive us. He wants us to be strong with Him. He wants us to have a humble heart. By the way, the key word in this is if, if we are honest in asking for forgiveness. (If reminds me of Pat Higgins, the other word that he used in his article.) But here is another "if" word right here. "If" is the big word here.

You know, here David is called a man after God's own heart and that is because David wanted everything in his life to be pleasing to God: his behavior, his motivations, his thoughts, his emotions. He really wanted to be a kindred spirit with God. Is that what you want to be?

Please turn to II Samuel chapter 7, verse 18. I really appreciate these verses when I came across them. We see a really good example of David's humility. My heading says, David's Thanksgiving to God.

II Samuel 7:18-22 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said, "Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord God; and You have also spoken of Your servant's house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord God? Now what more can David say to You? For you, Lord God, know Your servant. For Your word's sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. Therefore You are great, O Lord God."

I really appreciate these verses. It really shows you the depth of his love and dedication to God. We see his humility, we see him always giving the praise and the glory to God in everything in his life. And you know something, this is something also that he wanted to teach his son Solomon that would follow after him. Turn to I Chronicles 28, please. Here we see David at the end of his life.

I Chronicles 28:1 Now David assembled at Jerusalem all the leaders of Israel: the officers of the tribes and the captains of the divisions who served the king, the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, and the stewards over the substance and the possessions of the king of and of his sons, with the officials, the valiant men and all the mighty men of valor.

He had them all there. He assembled them to address them. Let us drop down to verses 8 and 9. He turns his attention to his son.

I Chronicles 28:8-9 "Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of the Lord, and in the hearing of God, be careful to seek out the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your children after you forever. As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever."

That last sentence; I almost wonder if Saul was in the back of David's mind because did not Saul forsake God and he was cast off? You know, these are the wisest words that his son would ever hear in his life. David wanted his son to know God, the God that he had served, and serve Him as he had served God. So David wanted Solomon to see God and to serve God with a perfect heart.

We have briefly looked at these two kings, King Saul and King David; and you could have series and series of sermons on this. And so this is just touching on this just a little bit here today, that King Saul and King David do offer some very profound lessons. Both men did wonderful things for Israel. They served God truthfully and willingly at the beginning, especially Saul. But then also both men committed grievous sins in their lives. So why was one rejected and the other one blessed?

David found favor in God's eye despite his feelings, while Saul ultimately did not. And the answer lies in the difference between David's and Saul's attitude toward God and His commandments. When we look at King Saul, we see the danger of pride which leads to disobedience. Again, Saul started as a very humble man, but as he gained power he had become prideful, self-absorbed to the point of being paranoid. Even though God had given him His Spirit, pride led him to his downfall and his disobedience to God's divine commands.

When Samuel had addressed Saul's disobedience to God for not following His instructions, he had no excuses. He was willing to say anything not to take responsibility for his actions. Saul fell into the pitfalls of compromise because he was a people pleaser instead of wanting to please God. We also see the consequences of fear and jealousy. Saul's jealousy of David consumed him and he became paranoid, which led him to irrational actions and loss of his moral compass. Saul's life turned into tragedy for just one reason. He did not see God and he did not trust God.

When we look at David, first of all, David is proof that a leader does not depend upon your heritage, your size, your strength, or any other physical characteristic. Man judges by appearance and on the outward things. God judges and looks on the heart. King David was unlike Saul from the very beginning because his heart was fixed on God. His desire was to please God from the very beginning and every choice he made in life passed through that filter. David was a man after God's own heart because everything depends on the state of our heart. What is in our heart will be displayed in our principles, in our character, and in our action.

David was a man of faith and courage. We see David's faith and courage early on, witnessing the trust he had in God when he faced Goliath and then he humbly gave God the glory for the victory. David, again, he sinned, but he was a repentant man. He was far from perfect and he had many, many failings, but his repentance was genuine. He threw himself on the mercy of God and took total responsibility for his actions.

We can also learn from David leadership and justice. Despite all his flaws, David is remembered as a fair and just leader. His willingness to listen to others and seek God's guidance demonstrates qualities of effective and compassionate leadership. That is what we need to be, even in positions of leadership. We do not even get full of ourselves. We want to be compassionate leaders. That is the type of leader I want to be. Full of mercy, ready to bestow kindness on others, always ready to submit truth. That is the example we saw in David.

Whose character does your life emulate? That of Saul or that of David?

When we examine our lives, we must be willing to look deep inside, at the underlying motivations of our decisions and actions we make. Why do we make them? If we really do that, our true character will be revealed.

We need to be honest with ourselves just as David was honest with himself. And if we are, there is nothing more pleasing to God. God is desirous and wants to forgive us. He wants to pull us close, just like we would forgive our children. We want them to do right and prosper.

Brethren, I have said many, many times, we have been called to be a part of something very special. We have an amazing destiny. Each and every one of you is preparing to be a leader. It may not be a kingship like David and Saul, but you are being prepared for positions of leadership. And yes, there will be times where you will be put into impossible situations, impossible and unbearable trials. But we can take to heart the same words that were spoken to Saul, "I gave you My Spirit and I will be with you."

That is the most important lesson from everything that I have said. You have been given God's Spirit and He will always be with you.

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