Kings of Israel-Saul: “How We Finish Matters!”

Wk 4: A Downward Turn

1 Samuel 13:1-14

9/15/24

Justin Scarberry

Message Notes for Week 4

1 Samuel 13:1-14 NASB

Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for forty-two years over Israel.

² Now Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel, of whom two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah of Benjamin. But he sent the rest of the people away, each to his tent. ³ And Jonathan attacked the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” ⁴ And all Israel heard ^[c]the news that Saul had attacked the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become repulsive to the Philistines. Then the people were summoned to Saul at Gilgal.

⁵ Now the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people like the sand which is on the seashore in abundance; and they came up and camped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven. ⁶ When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard-pressed), then the people kept themselves hidden in caves, in crevices, in cliffs, in crypts, and in pits. ⁷ And some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him, trembling.

⁸ Now he waited for seven days, until the appointed time that Samuel had set, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. ⁹ So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. ¹⁰ But as soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. ¹¹ But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Since I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come at the appointed ^[f]time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, ¹² I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the Lord.’ So I worked up the courage and offered the burnt offering.” ¹³ But Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly! You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for the Lord would now have established your kingdom ^[i]over Israel forever. ¹⁴ But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

First 3 kings of Israel:

1. _____________________________
2. _____________________________
3. ______________________________

So far in our study of Saul, he has all the attributes we may think is best for the position.  

He is a great warrior, gives credit to God and is humble.

Saul runs into a tough situation.  He is outmatched, outnumbered, is told to wait for God and

His life is threatened.  What would you do?

Key Verses Regarding Saul

1. 1 Samuel 10:9 God changed his ________________________.
2. 1 Samuel 10:10 The Spirit of God ____________________ upon him.
3. 1 Samuel 11:6 The Spirit of the Lord _________________ on Saul.

Only specific people were designated to offer sacrifices in the Bible (descendants of Aaron). 

Saul broke this law and offered the sacrifice himself.

Instead of  _____________________________ and returning to God, Saul offered up excuses.

The Bible is not _________________________ it is relevant in today’s society.

Is the bible your guide for living?

Communion—A time to remember what Jesus did for us on the cross.

• Dan Hall is the transition team lead.  Please contact him with any questions.
• Interim pastor is in place.
• Transition Team Needs
• Areas that still need to be covered. If interested, contact Dan Hall:
  • Missions Contact— (communication with the mission the church supports in S/E Asia).
  • Janitorial—help clean the building once every 3 weeks.
  • Tech—Audio/Video and worship lyric technician.
  • IT/Hardware—manage the various connections of the service IT components.
  • Greeter—greets people upon arrival and when leaving the church.

• Kari will be replacing Christine as bookkeeper.

• A Search Team will be put together to start the process of finding a new pastor.
  • The typical time to replace a Pastor is 12-18 months. Please wait on the Lord with us!
  • The team will update the church regularly

• Prayer is a critical part of this process! Please pray continually for the board’s guidance in seeking God’s will.

1. Show the group how to access to the Study Guides from the bulletin link.

2. Who were the first 3 official (recognized by God) kings of Israel?

3. 1 Samuel 10:10 and 11:6 both say the Spirit of the Lord/God rushed on/upon Saul. What is the difference between how the Holy Spirit worked in the Old Testament vs. the New Testament?

4. Read 1 Samuel 13:1-4, who attacked the garrison in Geba? Who is he in relation to Saul?  Who got credit for attacking the garrison in Geba?  What are some ways today that we get misinformed?

5. Read 1 Samuel 13:5-9, have you ever had a time when you were waiting on God to come through and it didn’t seem like he was going to show up?  How could you look up what a burnt offering is in scripture?  What is the significance of offerings in the Old Testament?  Can anyone offer an offering?  Why or why not?

6. Read 1 Samuel 13:10-13, who are the Philistines in scripture? What are some examples that are documented?

7. If someone were to ask you, “The Bible is thousands of years old, how can it be valid today?” How could you respond to that question?  Are there any sins that are new today that the Bible does not cover?

8. Do you think the judgement for Saul’s sin was judged too harshly in verse 13? Why or why not?  Are we held to God’s commandments?  Why or why not?

9. Please continue to pray for the church leadership and God’s guidance for the future of the church.

John 3:16 NIV

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, 

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

Study Guide Link