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And then notice the retaliation 
by the Philistines in verses six to seven. Well, verse five 
is interesting. Then the Philistines gathered 
together to fight with Israel, 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen 
and people as the sand, which is on the seashore and multitude. 
Now this is just an incidental note or something that is an 
aside. Very often in the book of revelation, 
we hear about this final battle in revelation 20 and the numbers 
themselves. suggest this epic sort of thing, 
but it's the same sort of convention that we find here. In Revelation 
27, now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released 
from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which 
are in the four corners of the earth. Gog and Magog, to gather 
them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the 
sea." I think it's an idiom simply to highlight the reality, it 
was a lot of people. We see it in Joshua, we see it 
in Judges, we see it here in 1 Samuel. So when we get to Revelation 
chapter 20, we ought to assume that what is going on is an idiomatic 
use of this particular phrase. But the Philistine threat is 
formidable. Notice what happens when they 
gather together to fight with Israel. The numbers are large. And in verse 6 it says, When 
the men of Israel saw that they were in danger, for the people 
were distressed, then the people hid in caves, in thickets, in 
rocks, in holes, and in pits. And some of the Hebrews crossed 
over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. That means they 
crossed the river to go into the Transjordan. So what's going 
on here is that what Jonathan does is successful. It is a good 
thing. But then the Philistines retaliate. The Philistines man up. And the Philistines now pose 
this threat to the Israelites. And they are basically quaking 
in their boots. We already see something of the 
demoralization coming along. We'll see more of that as we 
move through the passage. But notice, secondly, the rejection 
of God's word. not only central in terms of 
the narrative, but central in terms of what we ought to be 
taking away. Notice the sacrifice by Saul. As for Saul, at the end of verse 
7, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him, 
trembling. Then he waited seven days according 
to the time set by Samuel. Now, specified in 1 Samuel 10.8. Some say that that reference 
in 10.8 is to this particularly. Others say not necessarily. It 
could have been a pattern. It could have been the case when 
Samuel went about his circuit, this was the way that he would 
ordain to meet with these particular people. Be that as it may, notice, 
he waited the 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. 
Now, some would suggest that what he did here was cross the 
border or cross the line in terms of assuming a priestly function. In other words, the king was 
not authorized to offer up sacrifices in terms of a burnt offering. 
As we follow the narrative, however, that's not the issue. The issue 
is that he didn't wait for Samuel. When the prophet of God says, 
wait, guess what you're supposed to do? You're supposed to wait. There are other instances, specifically 
in 2 Samuel 24, 25, and in 1 Kings 3, 4, where kings were over sacrifice that was 
going on. They are not condemned as a result 
of that. Now, typically, the priests were 
the ones tasked with offering up the sacrifices, no doubt. 
But the text or the narrative here specifies very clearly what 
Saul's infraction was. He was impatient. He did not 
want to wait anymore, and so he took matters into his own 
hand. In other words, he was an innovator. He was creative. And when we 
look at the passage, it is suggestive that what he wants to do is quite 
pious. What he wants to do is godly, 
at least on its appearance. What he wants to do is to make 
supplication to the Lord. So when we read this particular 
passage, the temptation might be to say, well, you know, what's 
the big deal? Saul wanted God's help. Saul 
offered up sacrifices. Saul seems to be on the up and 
up. Saul genuinely desires to do those things which will benefit 
the nation of Israel. Well, I would suggest that if 
Saul violated God, rejected God's word, in this instance, the same 
thing could be true of us. in our pious desires and in our 
zeal to glorify God that never gives us warrant to disobey what 
God says. In other words, we are always 
bound to obedience. We are always bound to faithfulness. And if the Lord God Most High 
tells us to wait for Samuel, We need to wait for Samuel. If 
the Lord God tells us we are to regulate worship in a particular 
way in the church, we are to regulate worship in a particular 
way in the church. If the Lord God tells us, as 
young people, that we're not to marry unbelievers, then we're 
not to marry unbelievers. We are to obey the word of the 
living God as it's written, as it's revealed. We are not to 
add to it. We are not to take away from 
it. We are certainly not to be innovative. We are not to be 
creative. And we certainly ought not to 
try and justify ungodly rebellion by acts of piety. Well, we wanted 
to do the godly thing. We wanted to do the righteous 
thing. We wanted to do that which was holy and blameless. When 
you disobey God, you cannot justify it in the name of piety. You 
see, this is precisely what's going on. Saul says, verse 9, 
bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me. And he 
offered the burnt offering. Now it happened as soon as he 
had finished presenting the burnt offering that Samuel came. Saul, 
you should have waited. Why is it that you couldn't wait? Why is it that you had to do 
this? Then Samuel comes, Saul went 
out to meet him, that he might greet him, and Samuel said, what 
have you done? It wasn't like, wow, I'm glad 
you've taken matters into your own hand. Samuel's not congratulating 
Saul on this venture. Samuel's not saying, oh, your 
piety and your godliness and your righteousness and your desire 
to make supplication before the Lord is commendable. I give you 
mad props for the goodness that you have engaged in. That's not 
what Samuel is doing. Samuel says, what have you done? Notice Saul's reply in verse 
11. When I saw that the people were 
scattered from me, This is emergency. This is crisis. This is a bad 
thing. The Philistine threat is formidable. They have 30,000 chariots, 6,000 
horsemen, such that the 2,000 persons that are with me are 
hiding in holes. They're hiding in thickets. They're 
hiding in pits. They're trying to run. The ones 
that have remained that haven't gone across the Jordan are quaking 
in their boots. Isn't it interesting that Saul 
has 2,000 troops? When we get to verse 15, how 
many does he have? He has 600. You see, as far as 
Saul is concerned, This is a national emergency and a huge crisis. Again, I think he's trying to 
facilitate what he has done. And I think, brothers and sisters, 
that Christians do this sometimes. Maybe not any Christians you've 
ever met. Maybe not that Christian that 
you sometimes look at in the mirror. But we do things. We sin against God, but we try 
to write it off under a cause or under a purpose or under a 
justification that somehow seems so holy and noble and pious. Yes, I shouldn't have done that, 
but it was for such a godly thing. I shouldn't have gone there, 
but it was for this noble purpose. You see, Saul is in the business 
here of trying to defend his action. When I saw that the people 
were scattered from me, national emergency, crisis, threat, doom, 
gloom, horrible things, and that you did not come within the days 
appointed. You know, Samuel, this could 
have all been avoided if you would have shown up on time, 
you see. You see, when we get to this 
reproof and Samuel says you have rejected God the Lord, we're 
not to interpret this as if God the Lord is going overboard. You see, Saul has in him now 
rebellion. He has done that which he was 
not commanded to do. And now he's in the spin cycle. He's trying to spin it so that 
it looks right. When I saw that the people were 
scattered from me and that you did not come within the days 
appointed. It's almost like Adam in the 
garden. He blames God, doesn't he? The woman whom thou gavest 
me. What's the implication? God, 
if you hadn't given me this woman, we wouldn't be in this mess. 
And what does the woman do? She's noble, pure, and doesn't 
blame anybody. It was the serpent, you see. 
We always try to spin it. We always try to defend it. We 
always try to resist just coming clean. You see, brethren, I am 
absolutely convinced that Proverbs 28, 13 is in the Bible for a 
reason. He who covers his transgression 
shall not prosper, but whoever confesses it and forsakes it 
will find mercy. Have you ever, in your Christian 
life, not extended forgiveness to somebody who asked you to 
forgive him? I hope the answer is, no, of 
course I forgive them. Is it the case that a Christian 
husband won't forgive his wife? Is it the case that a Christian 
wife won't forgive her husband? Is it the case that a Christian 
parent won't forgive their children? Of course we're going to forgive. 
Paul enjoins that upon us. We're to forgive one another 
even as God and Christ forgave us. We ought not to try and spin 
our sin. We ought to own it, confess it, 
forsake it. And the scripture says we will 
find mercy. Isn't that what the psalmist 
reckoned? When I kept silent about my sin, what happened? 
Life was good. I flourished. I thrived. No, 
my bones ached. I was in misery. It hurt when 
I tried to bottle up my sin. But what happens when the psalmist 
confesses his sin? When he pours it out before the 
Lord God Almighty. I love the Lord because He has 
heard the voice of my supplications. Out of the depths I have cried 
to Thee, O Lord, hear my voice. If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, 
O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with 
you that you may be feared. You see, Saul is trying to spin 
his sin. He is trying to cover his tracks. 
He knows that he has disobeyed the word of the living God. Samuel 
has come. It's time to pay the piper. And 
Saul will not do that. So then he goes on to say. and 
that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I 
said, the Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and 
I have not made supplication to the Lord." Again, it sounds 
holy, doesn't it? We do wretched, horrible things, 
but we do it for holy purposes. It's no better when we do that 
sort of thing than when Saul does it. Oh, but God, my intentions 
were pure. My desire was righteous. My desire 
was good. No, it is the word of God that 
is our standard. He says, I have not made supplication 
to the Lord. Therefore, I felt compelled. There's that wretched word felt. It's not about feelings. It's 
not about what you want. It's not about where you're led. It's about what God has commanded. The Spirit leads according to 
the Word. There is no antithesis between 
the Spirit and the Word. Have you ever heard that? Well, 
I'm just waiting on the Spirit. Do you know how the Spirit speaks 
to you today? It is through this Word. You'll 
never find antithesis between the Spirit and the Word. But 
the Bible says, well, I know, but I'm waiting on the Spirit. 
How many times do people say, I'm waiting on the Lord? The 
Lord has spoken. Don't do that. Right? It's an 
attempt to justify patterns of rebellion. I haven't felt led 
to actually go to church yet. I haven't felt led to actually 
pray. I haven't felt led to pick up 
my Bible and read. You don't need to feel led, because 
you've been commanded. And if you don't do it, and you 
try to write it off as to how you felt, God doesn't care about 
how you felt. He calls you to obey. He says, 
therefore, I felt compelled and offered a burnt offering. Saul 
could go on the circuit in the evangelical world today. I felt. It's all about feelings, isn't 
it? Why do Christians do what they do today? Because it's how 
they feel. Praise God there's principled 
obedience out in the church. Praise God there are people that 
aren't governed by their feelings. That when the feelings rise up 
and they know they need to oppose them, by the grace of God they 
do. I was musing on this recently. You know, I have these tendencies 
or I have these cycles in my life. This is not any surprise 
to anybody who knows me. I'm a little melancholy from 
time to time. I'm thankful that God put it in me from the day 
of conversion that attending church was never an option. Even 
if I wasn't a pastor, by the grace of God, I would be where 
the people of God are. You know what that does to melancholy? It helps. It doesn't eradicate 
it. but it encourages. You see, attendance 
at the supper, attendance at Bible study, attendance where 
the brethren are. That's not going to make all 
your troubles go away, but it's certainly going to put you in 
the place where God Most High says you ought to be. You see, 
feelings come and feelings go, but feelings are deceiving. My 
warrant is the Word of God. None else is worth believing. 
And I don't mean to give that much autobiography, but it illustrates 
the point. We are not to be governed by 
our feelings. Feelings are going to lead you 
into bad places. Scripture doesn't lie. God's 
word doesn't err. It will not lead you astray. 
Your word is a lamp unto my feet. It is a light for my path. We 
need scripture. Not, I felt compelled. This wasn't of the spirit. The 
spirit doesn't cause Saul to feel compelled to disobey the 
word of God. That goes on today, brethren. 
People say, well, I felt compelled, or I felt the spirit leading 
me. The spirit doesn't lead contrary 
to the word of God. That can never happen. The spirit 
is the author of the word of God, and he will march you, and 
he will govern you, and he will pattern your life according to 
the scriptures of the Old and the New Testaments. So the prophet, 
God has given me the desire to make supplication to the Lord. 
Notice what Samuel says. Oh, well, you've presented your 
case. Well, I should have been quicker. I should have made it 
here faster. I shouldn't have stopped for 
that latte. I should have been where you were King Saul. It's 
not what Samuel says. Samuel doesn't say, well, I'm 
glad you went with your feelings. I'm glad you trusted your instincts. I'm glad that you just went where 
you felt led. That's not what Samuel says. 
Samuel said to Saul, you have done foolishly. He rebukes him. He reproves him. This is the 
king of Israel. He operates under the great king 
of heaven and earth. The king of Israel is subject 
to the king of heaven and earth. The king of heaven and earth 
has ordained prophets to communicate his word. And when Samuel, the 
prophet of the high king of heaven, speaks, then Saul, the king of 
Israel, is to submit. So when Saul transgresses, this 
is not a time for awards. This is not a time for commendation. This is indeed a time when Samuel 
said to Saul, you have done foolishly. The desire to do something must 
be regulated by the word of God. Because we judge something good, 
that doesn't necessarily make it good, right? because I judge that it might 
be a good thing that there's unicorns so that my grandchildren 
can play with that. That doesn't make it so any more 
than it would be a good thing if I did this. And it's contrary 
to the word of God. You see, Samuel does not commend. Samuel does not award. Samuel 
does not reward. But Samuel says you 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. Listen to 
what Gil says, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord 
hath commanded thee. It matters not whether the thing 
commanded is greater or less. It doesn't matter. I mean, it was one piece of fruit 
in the garden, right? This is one tiny piece of fruit. You hear worldlings do this, 
don't you? It's the big deal. The big deal 
is that when God the Lord speaks, the creature doesn't have the 
option to disobey. That's the big deal. He says, 
it matters not whether the thing commanded is greater or less, 
it is disobedience to the command that is the sin and is resented. This might seem a small thing 
since to offer the sacrifice was not criminal. but doing it 
before the time, a little before it should have been done, not 
waiting long enough for the prophet. Yet it being against the command 
of God, or in neglect of it, was sinful and severely chastised, 
and the rather that it might be an example to all succeeding 
kings how they offended or broke the least of God's commandments. 
And this being the first king of Israel, he was made an example 
of to the rest. You know, all those caves in 
the north and all the caves in the south. They should have remembered 
this shouldn't they? Well, I felt compelled. That 
doesn't get it, man. That is not optional in the covenant 
community. It's not optional in the world 
either. But we're dealing with the covenant community. Listen 
to Davis. He says God's prophet would give 
him God's guidance for the Philistine war. Samuel was the bearer of 
Yahweh's word and Saul's task was to wait for it. That's it. All he had to do, just wait. Instead, he proceeded without 
it. For Saul, sacrificial ritual 
was essential, but prophetic direction was dispensable. That 
is beautiful. That is absolutely spot on. Sacrificial ritual is absolutely 
necessary. But the prophetic word, eh, not 
so much, you see. Davis goes on. Saul's act or 
Saul's was an act of insubordination, a failure to submit to Yahweh's 
word through his prophet. By his action, Saul confessed 
that certain emergencies rendered Yahweh's word unnecessary. You see, I don't need to wait. Don't you realize there's 30,000 
foot soldiers and 6,000 chariots. I don't have time to wait for 
Samuel. I got to get this sacrifice done. I've got to make supplication 
to the Lord and I got to go deal with and neutralize this Philistine 
threat. Ah, but you see the man that 
you're rejecting is the very mouthpiece of the God of heaven 
and earth. the king that you are subject 
to and that you must function on behalf of. Davis continues, 
when the chips were down, kingship could function on its own. As far as Saul was concerned, 
he made the decisions about what was right and wrong. Notice the 
termination of the Saulide dynasty. You know you've heard of the 
Davidic dynasty? The way they do it for Saul is 
the Saulide or Saulide. I don't know if it's I'd or E'd, 
but if you see S-A-U-L-I-D-E, that's kind of like Davidic, 
but for Saul. So either Saulide or Saulide. What would you all 
say? Saulide, Saulide? I'd say Saulide, but I'm an American. I know we pronounce things a 
little bit different. Or maybe I've been affected by 
Canadian. I used to say semi, but it occurs 
to me that you guys say semi and I think I sometimes say that. 
So maybe it's solid or solid. Anyway, Saul's dynasty. Notice 
the end of Saul is announced. Verse 14, but now your kingdom 
shall not continue. See, God doesn't play games here 
with Saul. God does not say, well, I see 
your point, Samuel was late, and you felt led, so, you know, 
it's okay. It's our conception of God, brothers 
and sisters. We think that he's just okay 
with us sinning. He's just all right with it. 
He's gracious. He's an abundant and loving kindness. 
He forgives us. He's not okay with it. He doesn't 
just wink at it, you know, give us a little wink, wink, nudge, 
nudge. Everything's cool. No, it costs the blood of his 
own dear son to wash us and purge us from sin and iniquity. You 
see? We need to make sure we understand the exceeding vileness 
of sin. But now your kingdom shall not 
continue. The Lord has sought for himself 
a man after his own heart. This is David, isn't it? We know 
this for certain in the chapters that follow. We know it as well 
in Acts 13, 22. Paul the apostle says that this 
man after God's own heart was in fact David. So what we have 
here is already a foreshadowing of this transition period from 
Saul to David. And the Lord has commanded him 
to be commander over his people. And in case you forgot or in 
case you're struggling, because you have not kept what the Lord 
commanded you. In other words, Saul, all of 
this has come upon you because of you. You cannot blame God. You cannot blame Samuel. You 
cannot blame circumstances. You cannot blame Philistines. 
As much as we'd like to pile up guilt or heap up shame on 
those Philistines, they're not at fault here. It's you, Saul. You need to own it. You need 
to understand. Samuel does not let him forget. You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment 
of the Lord, your God, which he commanded you. Verse 13. He's 
going to take the kingdom away from you. Verse 14. He's going 
to give it to a man after his own heart. Verse 14. Why? Because 
you have not kept what the Lord commanded you. If we were Saul, 
we'd probably be saying, I know you just told me that Samuel 
is the prophet of the living and true God. You don't tell 
him, no, you don't say, I couldn't wait any longer. You can't say, 
well, you know, if you would have, no, you just do what God 
the Lord says. Now notice, finally, the demoralization 
of Israel. The demoralization. You've probably 
heard that word before. There's a lack of morale in your 
workplace. Everybody looks like, you know, 
they're miserable. Well, in Israel at this particular 
time, there is a man who knows demoralization at work. Demoralization 
is what happens. Look at what they had to deal 
with in terms of the temporal problems facing Israel in verses 
16 to 23. There was a troop reduction, 
verse 15b, right? He had 2,000. Jonathan had 1,000. 
Now Saul's got 600. That's a significant decrease 
in terms of boots on the ground. Notice, secondly, they've got 
these pesky Philistine raiders now. 16 to 18. That's not something 
we ever meet on the way through Chilliwack. Our Philistine raiders 
out to destroy, pillage, and do all manner of bad things to 
Israelites. This was not a good thing for 
Israel. Philistine raiders running roughshod 
through the people of God. That's a bad thing. Then they 
had this absence of weapons according to verses 19 to 22. The Philistines 
were a bit more technologically advanced in terms of metalwork. 
And what happens? Verse 19, there were no blacksmiths 
to be found throughout all the land of Israel. For the Philistines 
said, lest the Hebrews make swords or spears. It's pretty intelligent 
for the Philistines, isn't it? Get rid of the blacksmiths, because 
the blacksmiths make weapons. And if they make weapons, then 
the Israelites will try and fight with us. Pretty intelligent. 
And then the Philistines structured it in such a way that any Israelite 
who needed his farming implement sharpened for his work, it cost 
quite a bit of money. It was a very effective way of 
the Philistines enforcing a no-gun policy among Israelites. You see, they understood, well, 
you disarm a people and what happens? You make them your slaves, 
you make them subject, and you make them easy prey. So this 
is precisely what was going on here. So they've got a troop 
reduction, they've got Philistine raiders, they've got no weapons, 
and they've got the strategic positioning of the Philistines. 
Notice in verse 23, "...and the garrison of the Philistines went 
out to the pass of Michmash." This was a strategic location 
where they could inflict much damage upon Israel and her army. So you see, there is a demoralization 
or a morale problem in Israel at this particular time. These 
are several bad things. Troops, raiders, no weapons, 
strategic position of the Philistines. But the problem of problems that 
was facing Israel is in verse 15a. Verse 15a is the biggest 
problem facing Israel. Then Samuel arose and went up 
from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. What happened? The Prophet left 
the people. The Prophet is no longer with 
the people. The Prophet has turned his back 
upon Saul and the people. Davis, again, he says, the worst 
of Saul's liabilities, again, troops, presence of raiders, 
no weapons, strategic positioning, but the worst of Saul's liabilities 
was that he was without the guidance of Yahweh from his prophet. To 
be stripped of the direction of God's word is to be truly 
impoverished and open to destruction. You see, how quickly we would 
run over 15A. How quickly we would say, well, 
they didn't have any weapons. Man, they got these raiders. 
Man, they got this, and we got that, and we got that. They got 
no Samuel anymore. That's the problem. That's like 
your nuclear arsenal leaving you, if you're going to talk 
in terms of military strategy. To be stripped of the direction 
of God's word is to be truly impoverished and open to destruction. It is one thing, I thought this 
was beautiful, it is one thing to be in terrible distress, it 
is another to be alone in that distress. Whether it's the Philistine 
threat facing you in Gibeah of Benjamin or it's your issues 
in your life. It's one thing to be in distress, 
it's quite another to be in distress alone. You see, as the saints 
of Christ, we know that we are never alone. We know that we'll 
never walk alone. Christ is there with his people. 
Christ is in the midst of the fire. But when we reject God, 
and we reject his word, and we despise the commandment, and 
when we take ourselves out from under it, we will find ourselves 
in that worst place of all, that we are without God's presence 
or God's word. He said, Saul had isolated himself 
from what he needed most, the word of God for his way. So verse 
15 joins 1534 and 35A and 2825B as one of the saddest statements 
in the book. Saul can number the troops, but 
that is all he can do. He has lost what matters most. Samuel rose up or rose and went 
up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul is on his own. You see, 
that's the problem. That's the issue. That is what 
his sin put himself into as a result of his impatience. Well, that's 
an exposition, couple of lessons, and then probably close a little 
bit earlier tonight. First, we've already dealt with 
these, but we need to reinforce them. the problem of innovation. The king had pious motives, but 
he had an impulsive spirit. What should he have done? He 
should have waited for Samuel, right? I mean, it's easy for 
us now to say Saul, you should have just waited. But I'm sure 
someone could say that about us at some point along our lives. 
You should have just this. You should have just obeyed. 
You should have just stopped. You should have just started. 
You should have just went. You should have just not gone. 
You see, it's easy to Monday morning quarterback on this side 
of a particular scenario. We need to get it in our heads 
that God is not calling us to be innovative or creative. God 
is calling us to be obedient. It's like we talked about, you 
know, on Sunday morning. You know, instead of asking the 
question, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, just 
seek to be faithful. If you seek to be faithful, the 
question will answer itself, you see. We need to just do what 
God says. The church can have pious motives, 
but we are to wait on God specifically by relying on his word. We're 
not to try and take matters into our own hands. You know, we've 
been trying this. We've gone at God's way and nothing's 
happened. So let's bring in the pony show. 
Let's bring in the puppets. Let's bring in the jugglers. 
Let's bring in the repels or the guys who repel. Let's bring 
in the trapeze. Let's let's make this a happen 
in place. That is not what God calls us 
to do, even if we feel compelled. We are not to be innovators. We are not to be creative. We 
are to rely on the Word of God. Secondly, the necessity of obedience 
to the Word of God. If we miss that in verses 8 to 
15, then we certainly missed a big chunk of the narrative. 
The necessity of obedience to the Word of God. What happens 
to Saul? according to verse 14. Now your kingdom shall not continue. Not the legacy a king wants to 
leave, is it? A king wants to see his sons 
rise up. A king wants to see Jonathan 
take the throne. This king wants to see good things 
happen in Israel. But that's not going to happen. 
So you see, by his disobedience, he loses the kingdom. But even 
more importantly, by his disobedience, he loses the prophet of God, 
and hence, God himself. You see, disobedience does not 
bring blessing. in the people of God's lives. And then the exceeding value 
of the Word of God. I'm going to lean on Davis one 
more time. His exposition on this chapter was very, very helpful. 
But he says this concerning Saul, in this absence of the word. 
He says, this was a footnote. There's some things that aren't 
closely or directly connected, but it's a footnote. He's just 
kind of musing. He says, I cannot help but think that Saul's predicament 
is very much like that of middle and upper class churches in our 
country. A church may provide all the 
trappings people crave. Hyperkinetic programs for all 
ages of children. Fun activities for youth. Support 
groups for diverse needs. Counseling services for people 
in crisis. Aggressive visitation. A high 
quality music ministry for the talented and or interested. I like that. The interested may 
not necessarily be talented, but it's there for them. And 
yet, For all the activities and programs that church is fundamentally 
alone if it lacks the faithful preaching and teaching of the 
Word of God. He says the presence of glitz. cannot substitute for the absence 
of the word. Man, that just rings near and 
dear to my heart. I praise God for Davis, but I 
praise God for the inspired word that communicates that. What 
does God emphasize in value above all things? The psalmist actually 
says in Psalm 138, you have magnified your word above your name. And when we get to the name of 
God, Exodus 3.14, we get to the Lord's Prayer, Hallowed be thy 
name. God prizes his name. God esteems 
his name. God commands us to revere his 
name. There's a commandment built in 
the structure so that we don't blaspheme the name. But you have 
magnified your word above your name. You see, God values and 
prizes in the church, in the old covenant church, which was 
Israel, the covenant community, what he prizes is the Word. And 
that is what we need to prize as well. And then finally, and 
as I said, we will see, God willing, next week, 1 Samuel 13, the helplessness 
of Israel. But 1 Samuel 14 indicates that 
helplessness is not necessarily hopelessness, that God manifests, 
or God delights to show His power through our weakness. Well, let 
us pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
your word, and we thank you for 1 Samuel 13, for the entirety 
of the Old and the New Testaments. We know it's God-breathed. We 
know it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction. 
and for instruction in righteousness, and we pray that you would thoroughly 
furnish us unto every good work. Keep us from these sorts of responses 
when we sin. Keep us, Father, from trying 
to make excuses or trying to explain away our sin. Help us 
to confess, to forsake, and to find mercy from you and from 
your people. And go with us now, we pray, 
and bring us together on the Lord's day that we may worship 
you in spirit and truth. And we ask through Christ our 
Lord. Amen.