Painful Decisions

If you have your Bibles this morning, I want you to find 1 Samuel 15.  I want to share a message with you this morning about painful decisions.

 

If you were here last Sunday morning, you know that I introduced a Sunday morning summer sermon series.  It is about lives full of pain.

 

However, my aim is not simply to identify pains in this earthly life.  My goal is address them biblically, and show us, from God’s word, how to survive.

 

BTW…the only time and place that is pain free is eternity in heaven.  That time and place is secured only for those that receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

 

Life is full of decisions.  One “Psychology Today” estimated that we make 35,000 decisions per day.

 

Sometimes, we make painful decisions. Typically, they are painful because of the consequences, and that is true of Saul in 1 Samuel 15.

 

 

1. God’s directions and expectations are most of the time clear, 15:1-3.

 

The reason I saw most of the time is because I don’t think God tells in His word where to specifically to go to college or specifically to work or specifically how many kids to have.  However, He does tell us specifically to honor our parents and be honest and don’t murder or steal or commit adultery.

 

For Saul, God’s directions were crystal clear.  See 15:3.

 

The question that you are probably asking is why.  I asked that same question.  Isn’t this extra?  Isn’t God going overboard…the women, the babies, the animals?

 

Exodus 17:8-16, 8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.  14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; 16 for he said, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

 

But is this all?  This doesn’t sound like much.

 

Deuteronomy 25:17-18, 17 “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, 18 how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God.

 

God was angry that Amalek attacked His people?  How did he attack them?  He attacked them from behind and when they were tired and weary.

 

When God gives instructions and directions, He expects us to obey.  The challenge that you and I face is deciding whether we know better than God.

 

 

2. God hates sin, and partial obedience is sin, 15:4-25.

 

For Saul, he thought his human wisdom was better than God’s instruction. Consequently, this led him down the road of partial disobedience and a series of painful decisions.

 

Yes, he obeyed God partially.  However, partial obedience is disobedience.  

 

Instead of what God had said, what did Saul do?  Look at verse 9.

 

He spared the king and the best animals.  This was painful decision number 1.

 

When Samuel confronted him, Saul lied.  Look at verse 13.  This was painful decision number 2.

 

When pressed even further, Saul blamed his people for his own decision.  Look at verse 15.  This was painful decision number 3.

 

In verse 21, Saul tried to justify his painful decision and those of his people by pointing out the good they were going to do. This was painful decision number 4. 

 

However, notice how Samuel responded in verse 22.  Obedience is better than sacrifice. 

 

In other words, don’t brag about your obedience in some areas when your disobedience is glaring.  Don’t tell me how much you’re giving to offerings when you aren’t tithing.  Don’t tell me about how much your serving when your forsaking the assembly on Sunday mornings.  Don’t tell me how much you want to know and follow God’s will and then you’re sexually active with your boyfriend or girlfriend.

 

Saul’s last painful decision is in verse 24.  This was number five as he feared the people more than he feared God. 

 

BTW…We typically don’t just make one painful decisions.  Once we start downhill, the ball is hard to stop rolling. 

 

 

3. Saul’s decisions were most painful because they meant forfeiting God’s blessing, 15:26-35.

 

Yes, Saul confessed in verse 26.  However, it was too late.

 

Not immediately, but eventually, God would take the nation of Israel from Saul.  He would remove him as king.

 

Did God do that?  Of course He did in making David king.

 

 

Conclusion

What is God making crystal clear to you right now, and you’re not obeying completely?  Is it your money? Is it your commitment to EBC?  It is your purity or your relationships?

 

Partial obedience is disobedience.  Disobedience runs the risk of forfeiting God’s blessing.  Stop making painful decisions today.