When God Said He Was Sorry, Was He Made a Mistake?.. 1Sam15

When God said HE was sorry that HE had made Saul king, HE was saying HE had made a mistake? 

God's comment was an expression of sorrow, not an admission of error. An omniscient God cannot make a mistake; therefore, God did not change His mind. HE did, however, change HIS attitude toward Saul when Saul changed. Saul's heart no longer bellonged to God but to his own interest.

Saul thought he had won a great victory over the Amalekites, but God saw it as a great failure because Saul had disobeyed HIM and then lied to Samuel about the result of the battle. Saul may have thought his lie would not be detected, or that what he did was not wrong. Saul was deceiving himself.

Dishonest people soon, begin to believe the lies they construct aroung themselves. Then they lose the ability to tell the difference between truth and lies. By believing your own lies, you deceive yourself, you allienate yourself from God, and you lose credibility in all your relationships. In the long run, honesty wins out.

Why Sometimes Ungodly People Win Battles?.. 1Sam14

Why was Saul so successful right after he had disobeyed God and been told that his reign would end. Sometimes ungodly people win the battles. Victory is neither guaranteed nor limited to the righteous. God provides according to HIS will. God might have given Saul success for the sake of the people, not for Saul. HE may have left Saul on the throne for a while to utilize his military talents so that David, Israel's next king, could spend more time focusing on the nation's spiritual battles. Regardless of God's reasons for delaying Saul's demise, his reign ended exactly the way God had foretold. The timing of God's plans and promises id known only to HIM. Our task is to commit our ways to God and then trust HIM for the outcome.

Courage to Admit a Mistake.. 1Sam14

After being King for several years, Saul finally built his first altar to God, but only as a last resort. Throughout Saul's reign he consistently approached God only after he had tried everything else. This was in sharp contrast to the priest, who suggested that God be consulted first. How much better if Saul had gone to God first, building an altar as his first official act as king. God is to great to be an afterthought. 

Saul made foolish vows because he was overly anxious to defeat the Philistines and wanted to give his soldiers an incentive to finish the batlle quickly. God never asked people to make vows, but if they did, HE expected them to keep them.

Saul had issued a ridiculous command and had driven his men to sin. But still he wouldnt back down even if he had to kill his son. When we make ridiculous statements, it is difficult to admit we are wrong. Sticking to the story, just to save face, only compounds the problem. It takes more courage to admit a mistake than to hold resolutely to an error.

God is never intimidate by the size or the complexity of a problem.. 1Sam14

Why would Jonathan go alone to attack the Philistines? Jonathan may have been weary of long, hopeless standoff in the battle; he trusted God to give the victory and wanted to act on that trust. He also knew that the number of Philistines was no problem for God. Perhaps he didnt tell his father about his mission because he thought Saul would not lethim go.

Jonathan and his armor bearer were not much of a force to attack the huge philistines army. But while everyone else was afraid and brave action of these two men with a tremendous victory.

Have you ever felt surrounded by the enemy or faced overwhelming odds? God is never intimidated by the size of the enemy or the complexity of a problem. With HIM, there are always enough resources you have to God, and rely upon you to victory.

God uses delays to test our obedience and patience.. 1Sam13

Rather than waiting for a priest, Saul offered the sacrifice himself. This was againts God's laws. Under pressure from the approaching Philistines, he took matters into his own hands and disobeyed God. He was doing a good thing , but he did it in the wrong way. 

Like Saul, our true spiritual character is revealed under pressure. The methods we use to accomplish our goals are as important as the attainment of those goals.

It is difficult to trust God when you feel your resources slipping away. When Saul felt that the time was running out, he became impatient with God's timing. In thinking that the ritual was all he needed, he substituted the ritual for faith in God. 

When faced with a difficult decision, dont allow impatience to drive you to disobey God. When you know what God's wants, follow HIS plan regardless of the consequences. God often uses delays to test our obedience and patience.

Saul had plenty of excuses for his disobedience. But Samuel zeroed in on the real issue. "you have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you". Like Saul, we often gloss over our mistakes and sins, trying to justify our actions because of our 'special' circumstances. Our excuses, however, are nothing more than disobedience. 

God knows our true motive, HE forgives, restores, and blesses only when we are honest about our sins. By trying to hide his sins behind excuses, Saul lost his kingship.