Three Strikes…

1 Samuel 15 records the third strike, if you will, in a series of willful and deliberate mistakes that Saul made due to his fear, folly, and inability to simply follow the Lord's instructions to be a courageous and faithful king to Israel. In 1 Samuel 13 Saul showed fear and impatience in the face of the encroaching Philistine military, going ahead to offer a sacrifice to the Lord, rather than wait on Samuel to arrive at the battle front. In 1 Samuel 14 Saul displayed great folly when he called his soldiers to fast in the face of a great victory, and when more fighting needed to occur to win a more considerable victory. In Samuel 15, Saul disobeys the order to commit all of the Amalekite city to destruction, which was to be Saul's offering of obedience to God. Rather Saul plans to offer "strange fire" by holding back Agag and the animals of the city as offering to the Lord. Time and again Saul showed an inability or unwillingness to operate as a faithful king to Israel, on behalf of God, furthering God's condemnation of him. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ [email protected]