Getting to #1 is easier than staying there! Many athletes have discovered that; King Saul is about to. He won his first fight, but bigger battles were looming. As trials get harder, the need for submission to God grows; so does the temptation to try to control our circumstances. Saul’s missteps in a time of crisis are a warning for us today!

 What’s happened so far…

•  Saul’s reign begins after great victory over Ammonites (ch 11).
•  Samuel warns him and Israel to follow the Lord (ch 12).
•  War is brewing…between Israel and the Philistines…

Saul’s Three Missteps in Crisis (chs. 13-15)

1.      Trying to HELP God (13)

• Impatience: Acting in our own wisdom
• “God isn’t doing anything, so we have to!”

2.      Trying to CONTROL God (14)

• Jonathan: God controls his actions (1-23)
• Saul: Irrational attempt to control God (24-46)

 3.      Trying to PLAY God (15)

• A command from the time of Moses (Deut. 25:17-19)
• Incomplete obedience = Insubordination!

To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22 (NIV)

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