Who Do Men Say That I Am?

Luke 9:18-27

The Father sent Jesus to do His will. In His short, thirty-three year life, Jesus accomplished all the Father gave Him to do. Luke tells us that he accurately followed everything that Jesus did and wrote an orderly account. Much of Luke's account is devoted to the teaching and preaching work that Jesus did. The Gospel of Luke is notable for its parables and Jesus' proclamation of the good news concerning the kingdom of God. As Jesus' ministry grows, Luke 8:1 tells us:

Luke 8:1 (NKJV) Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him,

The twelve were with Him. These men observed all that Jesus did. As Jesus traveled throughout the country, teaching the people the truth, His twelve Apostles watched how He did what He did. Through this process, Jesus trained His disciples. Staying with Jesus day and night, they learned both His message and His method. Then in Luke 9:1-2, we read that Jesus sent the disciples to do what they had been watching Him do. Luke 9:1-2 tells us:

Luke 9:1–2 (NKJV) ¹Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. ²He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

The results of the preaching and teaching of the disciples reached even to King Herod. When they returned from their ministry trip, they excitedly told Jesus all that had happened. These men would be those who established the Church, so Jesus took time to debrief them and help them learn from what had happened. So, we find Jesus working to get alone with His disciples. However, because of the teaching ministry that Jesus and His disciples had, a vast crowd followed and inserted themselves into the story.

We tend to notice numbers and measures of success, and at this point, Jesus was enjoying remarkable success. So much so that John tells us the crowd that was fed the fish and loaves wanted to make Jesus King. However, Jesus had other priorities. After having fed the crowd, Jesus separated Himself and got alone with the Apostles. 

Luke 9:18 tells us:

Luke 9:18 (NKJV) And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"

Amid tremendous public popularity and success, Jesus made time alone in prayer a priority. In his account of the life and ministry of Jesus, Mark speaks of Jesus' early popularity. In Mark 1:33, Mark tells us that the whole city gathered at Jesus' door. After a busy night of healing and interacting with those who sought Him out, Mark tells us:

Mark 1:35 (NKJV) Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

Prayer was important to Jesus. When Jesus taught us to pray, He taught that the first thing we are to seek is that God's name be greatly revered and honored. As the Son of God, Jesus did not have a problem with pride, but He is the only person in history of whom this is true. He was in constant communion with the Father, but He considered prayer to be essential. By example, Jesus taught that complete dependence on God is necessary for those who would serve Him, and He showed us humility. Humility is elusive, especially in success, but prayer is the starting place.

Crowds will turn our heads and encourage our pride. Jesus understood this, so He taught His disciples to get alone and pray. Crowds also tend to dictate the content of teaching and what is acceptable. The crowds that followed Jesus were confused about who Jesus was. In John 6, Jesus tried to explain to the crowd that He is the bread of life. Here, in Luke, Jesus brings the focus onto who the crowd said He was. The Gospel of Matthew also tells of an occasion where Jesus asks the same question.

According to their understanding of Scripture and the times they lived in, the crowds gave speculative answers. If we ask the same question today, the answers we get are even more varied. However, the answer to this question is essential. Who we understand Jesus to be is the most important thing about us.

Many say Jesus was a great teacher. Many think that Jesus came to teach us to love each other. Some even acknowledge that God sent Jesus. Just like the crowd of Jesus' day, who said he was Elijah. In their understanding, Elijah was to come before the day of the Lord. They understood that Jesus was sent by God. Nicodemus serves as an example of this kind of understanding. He came to Jesus at night and said:

John 3:2 (NKJV) Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.

Acknowledging that Jesus was a great teacher and acknowledging that He was sent by God are not enough. The crowd did not understand, but Jesus was more concerned about who the twelve said He was. These were the ones entrusted with the message. So Jesus put the question to them.

Luke 9:20 (NKJV) But who do you say that I am?

Peter answered. He said:

Luke 9:20 (NKJV) The Christ of God.

Mathew 16 also includes Peter's answer to this question.

Matthew 16:16 (NKJV) You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

"The Christ" refers to the anointed one of God. Christ is not part of Jesus' name. It is who or what He is. At the garden of Eden, when the man and the woman sinned, God promised a Savior. As time passed, God revealed more, and it became clear that this promised Savior was to be king.  Calling someone ”the anointed one” was equivalent to calling them the king. The Aramaic term for "the anointed one" was "Messiah." The greek word for this is χριστός. By saying Jesus was the Christ of God, Peter was acknowledging Jesus as the King sent by God. But there was still more to their understanding. It is reflected more fully in the answer recorded in Matthew when Peter said, "the Son of the living God."

One of the essential truths of the Gospel is that Jesus, as the Son of God, is God. We learn that God is a Trinity. John 1:1 says:

John 1:1 (NKJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John, who wrote John 1:1, was there that day when Jesus asked, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" He, along with all the Apostles, except Judas, got the message. They understood what Jesus was teaching.

When the crowd understands Jesus as a great teacher, a prophet, or sent from God, they perceive Him as bringing answers to human problems. A teacher teaches us how to live. A prophet speaks God's word to us. Up until Jesus, from Moses until Jesus, God sent many teachers. We have their teachings in the Old Testament. Answers to human problems are found in their teachings. Teachings like "Love your neighbor as yourself" and "Do not lie" solve many of the issues in the world. If only we would obey such teachings perfectly. However, one of the things we learn from all the teachers sent by God before Jesus is that all the teaching in the world will not solve humanity's problems. Disease, murder, envy, greed, and hate are not taken away by great teachers sent by God.

In the statement, "You are the Christ of God," we find the truth taught. As we said, when Jesus fed the five thousand, He explained that He, Himself, was the true bread that came down from heaven. Another way to put it is that Jesus did not come to give an answer to human problems. Jesus came as the answer to human problems. Hebrews 1:1-2 also teaches this when it says:

Hebrews 1:1–2 (NKJV) ¹God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ²has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

It is easy for us as Christians to get caught up with the concerns of the day. We want the world to be a place where the truth prevails. Loving our neighbor as ourselves, not killing, lying, or stealing, are all essential. But teaching these things will not and does not solve the problem.

The problem is sin in our hearts, and no amount of teaching can fix this problem. Therefore, God sent His only Son as the answer, the solution.

When the twelve understood this, Jesus had not yet been crucified. So, He strictly warned them not to tell anyone. Instead, He began teaching them that He was to be crucified. Learning this was part of their training so that when Jesus rose from the dead, they were ready to proclaim the truth. After Jesus rose from the dead, He told them to tell everyone in the world the fact that He is the answer. We find these marching orders in Matthew 28:18-20 and Luke 24:44-48.

What we find in the New Testament is that Peter's confession is the foundation of the Church. The truth that Jesus is the Christ of God is the one truth upon which we stand. The crowd, i.e., the world around us, does not recognize this truth, and it is easy for us to adapt to the thinking of the crowd. In Jesus' generation, many of the crowd died without having believed the message. Today it is the same. The crowd does not believe or understand the message. The message that we proclaim is that Jesus is the Christ of God. He is the answer, the only answer, to what troubles our world today.

The twelve recognized this truth, and when Jesus rose from the dead, they set about proclaiming it. They recognized Jesus as their Lord and Master and would let nothing deter them from telling the world that Jesus is the answer. Each of them, except John, died for their testimony that Jesus is the Christ of God.

We must show no less commitment to the truth.

After Samuel Died

1 Samuel 25:1

When Saul became king, he was a young man. By the time David was anointed, Saul’s son Jonathan was a capable warrior. So, Saul might have been king for fifteen or more years before the incident of disobedience with the Amalekites. In the incident with the Amalekites, Samuel told Saul the Lord was taking the kingdom away from him and giving it to another. And it probably was at least another four years until David was anointed.

Soon after he was anointed, David was involved in a battle with a giant. Since David was still considered a boy when he killed Goliath and was a warrior by the time Saul tried to kill him, some scholars suggest that David served in Saul’s favor for more than nine years after he was anointed. 

The timing and dates are somewhat tricky. However, the commentaries I consulted suggested that Samuel was 57 when Saul became king and 89 when he died. During the 32 years from the time he anointed Saul until he died, Samuel stayed busy, but he had no contact with Saul. Samuel watched Saul decline from a distance. The Scriptures shift their focus to Saul and David and are silent concerning Samuel. However, we can piece together a little of what Samuel was doing during his retirement. While Saul chased David around the kingdom, trying to kill him, Samuel was living the final few years of his life. After giving an account of how David spared Saul’s life when Saul went into the cave where David and his men were hiding, 1 Samuel tells us of Samuel’s death.

1 Samuel 25:1 (NKJV) Then Samuel died, and the Israelites gathered together, lamented him, and buried him at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.

Samuel was buried in Ramah, where he was born. His mother, who had given him up when he was but a small boy, had received him back. We cannot but assume that Samuel was with her when she died and continued to make her home town his home. 

The Lord gave a promise to those who give things to Him. 

Mark 10:29–30 (NKJV) ²⁹So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, ³⁰who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. 

1 Samuel 2:21 tells us that Hannah had three sons and two daughters after giving Samuel to the Lord. What is not mentioned is that a few years after having been given to the Lord, Samuel returned home and lived in Ramah for the rest of his life. This means that as long as Hannah lived, Samuel was close by. We should never fear to give anything to the Lord.

1 Samuel 25:1 also tells us that all Israel gathered and lamented Samuel. As a judge, prophet, and leader of his people, Samuel was a well-known public figure. Not everyone who serves the Lord receives public recognition, but Samuel was beloved by his people because of his role.

Thirty-two earlier, even though He was a faithful and just judge, the nation had rejected Samuel and asked for a king. Samuel was hurt by this, but God told him to give the people the king they were asking for because, in reality, they were not rejecting Samuel - they were rejecting God. Even though the people had sinned against Samuel and God, Samuel continued to seek their good. He said:

1 Samuel 12:23 (NKJV) Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way.

The first thing that Samuel did in seeking the good of the people was pray. He prayed for them. I want to quote two passages of Scripture that make reference to the prayers of Samuel.

First, Psalm 99:6 tells us that Samuel called on the name of the Lord like Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 99:6 (NKJV) Moses and Aaron were among His priests,

And Samuel was among those who called upon His name;

They called upon the Lord, and He answered them.

The Lord recognized Samuel as being a great man of prayer.

Second, in Jeremiah 15:1, God mentions Samuel alongside Moses, as an example of the most effective men of prayer that ever lived.

Jeremiah 15:1 (NKJV) Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people.

Even though this is a negative reference, Moses and Samuel are mentioned as the two men who would carry the most weight with God.

Our understanding from 1 Samuel 12:23 is that Samuel continued to pray for the nation until the day he died. But in 1 Samuel 12:23, Samuel also says he would teach them the good and right way.

Samuel’s work of teaching is seen in the school of the prophets that he established. These schools continued through the time of the kings. They were essential in teaching the people the truth, how to worship and serve the Lord.

Along with his work in praying and teaching, Samuel made preparations for public worship.

First, he established the rotation and practices necessary for the reopening of the tabernacle so that when David was king, he was able to re-establish the ministry of the tabernacle. 1 Chronicles 9:22 says:

1 Chronicles 9:22 (NKJV) All those chosen as gatekeepers were two hundred and twelve. They were recorded by their genealogy, in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their trusted office.

Second, Samuel gave his treasures for maintaining public worship. 1 Chronicles 26:27-28 establishes this fact.

1 Chronicles 26:27–28 (NKJV) ²⁷Some of the spoils won in battles they dedicated to maintain the house of the Lord. ²⁸And all that Samuel the seer, Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah had dedicated, every dedicated thing, was under the hand of Shelomith and his brethren.

Samuel was so invested in leading the people in public worship that many years later when grand celebrations were remembered, they were compared with the celebrations of Samuel’s days.

2 Chronicles 35:18 (NKJV) There had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet; and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

David, Solomon, and Josiah, and all the kings in between did not hold a Passover that topped the ones held by Samuel. That is an impressive record!

Samuel lived his life for the Lord. I do not want to give the impression he did these things to be saved. He did these things because of his relationship with the Lord. When we meet Samuel in Scripture, he is usually either praying or proclaiming the word of the Lord. He did not leave a legacy because he sought to leave a legacy. He left a legacy because he was willing to give his life in service to his people. Just like his mother, he received back what he gave to the Lord.

One more chapter we must consider in Samuel’s life is what happened to him after he died.

It is easy for us to live as if this life is all there is. We may seek to leave a legacy like Samuel’s, or we may be too busy trying to survive to think about our legacy. But in either case, we focus on this world, this life, and tomorrow. The one thing that 1 Samuel 25:1 says about Samuel that will be true of all of us is “He died.”

Death is so final. He died. For us, this seems like the end of the story. Once a person is buried, we don’t see them again. Life goes on without their presence, and those who remain mourn their loss.

However, in Samuel’s case, we get a glimpse of him after he died. This is true of only a few. 

At the end of his life, Saul was facing a battle with the Philistines, and although he sought the Lord, the Lord would not answer him. So, Saul sought out a medium and tried to inquire of Samuel.

Such activities were stictly forbidden by God, and we have evidence that the medium did not expect to see Samuel. So that she was frightened out of her wits when Samuel actually showed up. 

God sent Samuel, and the Scriptures give us this account:

1 Samuel 28:15–17 (NKJV) ¹⁵Now Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

And Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.”

¹⁶Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? ¹⁷And the Lord has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David.

Let this serve as a reminder that death is just a transition. Death is only the beginning of what will last forever. Living as if this world is all there is, is a mistake. This life is soon over, but after the sentence, “He died,” comes a life without end. C. S. Lewis gives us a good perspective on this. 

It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you may talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit— immortal horrors or everlasting splendours. (C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory)

Think with me for a moment. This Samuel that we are talking about died three thousand years ago, but he is more alive today than he was just before the verse that said, “He died.” All that “He died” means is that his soul left his old worn-out body and went to be with his Lord.

What matters now to Samuel is not his legacy, but that his sins are forgiven, and he is in the presence of God. He was saved by faith the same way you and I must be saved. The death of Jesus on the cross paid for his sins the same as it pays for ours. The difference between everlasting horrors and everlasting splendors that Lewis speaks of is whether or not a person chooses to accept the salvation freely offered by God or chooses not to receive this free gift.

Saul worried about his legacy and ended up a tragedy. Samuel stayed faithful to pray, teach, and worship, leaving a legacy and inheriting eternal life. From this, we must take away two things. First, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. And second, consider others as more important than yourself. 

Samuel Anoints God’s Man

1 Samuel 16

According to 1 Samuel 15:35, Samuel mourned for Saul, and God regretted that He had made Saul king.

It is hard to understand how God, who does not repent or change His mind (Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29), can regret something. In other places, Scripture speaks of God’s regret. For example, Genesis 6:6 says:

Genesis 6:6 (NKJV) And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

The rebellion, sin, and wickedness that the human race chose grieved the heart of God. God grieves over His fallen creatures.

When God gave the law through Moses, He expressed His desire that His people would choose to follow Him. First, in the preliminaries of giving the law, He says:

Deuteronomy 5:29 (NKJV) Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!

Next, at the end of giving the law, God says:

Deuteronomy 32:29 (NKJV) Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would consider their latter end!

As the Father grieves over the lost, so the Son grieves over those who do not believe. When He was entering Jerusalem at the beginning of the Passion Week, Jesus said:

Matthew 23:37 (NKJV) “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

As Christians, when we disobey and harden our hearts toward the Lord, we grieve the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:30 (NKJV) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Some things are beyond our understanding. God is sovereign, and His purposes are always accomplished. Isaiah 46:10 expresses this thought.

Isaiah 46:9–11 (NKJV) ⁹Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, ¹⁰declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’ ¹¹calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.

While God’s purposes and plans are always accomplished, His will is not always done on earth. For example, 2 Peter 3:9 tells us:

2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

How is it that God is not willing that any should perish and yet the perishing are all around us? How is it that Jesus longed to draw Jerusalem to Himself, but they were not willing? 

It is not God’s will that women should be violated, babies should be aborted, and men should steal, hate, and kill. Yet these things happen every day. The Church has long been divided over the question of man’s freedom of choice and God’s sovereignty.

God’s pleas for us to choose life indicate that we have a choice, which is why there is evil in the world. This power to choose is why we can grieve the Holy Spirit.

Even so, God is sovereign. His purposes cannot be thwarted, and we have the promise that: 

Romans 8:28 (NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

We must not make the mistake of believing that this means all things are good. But it means God can bring good out of what is evil. God does not cause evil, nor does He tempt people to do evil.

James 1:13 (NKJV) Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.  (cf. Isaiah 45:6-7, which is a statement against dualism)

Saul’s evil heart grieved God. The Lord had given the people what they wanted, and He had warned them what would happen. God had chosen the most qualified person and gave him all he needed to be successful. God gave Saul every opportunity, but Saul was stubborn and rebellious.

However, God brought good out of it. After an unspecified time of mourning, God came to Samuel and said:

1 Samuel 16:1 (NKJV) 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.

We see a couple of things in this passage. Mourning is necessary, but eventually, it must lead to action. Saul had sinned beyond repair. 

1 John 5:16 (NKJV) If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.

Saul had sinned leading to death, and Samuel was to stop praying for that. Indeed, he was instructed to take action in a different direction. God provided Himself a king and told Samuel to go and anoint the new king.

For Samuel, not only was this disappointing, it was dangerous. Saul made a show of following God, but he was hard-hearted and rebellious. So Samuel was troubled. He said:

1 Samuel 16:2 (NKJV) How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.

We see, in this statement, how far Saul had gone in his opposition to God’s Word. Several times Samuel told Saul that he had rejected the word of the Lord, and in his willingness to even kill the man of God, we see the results. 

This is a picture of the battle of the flesh against the Spirit. We see a picture of Galatians 5:16-17 at work in Saul’s life.

Galatians 5:16–17 (NKJV) ¹⁶I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

Saul was a huge contrast to Samuel. Samuel, as a young boy, learned to yield to the Spirit. But Saul put confidence in the flesh. In his lusting against the Spirit, Saul was capable of killing the man of God who had established him as king. We will all go the same direction if we do not yield to the Spirit and walk by the Spirit.

Having received instructions and reassurance from the Lord, Samuel set out once more to anoint a king in the name of the Lord. When Samuel approached Bethlehem, the elders of the city came out and said, “Do you come peaceably?” Saul may not have feared the Lord enough to respect Samuel, but the rest of the nation still carried a healthy respect. I wonder if they did not remember the thunderstorm Samuel had called down on the land when they had asked for a king. This fear of the Lord is a healthy thing because it recognizes the reality of both our dependence on Him and the frightful consequences of His displeasure.

Indeed, Samuel came in peace and invited them to the feast. He took special care to invite Jesse and his sons. When feast time came, Samuel insisted on accomplishing the errand the Lord sent him on before they ate. So Jesse’s sons were brought to him in birth order. When Samuel saw Eliab, Jesse’s oldest, the Scriptures tell us:

1 Samuel 16:6 (NKJV) So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!”

I can’t but imagine that, like Saul, Eliab was tall, strong, and handsome. At this point, we come to one of those passages of Scripture that we would all do well to memorize.

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

We are always looking at things as they appear on the surface. We must learn to look with the eyes of faith. Jesus prayed all night before choosing the twelve.

When Joshua led Israel in the invasion of Canaan, he and the nation's leaders were deceived by the people of a city called Gibeon. They made a treaty with the people of Gibeon, which God had forbidden. Having been deceived, they honored the covenant they made with the Gibeonites. The only critique God gave of the situation is found in Joshua 9:14, where it says:

Joshua 9:14 (NKJV) but they did not ask counsel of the Lord.

God suggests that if they had just asked Him, He would have made the truth clear. 

We cannot see into hearts; only God can. We look on the outside and are deceived. Jeremiah 17:9-10 is instructive when it comes to the point.

Jeremiah 17:9–10 (NKJV) ⁹The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? ¹⁰I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind.

The heart is deceitful above all things. So much so that we deceive even ourselves. However, God is not fooled. He searches the heart, and He tests the mind. We convince ourselves that we are basically good, but we all make mistakes. When the Bible says otherwise, we reject the Bible. But God looks for something in the heart. He saw that something He liked in the heart of David.

Again, we, as humans, consider this and say, “Obviously, David was pure of heart.” However, this ignores what God says about the human heart. God says none of us are pure of heart. He says:

Romans 3:10–12 (NKJV) ¹⁰There is none righteous, no, not one; ¹¹there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. ¹²They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.

This includes David, Moses, and Abraham, and it includes you, and me. 

God tells us what He looks for in a heart! 

We must assume this is what He saw in David’s heart. Isaiah 66:2 is one place where God clearly states what He is looking for in the human heart.

Isaiah 66:2 (ESV) But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

Jesus repeated this same concept. In His famous “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus pointed to humble and contrite hearts when He said:

Matthew 5:3 (NKJV) Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

David was a strong, confident leader of men, but in relation to God, he was humble and ready to repent when God confronted His sin. He was contrite. In contrast, Saul’s proud stubbornness grieved the heart of God, and David’s humble heart pleased the heart of God.

God has given each of us a choice. We can choose to be a Samuel or a David, or a Saul. 

God sent His Son into the world to save sinners. He will give the sinner a new heart and make them a new person. But the sinner must recognize that he needs a Savior. Sinners must first give up all hopes of saving themselves and humbly, with contrite hearts, ask God to save them. To this person, God promises the joys of heaven and the riches of His presence. Because this is what it means to be a person after God’s heart.

Let me ask you today. When God looks at your heart, is he grieved or pleased? 

Samuel’s Heartbreak

1 Samuel 13:5-14, 15:1-23

We cannot look at the life of Samuel without considering the life of Saul. The coronation of Saul marked a transition in the life of Samuel. Samuel was “judge” over Israel until Saul became king. With Saul’s ascension to the throne, Samuel’s role changed from judge to prophet. He no longer ruled the nation, but continued to serve as “prophet to the king,” speaking God’s word so that the king would know the will of the Lord. In this way, Samuel’s life and work became closely connected to Saul’s. 

The “ideal” man for the job soon revealed that he was unfit for the task. Today, we will look at two incidents in Saul’s life that marked the trajectory of his reign as king. The first one is an unlawful sacrifice that he made, and the second one is an occasion of incomplete obedience.

Saul made the unlawful sacrifice early in his reign. When he had been king for two years, he gathered three thousand men and attacked the Philistines. As a result, both the nation of Israel and the Philistines gathered for battle. 1 Samuel 13:5 says that the Philistines mustered thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and people as numerous as the sand on the seashore. The sand on the seashore is obvious hyperbole, but it gives the idea that the Philistines came with a vast army. 1 Samuel 13:6-7 tells us that when the men of Israel saw what they were up against, they hid in rocks, holes, thickets, and pits. Some fled across the Jordan River to escape. While many people ran or hid, six hundred remained with Saul (1 Samuel 13:15), where they had gathered at Gilgal. They stayed, but they were trembling with fear. (Imagine - 600 against many THOUSANDS!)

Apparently, Samuel had instructed Saul to wait for seven days, and then Samuel would come to Gilgal and offer a sacrifice to the Lord. These instructions were not a suggestion. They were a command from the Lord. However, when Saul saw: 1) the people were scattering, and 2) it was the seventh day, and Samuel was not there; he went ahead and offered the sacrifice himself.

As soon as Saul finished offering the sacrifice, Samuel showed up. Samuel said, “What have you done?” Listen to what Saul said in reply.

1 Samuel 13:11–12 (NKJV) ¹¹When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, ¹²then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.

The people were scattering, Samuel did not come within the appointed time, and Saul felt compelled. So, naturally, he offered a burnt offering.

Let’s read Samuel’s response.

1 Samuel 13:13–14 (NKJV) ¹³You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. ¹⁴But 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 commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.

For this act, God said Saul’s kingdom would not continue. WHAT? What was so bad about what Saul did? His three reasons make sense. Look at what Samuel repeats. Twice he says, “You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God.” Saul did not think small matters of obedience to be significant. He kept all the big ones, right? After all, he had waited seven days. 

How do we measure obedience? Consider that Jesus said, 

Matthew 5:18 (NKJV) For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

If even the smallest part of the law must be fulfilled, then obedience down to the letter must be important.

Saul failed to obey, but God did not remove him immediately. God gives opportunities for repentance and offers forgiveness.

After some years had passed, and Saul had firmly established himself as king and subdued many of Israel’s foreign enemies, God sent Samuel to Saul with a message. Let’s read 1 Samuel 15:1-3.

1 Samuel 15:1–3 (NKJV) ¹Samuel also said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. ²Thus 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.’”

We need to understand the significance of the words “utterly destroy” in this passage. When Joshua led the people into the land, he first led them in an attack on Jericho. God’s instructions were to devote everything in the city to God and destroy it completely, even the silver and the gold. Nothing was to be saved. The word “devote” used in Jericho’s case is the same word used in the Amalekites’ case. When Achan kept some clothing and a little silver and gold from Jericho, he and his whole family were stoned. Using the same word, God told Saul to utterly destroy all that they had and not spare them. The instructions were clear.

Let’s read the account Samuel gives of what happened.

1 Samuel 15:7–9 (NKJV) ⁷And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. ⁸He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. ⁹But 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.

In response, God said to Samuel:

1 Samuel 15:11 (NKJV) I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.

Here is the same problem that showed itself in the matter of the unlawful sacrifice. Saul did not learn. God says, “He has not performed My commandments.”

This broke Samuel’s heart. It appears that Samuel still loved Saul. The text tells us:

1 Samuel 15:11 (NKJV) And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night.

Samuel cried out to the Lord. He was pleading for Saul. Samuel mourned for Saul until the day he died. However, as a man of God and a prophet, he was obligated to speak the truth to Saul. 

Early the next day, Samuel got up and went to meet Saul. Now, Saul was proud of himself and had made a monument to himself. How typical of us to raise monuments to ourselves when God gives us a great victory. In the flush of victory, Saul greeted Samuel with a blessing when he saw Samuel approaching. He said:

1 Samuel 15:13 (NKJV) Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.

Look at Samuel’s reply:

1 Samuel 15:14 (NKJV) What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

Saul justified his disobedience by saying they saved the best for sacrifice. Earlier we read that Saul and the people were unwilling to destroy the best of the sheep and cattle. Samuel calls Saul on this issue. In verse nineteen, Samuel asks, “Why did you swoop down on the spoil?” 

The next thing Saul does is what men and women have been doing since the Garden of Eden. He blames someone else. “The people made me do it!” He also puts a very “righteous” sounding spin on what he had done. “We kept these for a sacrifice to the Lord!” Samuel’s response to this needs to be written on all of our hearts.

1 Samuel 15:22–23 (NKJV) ²²So Samuel said:

 “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.

²³For 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.”

God gave Saul a second chance to demonstrate obedience, but he failed a second time. He did not fully obey, and partial obedience is disobedience.

A parallel in our lives to sparing Agag is sparing our favorite sin. Jesus said that we should cut off our hand or pluck out our eye to subdue the sins of our flesh. He used such words to illustrate the seriousness with which we should devote ourselves to God. I want you to read what F. B. Meyer had to say about this passage in his commentary on the book of Samuel.

There is great significance in this for us all. We are prepared to obey the Divine commands up to a certain point, and there we stay. Just as soon as “the best and choicest” begin to be touched, we draw the line and refuse further compliance. We listen to soft voices that bid us stay our hand, when our Isaac is on the altar. We are quite prepared to give up that which costs us nothing--our money, but not our children--to the missionary cause; the things which are clearly and disgracefully wrong, but not the self-indulgences which are peculiarly fascinating to our temperament. To spare the best of Amalek is surely equivalent to sparing some root of evil, some plausible indulgence, some favourite sin. For us, Agag must stand for that evil propensity, which exists in all of us, for self-gratification; and to spare Agag is to be merciful to ourselves, to exonerate and palliate our failures, and to condone our besetting sin. (F.B. Meyer, Samuel the Prophet, Amazon Kindle edition, pg. 916.)

In closing, I want to observe one more thing that springs from this incident. When Saul died in a fight with the Philistines, it was an Amalekite that killed him. The parallel should be obvious. The thing that we spare may be the thing that ends up killing us.