We've been studying the topic of prayer the last several weeks and originally the last sermon last week was going to be the last sermon in the series. Then I got to thinking there is this one classic story in the Old Testament that really does have a lot to say about prayer and how we approach the whole matter of prayer. I thought it would be worth revisiting this classic story but put it in that context of understanding and appreciating what it says to us about prayer. In speaking of prayer, you know, somebody like Robert Chaffee, famous circuit riding preacher in the 1800s, was a man of prayer who walked in close fellowship with God, a man whose reputation was pretty much he could just talk with God about anything at any time. But suppose that you, in contrast to Robert Chaffee, found yourself in a situation where you had not really been maintaining close fellowship with God, not really walking with God as you should, not really praying as you should, not really perhaps as attuned to his will for your life as ought to be. But then suddenly, suddenly an emergency arises in your life. Maybe you're confronted with an important decision about a job change that you didn't anticipate and now you don't know what to do. Should you take the new job or stick with the old job and you feel a little awkward about suddenly running into God's presence and seeking his guidance now since prior to this you really hadn't been walking in fellowship with him and seeking his guidance but now you want his guidance? Or maybe suddenly a witnessing opportunity presents itself to you. You don't quite have the boldness you need, or you don't feel comfortable that you've got the right words, and you don't quite know what to say, and you'd like to offer a quick silent prayer to God, asking for God to help you through this witnessing opportunity. But you know you're really out of touch with God. And so now suddenly to go running into God's presence real quick and say, God, I need you now, may feel a little awkward. And so it is today, we're going to revisit the story of a man who was out of fellowship with God, who was not living in obedience to God's will for his life, but then suddenly found that he really needed God. Before we actually look at the story, though, and its lessons for us, would you join me for a word of prayer? Let's pray. Our Father, we thank you for the opportunity we have this morning to look at the scriptures. And as we revisit this classic passage, We pray that the principles that are here will strike home in our own hearts and lives, will see the truth, and help us to see our lives in light of that truth. And Lord, help us to walk in truth. On this we ask in Christ's name, amen. I wanted to begin simply by revisiting the narrative. It's somewhat of a lengthy narrative we find in 1 Samuel, chapter 28. We'll take it a few verses at a time. We'll pause to make a few comments here and there. The narrative begins, 1 Samuel, chapter 28, verses 1 through 3. We're told, it came to pass in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for war, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men. And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of my head forever. Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land. Paul's here. We're kind of given a little backdrop to the narrative that's about to unfold. We see the Philistines are gathered together for warfare. And so that's part of the backdrop of what's happening. In verse 3, we get another key piece of backdrop, and that is Samuel is gone and he's dead. And also, King Saul has removed from the land those effeminate spirits and wizards. A person has a familiar spirit. That's Old Testament terminology for a person who claims to have the ability to communicate with the dead. Necromancy in general. Some kind of medium. So that's what that means when it says a person with a familiar spirit. Likewise it mentions putting wizards out of the land. A wizard again would be somebody that claims to be able to communicate with the spiritual realm through the means of a specific spirit guide. Much as in the modern concept and the new age movement, how they have channelers and there's supposedly a spirit guide who will channel through them and speak through them. And so that's what a wizard was in the ancient world. And so the necromancers are the mediums and the spirit channelers. He said, you know, the law of Moses says put that away and he clears them from the land. Continuing on in verse 4, we're told in verse 4, And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Geboa. We're given here some geographic background here. This battle is taking place along the Jezreel valley. Now Shunem, where the Philistines are located, is on the northern side of the valley. Geboa, where Saul and the Israelites are camping, is on the south side of the valley. So one group to the north, one group to the south. That major Jezreel valley, which is absolutely central to the life of the nation, that's what is going to be in dispute. Verses 5-7 the narrative continues, When Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor, So Saul now is, you know, seeking some guidance. You've got this battle. I need some guidance. I need some sense of direction. And he can't find what he needs. And so his servants say, well, there is this witch that has managed to survive, obviously, that didn't get, you know, put away by Saul. But she's in Endor. Endor is on the northern side of that valley of Jezreel, just behind Shunem. In other words, it is behind enemy lines. So Saul wants to consult with this witch. He is going to have to sneak past the enemy lines. But you're going to see if that's what it takes. And Saul will do it, because he's desperate for answers. So the king is going to sneak by. And that, by the way, will explain why he's doing it the way he's doing it, as the narrative unfolds. Pick up at verse 8 and following. Verse 8 and following. And Saul disguised himself and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night, and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards out of the land. Wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life to cause me to die. And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice. And the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? For thou art Saul. And the king said unto her, Be not afraid, for what Saul is thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up, and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel. And he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed himself. Pause here. You notice again, he tells you, this is who I want you to bring back. I want you to bring back the prophet Samuel. And when Samuel actually comes back, we're told that the woman screams. Why does she scream? Isn't she in the business of bringing back the dead all the time? Obviously not really so. She's a fake and a fraud. She's used to working, for example, in association with demons who might impersonate the dead, but this is no impersonator. Somebody has really come back from the dead and she is startled. That right there tells you something about how fake this is. Now, of course, there could have been people who also just plain faked it. That was very common in America in the early 1900s. Seances became all the rage for a while, and there were a lot of people out. They were just faking it, and I'm sure some were involved in the occult and demonism. Some were just faking it, making a fast buck. Harry Houdini, the famous magician, crusaded against that and said, we need a consumer protection law. This is a fraud. These people are lying to people, and I can prove Anybody can make it sound like somebody's talking to the dead. But in this case, no fake here, no fraud, no demon impersonator. Samuel actually comes back, and this is why she screams. Now, when Saul says, well, wait a minute, what do you see? In the latter part of verse 13, she said, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. Now, again, the way this is translated in English, that might be a little confusing to you. The Hebrew terminology that is actually used here, simply refers to some kind of being that is superhuman or supernatural, not of this world. In other words, not a material being, but a spiritual being. So I'm seeing a real human soul. Which normally, of course, you wouldn't see anyway, because they're not material. But somehow, I'm seeing this human soul, and I can actually see him. So that's what she's conveying here, that this is a supernatural thing that's happening here. And by the way, you will observe the repeated references to coming up, and even the latter part of verse 13, coming up out of the earth. Which again is a reminder for us where saved people went in the Old Testament era prior to the resurrection of Christ when they died. Their souls went to a place of paradise down in the heart of the earth. So you observe that Samuel is not coming down from heaven, he's coming up out of the earth. True enough, when they buried him they would have put his body in the earth, but this isn't his body. This is his soul and it was what was down in the heart of the earth. So he's coming back from paradise in the heart of the earth. And then we continue picking up with verse 15 and following. Verse 15, And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed, for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets nor dreams. Therefore I have called thee, that thou mightest make known unto me what I shall do. Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the Lord hath done to him as he spake by me, for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to David. Because thou obeyedest not the voice of the Lord, nor executed his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover, the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me. The Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines. Then Saul fell straightway all along the earth, and was sore afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no bread all day, nor all the night. And so bottom line is Samuel says, you're going to die in battle tomorrow. In fact, you and your sons are all going to die. You're going to go down and defeat, and then you'll be with me. By the way, I think the terminology of Samuel there is quite interesting, quite instructive. Notice that Samuel didn't simply say, tomorrow you'll be dead, or you'll be buried, or you'll be in the realm of the dead. No ambiguous expression, you'll be in the realm of the dead. But more specifically, you'll be with me. And where was Samuel? In paradise. Samuel clearly was a saved man. And so while many people dispute the issue of whether or not Saul was even a saved man, I would take this as an indication that he was a saved man because this is a very specific statement. Not a general you'll be dead, but you'll be with me. So I would lean in direction, he's a saved man, which makes this whole narrative even more instructive for us because, again, we're talking about he was truly a saved person who's not really walking in fellowship with God, and now he needs God. In that regard, then, that really is the first observation we make as we've worked our way through the story. The first thing that the story highlights is, yeah, he really does need a God. Again, notice the first part of verse one. Though it came to pass in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare to fight against Israel. And if you notice verse four, we're told the Philistines gathered themselves together and came and pitched in Shunem. The picture that we are given here is not of a simple border skirmish. Those were quite common in ancient Israel. The Philistines, little border skirmish with the Israelites. That was happening all the time. But based on the geographic information, this is the Philistines not fighting on the borders, trying to expand a little bit. We'll gain a mile or two back and forth, and we'll raid some neighboring villages. This is them going right into the heart of Israelite territory where, you know, a lot of crops are grown, the Jezreel Valley, a lot of wealth and resources there, and major trade routes. Whoever controls the Jezreel Valley controls the major highway right through the land of Israel and all the wealth that comes with it. So this is not a minor battle. This is a major battle for the control of all of northern Israel. So this is why the need is so great. This is why there's such urgency. Saul wouldn't have been panicked over a border skirmish losing a little village or two. He's panicked because he's about to lose control of the whole Jezreel Valley and half the nation and all the prosperity and wealth that comes with that. So then on this occasion, what was his response? Well, as you can see, he seeks God. Or does he? Does he really seek out God? You know, that's an important question, because like Saul, I think we often find ourselves in trouble, then we go running to God, and we find great comfort in the promises of Scripture, such as that in Proverbs 8, 17. Those that seek me early shall find me. Or a promise like that in Jeremiah 29, verses 12-14, Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you, and ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart, and I will be found of you, says the Lord. And so we comfort ourselves with the promises of Scripture. Hey, when you seek God, you know, you call and He'll hear and He's going to respond. The problem is, The problem is that when we go running to God, we often are not really seeking for God. See, the promise of Scripture is, you'll find me if you're seeking for me. He does not merely say, you'll find me if you come to me. He said, you'll find me if you're looking for me. In this case, yes, Saul went to God, but he was not sincerely looking for God. There are a number of reasons we know this. A lot of tips and cues in the text that shows us what is the real mentality of Saul, what his true values are, what his true motivations are. Three key reasons I would suggest is why we know that he is insincere in his search for God. First of all, we know that his search by God is motivated more by the fear of the consequences of his sin than any kind of sorrow or brokenness or contrition over his sin. Make no mistake, what is happening is a consequence of his sin. Notice again the wording of verse 18. What does Samuel tell Saul? In verse 18, Because thou obeyest not the voice of the Lord, nor executed his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee. So what is happening is clearly a consequence of his sin. Even before running to Samuel, he must have known this was because of his sin. Because Samuel had previously prophesied that this day, this punishment would come. He knew he had sinned against God. He knew that the Day of Reckoning was going to come someday. So when this circumstance arises, and he is terrified, he knows these are the chickens coming home to roost. These are consequences of my sin. And yet, knowing he has sinned, it is his sin that is at the root of everything that's happening here. What is his response? Well, notice again the wording of verse five, verse five. And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart greatly troubled. What are we told here? What moves him, what concerns him is his fear of the Philistines. not sorrow over his sin. We're not told Saul is concerned and he's greatly troubled because of his sin. He's troubled because he sees a massive Philistine army. Likewise, jump down to verse 20 again. Notice the wording of verse 20. Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth and was sore afraid because of the words of Samuel. What makes him afraid? What calls forth this emotional response? His fear over Samuel's words, not any sense of brokenness or contrition over his sin. In other words, there's a text saying, and Saul, as he realized the ramifications of his sin, was broken and came clean with God. Nothing about that. I'm just afraid. I'm afraid of the consequences. As we know, As we know, mere sorrow does not constitute repentance. So even if there had been an emotional response of sorrow versus, say, in this case, fear, even that would not necessarily indicate true biblical repentance, right? What Paul tells us, in fact, in 2 Corinthians 7, verses 9-10, he tells us that the sorrow of the world worketh death. Repentance is not just an emotion. Emotions come and go. Emotions are fleeting. The emotion of sorrow does not repentance constitute. And we could observe further that mere external acts of contrition do not equal repentance. Hold your place here and let me remind you what the prophet Joel tells us in Joel chapter two. Joel chapter 2 verses 12-13. Joel chapter 2 verses 12-13. Here we find a nation that is facing the consequences of their sin as God judges the nation. He sent a horrendous locust plague that just devoured the crops and the land. and what should have been the response of the people on this occasion. In Joel chapter 2 verse 12-13, he says, Therefore also now, says the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning, and rend your heart, not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God. For he is gracious, and merciful, and slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. There is a call here for biblical repentance. Yes, you know, a person who has repented, who has broken over sin may express the emotion of sorrow. So he says, yeah, turn to me with weeping and with mourning. But at the end of the day, the most important thing I'm looking for is for the rending and the tearing of your heart, not the mere tearing of your garments. You can go through all the motions, but if the heart is not in it, it means nothing. And so I'm absolutely convinced that had there been some simple religious ritual that King Saul could have performed, just offer a sacrifice, maybe do some kind of ceremonial cleansing from the law of Moses, conduct or attend some kind of worship service, Saul would have been only too happy to do that. If that's all I have to do, and then I got God's attention and we're good, he'd have been happy to do that. But alas, the one thing The one and only thing that God truly desired from Saul, he was unwilling to give. Brokenness over his sin. Seen with King Saul, that was the one non-negotiable. I don't give up. the sin in my own heart and life. I won't be broken over it. I might be angry about it. I might be upset about it. I might be afraid because of it, but I'm not broken because of it. In this regard, I fear sometimes we can get it backward in our own lives. We act as if somehow God is unable to answer prayers and meet needs in our life. Or if it's not that he's unable, we think that he is unwilling to give generously in our lives. And thus it is, we treat God as if He were some kind of Scrooge-like figure with this massive table just overflowing with a bounty of the feast of His riches and His wisdom. And we, we are like mere beggars, hoping against hope that He might, however begrudgingly, toss us a small piece of bread or a crumb. But the problem is not with God. or any unwillingness on his part. The problem is with us because often we are unwilling to part with our sin. Again, hold your place in First Samba, but let me remind you of the classic statement of Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 59. In Isaiah chapter 59, this is Isaiah's indictment of the nation. He gets right to the heart of the problem. How often, of course, we always want to throw the blame elsewhere, and so it was with Isaiah's contemporaries. So Isaiah gets to the truth of the matter. Let's put the blame where it actually goes. Isaiah 59, verses 1 through 2. Isaiah 59, 1 through 2. Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." See, that's the problem. It's not that God can't save. It's not that God can't hear. It's that we won't let go of our sins. And so it was with King Saul. Here the nation is facing a major threat. It's not that God can't deliver Israel. It's that Saul is not broken over his sin. So the bottom line is this. How do you know when you come into the presence of God? How do you know when you are really seeking God? You'll know by the attitude in your heart and life toward your sin. God is holy. He cannot, will not abide sin. Thus, if you truly want God, then you cannot simultaneously be wanting your sin. Because your sin and the fellowship with God are mutually exclusive concepts. You look at your heart and see the attitude toward the sin and that will tell you whether you're really seeking the God. So you might be going through the motions, you might be running to God, you might be talking to God, you might be praying, but you're not seeking God if you've not repented. That was the problem with Saul. This is why we know he was insincere. There is yet a second reason we know that King Saul is very insincere. And that is ultimately because he was motivated more by the idea of what he could get out of God than for a desire for God himself. You see this, for example, in the wording of verse six. Notice again, the wording of the first part of the verse here. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not. For Saul, what is the key problem? What's the key dilemma he's facing? Well, I sought the Lord, but the Lord didn't answer. My problem is I'm not getting an answer from God. To him, that was the problem. I'm not getting an answer from God. You see, Saul was really only after an answer. In this case, the answer would be in the form of some kind of military advice and strategy, how to handle this situation, how I can defeat the Philistines. I need military expertise. So I need some guidance. I need some wisdom. So what I'm looking for is an answer. Essentially, he saw God as his genie in a lamp. Just rub the lamp and out pops my answer from God. So he's looking for a military strategy. He's not looking for God. Sure, he wants the wisdom of God, but not a genuine walk with God. And thus we find once again that the one thing that God really wants, Saul, is unwilling to give. What is it Micah tells us? Micah 6, 8. He has showed thee, O man, what is good. And what did the Lord require of thee? But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. That's all God wanted out of Saul. He wanted Saul to walk with him. Saul wasn't interested in walking with God. He just wanted what he could get out of God. And thus, notice an interesting contrast in Scripture. We saw here in the first part of verse 6, we're told that Saul inquired of the Lord. Hold your place there, though. Look at the parallel account we find in Chronicles. First Chronicles chapter 10. First Chronicles chapter 10 is interesting in the way we get the parallel account, verses 13 through 14. First Chronicles chapter 10, verses 13 through 14. First Chronicles 10 verse 13 through 14 kind of sums up, it tells a story and then it sums it up and why in the end he died in that battle and it didn't go well for him. We're told that, so Saul died for his transgression, which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit to inquire of it, and inquired not of the Lord. Therefore he slew him and turned the kingdom unto David, the son of Jesse. As you notice, okay, now why did God let this happen? Well, one thing, it was His disobedience to the word of the Lord. He didn't obey God, and that's what Samuel mentioned. But then, the author of Chronicles says there's another reason. It's just kind of the reasons compound. It's also because, as he says in verse 14, He did not inquire of the Lord. Well, wait a minute. 1 Samuel 28 says, and when Saul inquired of the Lord. And in 1 Chronicles 10.14 says, and he inquired not of the Lord. So initially you're thinking, wait a minute, is this a contradiction in Scripture? So did he inquire or did he not inquire? So there's no actual contradiction here. 1 Samuel is giving us more just a kind of just the facts kind of narrative. Second, here's what he did. He went and he inquired of the Lord. The first Chronicles is giving us an interpretation of those facts. Yes, he went through the motions of inquiring of the Lord, but since his heart was not in it, since he really wasn't seeking of God, he was more just looking what he could get out of God, he wasn't really inquiring of the Lord. So what Chronicles is doing is it's interpreting the actions and reminding us you can go through the motions, but you're not fooling God. Saul went through the motions. What do I have to do to get the answer, to get the genie to pop out of the lamp and grant my wish? And then I'm done with him. No interest in walking with God. Thus it is, if we're not sincerely seeking the Lord, we're not really seeking him at all. That's the biblical interpretation. You can say, I inquired of God. I prayed about it. No, you didn't. You went through the motions of praying, but you didn't really pray about it. I see people all the time, I fear, make decisions and choices. I get very concerned about young people when the major decisions, like who they're going to marry, what choice or vocation. You pray, but yeah, yeah, I prayed about it. And I'm always really concerned. I'm thinking, wait a minute, did you really pray? No, I know you went through the motions, but I mean, did you really pray about it? Because they can rationalize, well, I prayed about it, and I still feel good about it, so on I'm going with this choice in life. And I'm wondering if God would call that praying about it. Were you really seeking God? And as we turn our attention back to 1 Samuel 28, we find yet a third reason. We know that he was ultimately insincere. He was insincere because at the end of the day, Saul was simply committed to what works rather than to what is right. This had been the pattern of his whole life. Saul was a pragmatist. And again, that comes out of the narrative, because notice the wording again of verse 6. Verse 6 tells us in 1 Samuel 28 that, When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. What the verse is telling us is that Saul starts out doing the right thing. Okay, got an emergency situation here. I need some guidance and counsel from God. So where does he turn for guidance and counsel? To God. He's doing the right thing. I'm looking to God. He doesn't notice, he does not start out by going to a witch. That's not his first response. The first response is, I go to God. And he's hoping several vehicles. I go to God directly. I'm hoping God will give me some information directly, as sometimes He's guided kings and so forth in the past. Sure, Saul says, I'm not really a prophet or a priest, but God sometimes gives kings guidance in the form of a dream, but no dream came from God. There are times in the Bible when even pagan unsaved kings get information from God in the form of a dream, like King Nebuchadnezzar. But no dream for Saul. God is silent. He says, well, OK, he's not going to speak to me directly. Maybe he will through the normal channels that he's appointed. How about the priestly leadership? God communicates to them through this device called Urim. But there's no answer. OK, I thought maybe God would speak to me directly. Not OK, I'll go to the priest. OK, nothing from the priest. We'll try the prophets. But no word from the prophets. So you see, he's trying all the right stuff. Those are the three key ways in which God provided guidance in the ancient world for a leader of a nation, through a dream, or through the priestly guidance of the Urim, or through a prophet speaking by divine revelation. There is no indication here that he went to the wrong kind of prophets or false prophets. The suggestion is these are the right kind of people that he's going to. So he is doing the right thing. But the question is this, what happens when Saul does not get the desired response by doing the right thing? I did the right thing and it didn't work. So what does he do? Then that's verse seven, verse seven. Then said Saul unto his servants, seek me a woman who hath a familiar spirit that I may go to her and inquire of her. Boy, isn't it so insightful into Saul's character? He was just as willing to do wrong if that's what it took to get the results he wanted. I'll do the right thing, gets me what I want, I'm happy with that. But if doing the right thing doesn't work, then I'll do the wrong thing. Maybe that'll work. Because in the end, Saul was only committed to what works. He was a pragmatist. Well, I tell you, we see a lot of that today in the name of the Lord. Don't we see a lot of ministry that is pragmatic in its orientation? Well, I know this may not really fit the biblical pattern. I know this music we're using really isn't up to par to what we ought to be using in the worship of the Lord, but it works! People like it. It's what they want to hear in church. It's what will draw a crowd. People are getting saved. People are coming. The church is growing. It works! What drives them is what works, rather than what is right, whether or not it works. Again, I say, what we're seeing here in 1 Samuel 28 is not the exception for Saul. It really had been the pattern of his whole life. This is just one more incident where you see Saul's value system operating. He never seemed to have gotten that, through his entire life. He was never really committed to doing what is right just because it's right. So understand, again, the point we're making, it doesn't mean that he was opposed to doing what is right. He often did, especially in his early years. An example of that, he did put away the witches and the wizards, at least most of them. He tried to. He did some good things early in his career as a king. Saul did what was right sometimes. But, he often did right only when doing what was right was not in conflict with his goals. In fact, if doing the right thing may further his goals, then why not? Because it works. It was his way of gaining the people's approval. People will like a king who honors Moses and the law of Moses, I'll do what is right in the favor of the people, I'll have their support. It might be a way of getting God's blessing on his life. It makes me successful. Say again, some people are like that today. Maybe the way they are reared or the circumstances in which they live. In fact, if they come from a good Bible-believing family, church-going family to a pretty good church that, you know, it believes the gospel and its doctrine is basically right, they may just get used to doing what is right because that's how they kind of grew up. That's what they're used to. And doing what is right achieves good results. Maybe it makes life less complicated. Let's face it, when you sin, you create problems for yourself. Doing what is right, keeping your nose clean, tends in general to make your life less complicated. You don't get in trouble if you're a young person growing up. It's like, well, I'm going to do what is right because I don't like being grounded. Life is just easier that way. In a word, they do what is right because it works for them. It's what they've known. It's always worked. People like them. They get people's approval. Young people growing up in that way. The adults all like me. They're always, well, he's such a good kid. She's such a good girl. I used to be so proud of her. They love the approval of people. Life is less complicated. It works. For them, it just works. But when it comes to doing what is right, They don't do right because they're committed to it in their hearts. It's because like Saul, they're pragmatists. My concern for any parent, you know, is multiple kids. They got the one black sheep of the family, and they get so concerned about that black sheep of the family. Oh boy, he's such trouble. And the other kids, you know, they're so good. And they seem so worried about the black sheep of the family. Sometimes I'm exactly the opposite. Like Christ said, I came not to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners. The black sheep of the family guy knows he's got problems with God. The good kid often is doing what is right and is good because it works. And I fear sometimes parents don't use enough discernment with their kids. They just assume he's fine spiritually, she's fine spiritually because look how good she is. I'm saying you better get a look into her heart because it's not what she's doing that matters. You better understand what is driving that behavior and that conduct. I tell you sometimes I worry more about the good kids than I do the bad kids. And in this regard, contrast King Saul with people like those we encounter in Daniel chapter three. Daniel chapter three, you remember the account where the king sets up this huge image of him and then commands everybody to fall down and worship. And of course, Daniel has these three friends. They're not gonna do that. They're not gonna fall down and worship this image of the king. They bow and worship before God. And so the king's pretty upset with them and we pick up the narrative in verse 13 in Daniel chapter 3 verses 13 through 18. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if you be ready that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harps, agba, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the image which I have made, well. But if you worship not, you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning, fiery furnace. And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. A pretty blunt answer to the king. You think you're in charge. You think you're running the show. You've got the power. You are sadly mistaken. God is sovereign, and his power trumps your power. We serve only Him. He is able to deliver us from you. We think He will. But understand, if we're wrong in thinking that, that if in His sovereign wisdom He chooses not to deliver us, we're still not gonna fall down and worship. We will not worship you whether or not He delivers us. We don't care about the results or the outcome. We will do what is right because it is right. What a contrast between them and King Saul. You see the different heart, the different value system that is driving different individuals in the scriptures. And as we know the outcome of the story, God did miraculously deliver these three men in a very compelling way. If King Saul had had a different heart for God, I think he would have been only too happy to deliver King Saul and bless his reign. But God knew Saul had heart trouble. If he was a truly saved man, he may have been a saved man, but he was not the most spiritually minded man if he was saved. He was a pragmatist. That ought to be a good reminder for us. A Christian can be a pragmatist too. What about you? Do you find yourself in life saying, well, I'll try it God's way first. You know, I'll try it. And if it works, fine. I've maintained a clean conscience. I got what I wanted. But then if that doesn't work, then I'll do it my way. And that business deal, I tried to be ethical and honest and do the right thing, but everybody else out there cheats. And so when I tried to be the nice guy and play by the rules, I got burned. Next time I won't be so honest. I took the initiative to apologize for my wrong, and they wouldn't accept my apology. Fine. Next time I just won't bother apologizing at all. Because it didn't work. So we all do well to examine our hearts and lives. What ultimately is driving us? Are we doing what is right because it's right or because we think it gets results? So there you have it, those three key reasons that we know he was insincere. Motivated by the fear of consequences of his sin, not sorrow over the sin itself. Secondly, motivated by what he could get out of God, not for God himself. And thirdly, he was motivated by what works rather than what is right. And what was the outcome of his not sincerely seeking God? Well, we can observe quickly, just run through a few quick results. First of all, he was denied fellowship with God. Again, notice the wording of verse six. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not. So, you know, there's, you know, God's not answering. There's no fellowship. And in fact, jump down to verse 16. Notice the word in verse 16. Now if you read too quickly over this passage, you might miss this, but this is startling, what Samuel says to Saul. Verse 16, Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? Not only has God departed from him, he's not answering you, he calls God his enemy, not his friend. God is his enemy. You ever want to be in that place where you're on the wrong side of that equation? You're on the enemy's side versus the friend's side. So there is no fellowship with God unless you are sincerely seeking God. And secondly, as we've already observed, again verse 6 stresses, there was no answer. So he didn't get any fellowship from God. God was enemy, not friend. Secondly, there was no answer. He didn't get the wisdom, the military strategy, or the guidance that he was seeking. He didn't even get that out of God, because God wasn't going to be used by Saul. And then thirdly, as Samuel predicts, he would ultimately face the consequences of those sins. He was not going to be able to avoid those consequences. Sometimes God is gracious and merciful. He forgives the sin. And sometimes even in his mercy, he might get us out of a tight spot and deliver us from the consequences of our sin. Not always, but sometimes he mercifully does protect us from our own foolishness. But not if you're not going to be seeking God. So there would be no mercy from God in this case. He would face those consequences. If you jump over to chapter 31, chapter 31, the final outcome, what happens the next day? The battle rages. And here's how it turns out. 1 Samuel 31 verse 1 and following. Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in Mount Geboa. And the Philistines fought hard upon Saul and upon his sons, and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul's sons. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was sore wounded of the archers. Then said Saul unto his armor-bearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come, and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armor-bearer would not, for he was sore afraid. And therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him. So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men that same day together. And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled. And the Philistines came and dwelt in them. And it came to pass in the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in Mount Geboa. And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and sent him to the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols and among the people. And they put his armor in the house of Ashtoreth, and they fastened his body to the wall of the Sham. Not only does he die, he dies in the most dishonorable manner possible. No decent burial, they behead him, then they strip his body and those of his sons and hang him on the wall, put him up to display. They all celebrate while they disgrace his corpse. In the ancient world, that is the most dishonorable way you could live the world, to leave the world. It was the total insult. That is the ultimate commentary on somebody's life. In the ancient world, the way you leave this world is a commentary on who you were in this world. And for Saul to leave the world that way, this was the consequence of his sin. And of course, unfortunately, many innocent people suffered as well. Innocent Israelite soldiers lost their lives. Jonathan was a good fellow, close friend of David's. But he died as well. As I often say, when you send innocent people, get hurt. The consequences came. The consequences came. So what about you? Perhaps you have found yourself in need of God. Maybe you've sought for Him. You need mercy, grace. You need shelter or provision. You need an answered prayer. But you feel like you've not found Him. Like the prayers are bouncing off the ceiling. Perhaps you know only disappointment, some sense of frustration or aggravation, and God just seems silent. The silence is deafening in your life. You know the frustration, but what you need to know also is why the frustration, why you have not found him, why the biblical promises have not been fulfilled in your life. It may be, it may be because perhaps you have run to him but you have not sincerely looked for him. So let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for the opportunity we've had to look at the scriptures this morning, and as we have revisited this classic account in the scriptures, help us take to heart the very important and valuable lessons that we learn from this text. Help us, indeed, know the heart of our God, that you desire simply to be our God. to dwell among us, to walk with us, to be a father, and that we would be sons and daughters. Lord, help us to seek you, the relationship with you, the fellowship with our God, and to live lives walking in the light. And indeed, we may be in fellowship with you and know the blessedness of walking in the light. And this we ask in Christ's name. Amen.