KING SAUL’S EXAMPLE

1 Samuel chapter 13






Today we are walking in: King Saul’s Example




Gen 1:15

And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light H215 upon the earth: and it was so.


light


Today we look to the word H215 owr--to be or become light, shine; to become light (day); to shine (of the sun)

to become bright; to be illuminated; to become lighted up; to give light, shine (of sun, moon, and stars); light up, cause to shine, shine; to kindle, light


The Torah testifies...............

Exo 13:21

And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; H215 to go by day and night:

Num 8:2

Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light H215 over against the candlestick.


The prophets proclaim..................

Ezr 9:8

And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten H215 our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.



Neh 9:12

Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light H215 in the way wherein they should go.



The writings bear witness...........................

Psa 105:39

He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light H215 in the night.


Consider what happened to King Saul when he refused to obey the Word of The Most High:


And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the The Most High thy The Most High, which he commanded thee: for now would the The Most High have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the The Most High hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the The Most High hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the The Most High commanded thee. (1 Samuel 13:13-14)


The prophet Samuel warned Saul, saying “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of The Most High.” King Saul had acted on his own wisdom and initiative, refusing to wait patiently to fulfill the Word of The Most High. From that moment onward, Saul was on a downward spiral.


King Saul never recovered from his lofty way of thinking about himself; he never truly repented for following his own carnal wisdom and desires. As a result, King Saul gradually became more troubled, more unpredictable, more angry and hateful. His understanding eventually became so dark that he sought for wisdom from a witch — a woman with a familiar spirit, a spiritist (1 Samuel 28:7-25).


Saul’s example is a warning for us today!


Rejecting the Word of The Most High is a very serious thing (1 Samuel 15:23). The dark and deceptive pathway that Saul chose led him further downward. Saul eventually violated The Most High’s instruction, by consulting a spiritist [a witch] (Deuteronomy 18:9-12; Leviticus 19:31). This was a grievous violation of the Word of The Most High, and illustrates the eventual outcome of those who embrace the worldly wisdom of Egypt!


Be Alert!


It is good to yearn for understanding of the things of Messiah’s eternal kingdom (see 2 Corinthians 4). Yet we must be vigilant to learn for ourselves, the true, undefiled wisdom that comes from The Most High’s written Scriptures! And then we must be willing to follow the simplicity of what The Most High’s written WORD actually says.


The wrong pathways are those that appeal to our natural, human understanding, pathways that ‘seem’ to be wise and right, but contradict the written Scriptures.


We need to be very guarded against accepting any spiritual ‘awakening’ or spiritual ‘fire’ or spiritual ‘wisdom’ that is a mixture of darkness and light. Receiving false spiritual enticements will cause us to stumble spiritually, bring curses into our lives, and prevent us from walking with Messiah, who is the true ‘Light of Life.’


We must love the Truth of the written Word of The Most High, so that we will avoid the strong delusions of spiritual mixtures (see 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12)!


Walking in Darkness


Yahushua Messiah tells us:
If a man walk in the night, he stumbles, because there is no light in him. (John 11:10)


Yahushua is telling us that if we are walking, or living our lives, in ‘the night,’ or in spiritual darkness, then we will stumble, because there is no light [no Truth] in us! Living in spiritual darkness causes stumbling!


Only by studying the Words of Messiah for ourselves [all the written Words of Scripture], with the enlightenment from the Holy Spirit — only by a firm commitment to obey The Most High’s WORDS, and none other — can we then begin to be alert to dangerous spiritual mixtures. This is key to avoid stumbling!


Yahushua tells us how to avoid walking in darkness:


Then spake Yahushua … saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)


Those who follow [obey] Yahushua, and His Words, will NOT walk in darkness! They will have the LIGHT of Life!


To follow Yahushua Messiah, is to walk in His path. To follow Messiah is to do what He did, and avoid what He avoided.


Spiritual Darkness is Very Dangerous! Spiritual darkness prevents us from seeing the incorruptible LIGHT and truth of Yahushua’s message! Spiritual darkness prevents us from recognizing the great importance of what King David said: “I have kept [guarded] the ways of The Most High, and have not wickedly departed from my Elohim!” (Psalms 18:21)


The Prophets: Isaiah, Hosea, Jeremiah


The prophet Isaiah gives us an important standard for Believers in Yahushua Messiah:


To the law [the Torah] and to the testimony [the words and life-witness of Yahushua and His Disciples]: if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no Light in them. (Isaiah 8:20)


This verse teaches us that if we embrace a spiritual ‘wisdom’ from those who do not speak according to the complete Word of The Most High – both the Torah (the Old Testament), and the Testimony of Yahushua Messiah (The New Testament) – then it is a worldly ‘wisdom’ having NO light, thus NO truth! Those who reject the validity of the Torah and its importance to the New Testament have forsaken ‘the patience of the saints’: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of The Most High, and the faith of Yahushua” (Revelation 14:12; see also Revelation 12:17).


To have ‘No Light’ is to be in the darkness of ignorance, deception, and bondage! Receiving spiritual guidance that is not in agreement with the full counsel of The Most High’s written Word, is feeding on a spiritual mixture.


The Most High warns us further through the prophet Hosea, telling us that it is The Most High’s people who are ‘destroyed‘ because they lack the knowledge of Abba’s written WORD, and because they have rejected The Most High’s law [the Torah] (Hosea 4:6)!


The prophet Jeremiah gives us another warning, telling us that those who refuse to hear The Most High’s Words are those who walk in the imagination of their heart, and are actually walking after other gods — such people are ‘good for nothing!‘ (Jeremiah 13:10)


These are sobering warnings! We need to earnestly consider the seriousness of Abba’s warnings! (See also these warnings: Leviticus 18:3; 20:23; Deuteronomy 12:30-31; Isaiah 47:12-14; Jeremiah 10:2; Ezekiel 20:32.)


To avoid darkness and bondage, we must pursue spiritual guidance that is in complete agreement with all the Words of the Bible, because “ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of The Most High, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). The Most High’s written WORD is the only en-LIGHT-en-ment that is true and undefiled!