March 28th, 2023
King David is one of the most well-known characters from the Bible, for a good reason. We read incredible stories of him killing wild animals with his bare hands, slaying giants, and defeating mighty armies. He was called a man “after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). With all of that in mind, I think many of us forget that David was not actually God’s first choice to be king over Israel. 1 Samuel 10:1 says,
“Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed [Saul] and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies.”
Saul would later have the kingdom ripped from him and given to David, because of his disobedience. What’s so interesting to me about this is that David’s life wasn’t even close to perfect. He had one of the greatest moral failings we see in the Word of God. He slept with a woman, got her pregnant, and then had her husband killed to cover it up (2 Samuel 11-12). How is it that he could still be called a man after God’s own heart? Why was the kingdom removed from Saul, but not David?
I think we get some insight into this from the way Saul and David responded to their failure. It reveals something about the heart of God that resonates thousands of years later. 1 Samuel 13:15 records King Saul’s failure, but it comes down to the fact that he disobeyed God’s commandment regarding sacrifice. Only the prophet Samuel should have been offering a burnt offering to the Lord, but on one occasion, the people became impatient, so Saul offered the sacrifice himself (1 Samuel 13:11-14).
This was his first offense against God and in reality, does it seem so bad? King Saul didn’t think so, and when Samuel confronted him, he made excuses for his actions. He explained that he was losing the people’s attention, so he “forced himself” to offer the peace offering. His sin continued along the same lines a couple of chapters later. God commanded Saul to take his armies to defeat the Amalekites and destroy everything, but he did not. 1 Samuel 15:17-21 says,
And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. And the LORD sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?” And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.”
Saul didn’t choose to keep gold or riches for himself. He didn’t choose to bring back women for the Israelite men. He just kept “the best sheep and oxen to sacrifice to God.” Does that really seem so bad? Again, he didn’t think so and even when confronted, he didn’t initially acknowledge his sin (1 Samuel 15:13 and 15:20). He argued, “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD,” but he had not. See, he didn’t destroy all of the spoils of the Amalekites because the people wanted a religious show. They were able to return with a demonstration of their own glory and victory (1 Samuel 15:7-8, 21). The problem was rooted in the fact that King Saul feared men more than he feared God (1 Samuel 14:52 and 1 Samuel 15:25).
Before he was king, Saul appeared humble. They had to forcefully bring him before the people to be anointed, but that was because he feared men’s opinion of him. When he became king, that twisted into such a desire to please people that he would disobey God for their loyalty. We cannot live to please both God and men!
Samuel’s response to Saul’s argument shows us something about God’s heart. 1 Samuel 15:22 says,
“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 listen than the fat of rams.”
Saul’s fundamental problem was his misunderstanding of God’s heart. He thought he could buy God’s favor and forgiveness with sacrifices. We have to understand that no amount of religious activity can win God’s love. That may seem obvious, but have you ever found yourself trying to do all kinds of things to make up for a mistake you made? That’s no better than Saul’s attitude toward God. There is nothing we could ever do to atone for our own sin.
We see this contrasted in King David’s response after his great moral failure. Nathan the prophet confronted him and Psalm 51 is his recorded response, as he fasted and prayed before the Lord. Psalm 51:1-2 and 16-17 says,
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!”
“For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
David understood that there was nothing that he could do to atone for his sin and while there were consequences for his actions, as there always are, he was still called a man after God’s own heart. He knew the heart of His Father, even before Jesus came. God’s desire is not sacrifice, if it’s not in obedience. Here are a couple more scriptures that echo this truth:
“To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.” (Proverbs 21:3)
“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6)
Especially as we approach Easter, I want to encourage you to remember God’s heart. Jesus paid a debt He did not owe to satisfy a debt we could not pay. The Lamb of God laid His life down as a willing sacrifice, unlike every lamb that was slain before Him. No one took Jesus’ life from Him. He poured it out, for us. Moral failings are not necessary and certainly not our expectation. However, the failings of Saul and David show us God’s heart for redemption. No one is perfect before Him, and salvation and sanctification only come through the understanding that there is nothing we could ever do to earn them. We will never walk in holiness, in the power of His Spirit, without the revelation that our lives were purchased by His grace alone. We look to the Lamb of God—not just the man on the cross, but the triumphant King, seated forever on the throne of David. He is our example. God has never desired our religious service. He wants our love, our devotion, and our wholehearted obedience. God isn’t looking for servants. He’s bringing home sons!
“Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed [Saul] and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies.”
Saul would later have the kingdom ripped from him and given to David, because of his disobedience. What’s so interesting to me about this is that David’s life wasn’t even close to perfect. He had one of the greatest moral failings we see in the Word of God. He slept with a woman, got her pregnant, and then had her husband killed to cover it up (2 Samuel 11-12). How is it that he could still be called a man after God’s own heart? Why was the kingdom removed from Saul, but not David?
I think we get some insight into this from the way Saul and David responded to their failure. It reveals something about the heart of God that resonates thousands of years later. 1 Samuel 13:15 records King Saul’s failure, but it comes down to the fact that he disobeyed God’s commandment regarding sacrifice. Only the prophet Samuel should have been offering a burnt offering to the Lord, but on one occasion, the people became impatient, so Saul offered the sacrifice himself (1 Samuel 13:11-14).
This was his first offense against God and in reality, does it seem so bad? King Saul didn’t think so, and when Samuel confronted him, he made excuses for his actions. He explained that he was losing the people’s attention, so he “forced himself” to offer the peace offering. His sin continued along the same lines a couple of chapters later. God commanded Saul to take his armies to defeat the Amalekites and destroy everything, but he did not. 1 Samuel 15:17-21 says,
And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. And the LORD sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?” And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.”
Saul didn’t choose to keep gold or riches for himself. He didn’t choose to bring back women for the Israelite men. He just kept “the best sheep and oxen to sacrifice to God.” Does that really seem so bad? Again, he didn’t think so and even when confronted, he didn’t initially acknowledge his sin (1 Samuel 15:13 and 15:20). He argued, “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD,” but he had not. See, he didn’t destroy all of the spoils of the Amalekites because the people wanted a religious show. They were able to return with a demonstration of their own glory and victory (1 Samuel 15:7-8, 21). The problem was rooted in the fact that King Saul feared men more than he feared God (1 Samuel 14:52 and 1 Samuel 15:25).
Before he was king, Saul appeared humble. They had to forcefully bring him before the people to be anointed, but that was because he feared men’s opinion of him. When he became king, that twisted into such a desire to please people that he would disobey God for their loyalty. We cannot live to please both God and men!
Samuel’s response to Saul’s argument shows us something about God’s heart. 1 Samuel 15:22 says,
“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 listen than the fat of rams.”
Saul’s fundamental problem was his misunderstanding of God’s heart. He thought he could buy God’s favor and forgiveness with sacrifices. We have to understand that no amount of religious activity can win God’s love. That may seem obvious, but have you ever found yourself trying to do all kinds of things to make up for a mistake you made? That’s no better than Saul’s attitude toward God. There is nothing we could ever do to atone for our own sin.
We see this contrasted in King David’s response after his great moral failure. Nathan the prophet confronted him and Psalm 51 is his recorded response, as he fasted and prayed before the Lord. Psalm 51:1-2 and 16-17 says,
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!”
“For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
David understood that there was nothing that he could do to atone for his sin and while there were consequences for his actions, as there always are, he was still called a man after God’s own heart. He knew the heart of His Father, even before Jesus came. God’s desire is not sacrifice, if it’s not in obedience. Here are a couple more scriptures that echo this truth:
“To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.” (Proverbs 21:3)
“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6)
Especially as we approach Easter, I want to encourage you to remember God’s heart. Jesus paid a debt He did not owe to satisfy a debt we could not pay. The Lamb of God laid His life down as a willing sacrifice, unlike every lamb that was slain before Him. No one took Jesus’ life from Him. He poured it out, for us. Moral failings are not necessary and certainly not our expectation. However, the failings of Saul and David show us God’s heart for redemption. No one is perfect before Him, and salvation and sanctification only come through the understanding that there is nothing we could ever do to earn them. We will never walk in holiness, in the power of His Spirit, without the revelation that our lives were purchased by His grace alone. We look to the Lamb of God—not just the man on the cross, but the triumphant King, seated forever on the throne of David. He is our example. God has never desired our religious service. He wants our love, our devotion, and our wholehearted obedience. God isn’t looking for servants. He’s bringing home sons!
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