The Path of Disobedience

The Path of Disobedience

I Samuel 28:15 And Samuel said to Saul Why hast thou disquieted me to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed, for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams; therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do

Introduction:?

Unbelievable! Samuel up from the dead! The man who as king had rid Israel of witches has consulted a witch! What happened? If we think back more than a decade, Saul had been admonished twice by Samuel for disobeying God. Then God gave him another chance. God had been patient with the Amalekites for hundreds of years, but now their time was up. He ordered Saul to destroy all the Amalekites and even all their animals. Saul went and killed all the Amalekites except one, the king whom he brought back to Israel. He destroyed all the bad animals but brought back the best, claiming that they were to be offerings to God. Samuel told him that to obey was better than sacrifice, and that his kingdom would be given to another man who would obey God. In the following chapter, Samuel anointed David as the future king of Israel privately. Saul was then troubled by an evil spirit which left him when David played his harp. Then David killed Goliath and let the army of Israel. Saul became insanely jealous and spent the next decade trying to destroy David, God’s anointed, although David had been loyal to him and spared his life on two occasions.

David backslid and went over to the Philistines for about a year. The Philistines decided to attack Israel, and David was to protect the head of the king of Gath. When Saul saw the great army of the Philistines he was terrified. He tried to get answers from God, but God did not answer – by dreams, by the high priest, or by prophets. In desperation, Saul asked to see a witch even though he had supposedly removed them from Israel. His own men told him of one at Endor. He consulted her and asked her to bring up Samuel from the dead.

This is a unique place in the Bible, because we cannot communicate with the dead, and any communication would necessitate contacting evil spirits through occult means. However, it appears that it might be really Samuel here. Pastor Sexton makes an excellent point. If the departed dead could come up from hell, they would empty hell. And if they were in heaven, they would not want to come back to earth.

The witch was shocked that this apparently really was Samuel, and she was terrified that she had done this séance for Saul, the very man who had removed witchcraft from Israel. Samuel addressed Saul, admonished him for disturbing Samuel from the world after death, and then told him that the next day he would die and the Philistines would kill his sons.

The Bible clearly states that Saul was killed because of his disobedience, first in disobeying God’s commands to eradicate the Amalekites and then in seeking a familiar spirit. His disobedience was not punished immediately, but after a decade of trying to kill the very man God had anointed as his future replacement. Saul did not seek to rectify the situation with the Lord during those years. Instead, he continued pursuing the Lord’s anointed future king. This lead to his untimely death as well as the death of his sons. We will find the same is true for us. If we start down the path of disobedience, it may not seem important at the beginning, but the end leads to disaster. As time goes on, we get farther and farther from the Lord, and the end of the way is death.

The reason for walking in obedience:

Of course, because we know that God punishes disobedience, we can obey out of fear for the consequences. However, there is a higher motive. We should obey out of love for the Lord. It is the same with a child and his parents. He may obey out of fear, but it certainly is better to obey because he loves his parents and wants to please them. Jesus said: John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. The apostle Paul writes: II Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead. 15. And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. I John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not make perfect in love.

The results of walking in obedience:

In Deuteronomy, God encourages us to obey. Deuteronomy 11:26-28 Behold, I set before you a blessing and a curse; a blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you this day: and a curse if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the commandment which I command you this day, to go after gods which ye have not known. It is really quite simple: obedience brings God’s blessing and disobedience brings a curse from God. We find these outlined in detail in both Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.

We can rejoice from walking in the path of obedience: I John 2:28 and now, little children, abide in him that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. Moses left the pleasures and possessions of Egypt and looked forward to the rewards coming to God’s people. He recognized that the pleasure of sin is but for a season. Hebrews 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25. Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. Disobedience may or may not lead to pleasure, but it is only for a season. Moses made the right choice, and so should we. The pleasures of obedience are the blessings of God on our life now and forever.

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