Title: Saul’s Reasons: Why?

Text: 1 Samuel 13:5-18

Theme: Obedience

5 Ang mga Filisteo ay nagtipun-tipon upang lumaban sa Israel, tatlumpung libong karwahe at anim
na libong mangangabayo, at ang hukbo ay gaya ng buhangin sa baybayin ng dagat sa dami; at sila'y
umahon at humimpil sa Mikmas sa silangan ng Bet-haven.
6 Nang makita ng mga kalalakihan ng Israel na sila'y nasa kagipitan, (sapagkat ang taong-bayan ay
naiipit) ang taong-bayan ay nagkubli sa mga yungib, mga lungga, batuhan, mga libingan, at sa mga
balon.
7 Ang iba sa mga Hebreo ay tumawid sa Jordan patungo sa lupain ng Gad at ng Gilead; ngunit si Saul
ay nasa Gilgal at ang buong bayan ay sumunod sa kanya na nanginginig.
8 Siya'y naghintay ng pitong araw ayon sa panahong itinakda ni Samuel; ngunit si Samuel ay hindi
dumating sa Gilgal; at ang taong-bayan ay nagsimulang humiwalay kay Saul.
9 Kaya't sinabi ni Saul, “Dalhin dito sa akin ang handog na susunugin, at ang handog
pangkapayapaan.” At kanyang inialay ang handog na sinusunog.
10 Pagkatapos niyang maialay ang handog na sinusunog, si Samuel ay dumating. Lumabas si Saul
upang salubungin siya at batiin.

Maling Paghahandog ni Saul

11 Sinabi ni Samuel, “Anong ginawa mo?” At sinabi ni Saul, “Nang aking makita na ang taong-bayan
ay humihiwalay sa akin, at hindi ka dumating sa loob ng mga takdang araw, at ang mga Filisteo ay
nagkatipon sa Mikmas;
12 ay aking sinabi, ‘Ngayo'y lulusungin ako ng mga Filisteo sa Gilgal, at hindi ko pa nahihingi ang
biyaya ng Panginoon;’ kaya't pinilit ko ang aking sarili at inialay ko ang handog na sinusunog.”
13 Sinabi ni Samuel kay Saul, “Kahangalan ang ginagawa mo. Hindi mo tinupad ang utos
ng Panginoon mong Diyos na iniutos niya sa iyo. Ngayo'y itinatag sana ng Panginoon ang iyong
kaharian sa Israel magpakailanman.
14 Ngunit ngayon ay hindi na magpapatuloy ang iyong kaharian. Ang Panginoon ay humanap na ng
isang lalaking ayon sa kanyang sariling puso, at itinalaga siya ng Panginoon upang maging pinuno sa
kanyang bayan, sapagkat hindi mo tinupad ang iniutos ng Panginoon sa iyo.”
15 Tumindig si Samuel at umahon mula sa Gilgal patungo sa Gibea ng Benjamin. Binilang ni Saul ang
mga taong kasama niya, may animnaraang lalaki.
16 Si Saul, si Jonathan na kanyang anak, at ang mga taong kasama nila ay tumigil sa Geba ng
Benjamin; ngunit ang mga Filisteo ay humimpil sa Mikmas.
17 At ang mga mananalakay ay lumabas na tatlong pangkat sa kampo ng mga Filisteo. Ang isang
pangkat ay lumiko sa daang patungo sa Ofra, na patungo sa lupain ng Sual.
18 Ang isa pang pangkat ay lumiko sa daang patungo sa Bet-horon, at ang isang pangkat ay lumiko sa
hangganan na palusong sa libis ng Zeboim patungo sa ilang.

Introduction:
General Antonio Luna and the Philippine-American War
Just like General Artemio Ricarte and Apolinario Mabini, Luna distrusted the true intentions
of the United States towards the Philippines. He planned to create a strong Filipino defensive line to
contain the growing American army. Reportedly, Luna even proposed to the Aguinaldo leadership to
strike preemptively the American positions- for he strongly believed that the Americans were here to
invade the Philippines.
Then came the fateful night of February 4, 1899, the start of the Philippine-American War. This
started when a Filipino soldier was shot and killed by an an Amercian sentry named Private William
Grayson. General Luna at that time was visiting his family in Pampanga. The following day, along
with the Filipino soldiers, they journeyed to Caloocan via a troop train. Upon their arrival at the
Caloocan train station, they proceeded to La Loma where they engaged the invading American army.
In this battle, Luna's most trusted officer, Lt. Col. Jose Torres Bugallon perished.
On February 22, 1899, George Washington's birthday, Gen. Luna who was now appointed as
Chief of Operations of the Philippine army, directed a counter offensive with the goal of retaking
Manila from the hands of the Americans
General Luna's plan of the offensive was brilliant. Even his adversary, Gen. Otis admitted its
initial success. Militia men within Manila started simultaneous fires around the city. The smoke from
these fires served as a diversionary tactic and signal of attack from the Filipino forces far north and
east. Simultaneously, a column of Filipino soldiers under Col. Francisco Roman infiltrated Tondo,
virtually undetected, by passing through the muddy lands near Navotas and Malabon.
In the course of the attack, the Filipinos were gradually losing ground and were running out of
ammunition. Luna ordered the Kawit Batallion from Cavite to reinforce the attacking Filipino forces.
But their leader, Capt. Pedro Janolino, disobeyed and reaffirmed that they would only follow orders
from Aguinaldo. This incident shattered to pieces the success of the counter attack.The
insubordination enraged the fiery temper of Gen. Luna- who wanted to shoot and kill the members of
this disobedient batallion. The General was pacified by his staff and eventually Janolino and his
cohorts were disarmed and dismissed from service.
Ano mang organisasyon ang hindi pagsunod ang nagiging simula ng pagbagsak ng isang samahan. . .

Need: Bakit? Bakit sa Saul ay bumagsak? Disobedience. . .

Main Idea:
Our obedience reflects how we know God and what our current heart condition is, no matter how we
hide it by external actions.

What are Saul's justifications?

Background (read verses 1-4):

Continuing our look at the reign of King Saul, we come today to 1 Samuel 13, which describes a
key turning point in God’s dealings with the first king of Israel. First Samuel 13 focuses on Saul’s first
fight against the Philistines after he began ruling over Israel. Battling the Philistines was one of the
purposes for which Saul was anointed king (9:16), but what stands out in this chapter is that Saul did
not strike the initial blow against Philistia. Instead, his son Jonathan was the first to defeat the
Philistines (13:3, 16). Here we have another indication that all was not going to be well with Saul.
Though he did well in fighting the Ammonites (chap. 10), he did not take the initiative against the
enemies he was specifically appointed to defeat. Add this to Saul’s hiding from his own anointing
(10:20–23), and it is clear that this king left a lot to be desired.

Text:
I. Ang Pagsunod sa Utos ng Diyos ay nakahihigit kaysa anumang Espiritual ng Ritwal
11 Sinabi ni Samuel, “Anong ginawa mo?” At sinabi ni Saul, “Nang aking makita na ang taong-bayan
ay humihiwalay sa akin, at hindi ka dumating sa loob ng mga takdang araw, at ang mga Filisteo ay
nagkatipon sa Mikmas;
12 ay aking sinabi, ‘Ngayo'y lulusungin ako ng mga Filisteo sa Gilgal, at hindi ko pa nahihingi ang
biyaya ng Panginoon;’ kaya't pinilit ko ang aking sarili at inialay ko ang handog na sinusunog.”

Verse 11. . .
Saul is to go to Gilgal and wait for Samuel to arrive, according to Samuel's instructions. He
won't arrive for another seven days. Both the burned offerings and the peace offerings will be made by
Samuel. Samuel will tell Saul what he should do at that point. During the seven-day wait, Saul
agonizes as he sees his army disintegrate and troops flee for their lives. Soldiers evacuate every day as
the situation becomes increasingly hazardous, hoping to rescue themselves. Some people attempt to
flee over the Jordan River (verse 7). Others, it appears, are willing to join the Philistines in order to
save themselves (see 14:21). Those who remain with Saul are trembling with fear. Saul is in a
precarious situation. By destroying one of the Philistines' garrisons, his son Jonathan has infuriated
them, and now a massive Philistine army is heading on Israel. Saul has mustered his men at Gilgal
and is waiting for Samuel as instructed (1 Sam. 10:8), but the prophet has yet to appear and Saul's
fearful men are deserting in droves.
Saul finally concludes that his situation is so untenable that he must act after waiting the seven
days indicated by Samuel (or something close to it). He requests the elements of a burnt offering and
a peace offering, believing that he must make petition to God before going into combat (v. 12).
Although our text indicates he makes the offerings himself, it's likely he instructs the priests to do so.
In any event, he is disregarding God's prophet's unambiguous admonition to wait. But the fact that
Saul is willing to act without the supernatural instructions Samuel promised is much more terrible.
He is arrogant and impatient, and he believes in his own abilities to assess what he needs to do in a
crisis. However, as the leader of God's people, he should be even more eager for heavenly guidance as
the threat from the Philistines intensifies.
Tandaan natin na ang salitang obedience. . .
In its simpler Old Testament meaning the word signifies "to hear, (Shama)" "to listen." It
carries with it, however, the ethical significance of hearing with reverence and obedient assent. In the
New Testament a different origin is suggestive of "hearing under" or of subordinating one's self to the
person or thing heard, hence, "to obey."

Paano niya pinakita ang kanyang pagkaunawa sa Diyos?

 Higit niyang kinatakutan ang Filisteo kesa sa Diyos. . .
 Na handa niyang gawin yung hindi ukol sa kanyang gawain. . .
 God appointed him to be a king not to be a priest. . .
 He acted out of fear -Saul is a sober reminder to us that we obey the one we fear. He feared the
people — he loved his reputation — and despised God. Hearing from the Word of God is not his
ultimate concern
 Being little in our own eyes can be either righteous or ruinous. It’s righteous if we see God as big
and us as small. This actually frees us from fear. But it’s ruinous if the approval of man is what’s
big to us because it always leads to disobeying God.
 When we fail in this area, and all of us do at some point, God calls us not to remorse but to
repentance. Saul was remorseful, but not repentant. He pursued the god of his own glory over the
God who gave him that glory right to his death on Mount Gilboa. And he became lethally paranoid
with insecurity.
Verse 12
Verse 11 may tono pa ng pangsisisi si Saul kay Samuel. . .
Dito naman ay may dahilan na siya. . . “pinilit daw niya ang kanyang sarili”

Espirituwal na ritwal. . . nagiging ritwal na lang ang ibang bagay kapag ang isang tao ay wala na sa
kanyang puso ang kanyang ginagawa. . . pwedeng maging ritwal na lang ang pangunguna,
pangangaral o anumang gawain sa loob ng iglesya kung ang buhay naman natin ay malayo o taliwas
sa pamantayan ng Salita ng Diyos. . .

Kagaya ng akin pong nabanggit nagiging repleksyon ng ating pagsunod ang laman ng ating puso o
pagkakilala sa Diyos. . .
Kayaga ng halimbawa ni Saul. . . ang puso niya ay malayo sa Salita ng Diyos. . . kaya nagiging natural
na takbuhin ng kanyang puso ay kumilos ng wala sa pamantayan ng Diyos. .

Instead: There will be no excuses for anyone who wishes to obey the Lord... . .
People who are good at making excuses are rarely good at anything else, and those who are
quick to blame others shouldn’t complain if others blame them. When God confronted our first
parents with their sin, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent, but neither Adam nor Eve said
humbly, “I have sinned.” Throughout his career, King Saul was adept at minimizing his own sins and
emphasizing the faults of others, but this isn’t the way a man of God leads God’s people. 
No situation excuses disobedience. Even in stressful or dangerous times, God expects us to
follow. His commands. Our actions must always be compelled by the Word of God, not by
circumstances.Take time today to pray for believers who face trials, that they would prove faithful.
And pray for yourself should such times come upon you.

Minsan ang Cristiyano madahilan. . .

It is fitting for us today to evaluate our obedience sa Lord even in the simple act. . . yung worship
service natin. . . Christmas kahapon. . . nasaan na po ang ilan dito? Puyat? Nagbabaksyon?

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments." - John 14:15

II.Ang Pagsunod sa Utos ng Diyos ay nakahihigit kaysa sa mga nakatakdang trabaho

natin
“Samuel said to Saul, ‘You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your
God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over
Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue’ ” (vv. 13–14).

Tandaan natin ang role dapat ni Saul ay. . .God chose him to lead
Israel did not ask Samuel to appoint a king for the right reasons, but that did not keep God
from giving them a king (1 Sam. 8). When He gave them their first king, Saul, the Lord even promised
that Saul would save the Israelites “from the hand of their surrounding enemies” (10:1). Although
some men in Israel did not believe that Saul could rescue them (v. 27), the new king soon proved
himself up to the task as long as he operated in the power of the Lord.

What was in the heart of Saul?

The situation reveals what is inside the heart of Saul. . .
His pride as he win the war (verse 2-4)
At the root of insecurity — the anxiety over how others think of us — is pride. This pride is an
excessive desire for others to see us as impressive and admirable. Insecurity is the fear that they
won’t, but instead they will see us as deficient. As King Saul shows us, it’s a dangerous fear because
insecurity can lead to great disobedience.
Rather than repenting of his foolish and self-centered act, Saul attempted to blame Samuel
(i.e., “you did not come within the days appointed”) and/or the circumstances (i.e., “the Philistines
gathered at Michmash”) for his disobedience. In reality, as Samuel’s response to Saul demonstrates,
Saul had made the unlawful offering because he trusted more in his fleeing army than in the Lord, or
perhaps, in his pride, he wanted the glory or assurance of military victory. In any event, his heart was
not right; Saul seems to have wanted to rule with absolute power as prophet, priest, and king.

Instead: Ano ang itinuturo ng Diyos kay Saul

A. Relying to God’s will and action is an act of obedience
He took the matter in His own hands. . . as king and ruler ng bayan ng Diyos. . . yung authority
niya ay nanggaling sa tunay na Hari ng Israel. . . which he needed to be consulted. . . Samuel arrives as
soon as the offerings are complete, and Saul goes out to greet him. The prophet is aware that
something is amiss. When he questions the king, Saul freely admits what he has done, offering many
excuses—he even blames Samuel. Nowhere do we find any hint of repentance in his words. He simply
believes there was no other way: " 'I felt compelled,' " he says. In other words, in Saul's eyes, the
situation justified action that was contrary to God's command to him through Samuel. The prophet
quickly lets Saul know what God thinks of his actions, saying, " 'You have done foolishly.'
Disobedience is always a foolish decision " Because of this sin, Saul will have no dynasty. No son of his
body will succeed him on the throne. This penalty may seem unduly harsh, but Saul has shown that he
is unwilling to rely on God. 
It seems that the Israelites were trusting in Saul and that Saul was trusting in himself, but no
one was trusting God. The result was predictably negative. Likewise, trusting anything other than God
will have negative consequences for us. Examine your heart today to see whether you are trusting Him
in everything and for everything. From 3000 to 600. . .
Until we learn to trust God and wait on His timing, we can’t learn the other lessons He wants to
teach us, nor can we receive the blessings He’s planned for us. Saul may have been handsome, strong,
and taller than the other men, but if he didn’t have a heart that was right with God, he didn’t have
anything.
Compromise is Always a Violation of Faith. Trying to grab God’s promises by our own schemes
rather than relying on His grace and providential care; Surprising how quickly Saul falls. (Even
though Gordon notes that “an interval of many years separates the events of this chapter from the
occasion of Saul’s anointing in ch. 10.”)

B. Patiently obeying the Lord

Yung paghihintay niya more than sa pinag-usapan ay isang tanda ng kanyang dapat na
paghihintay sa pagkilos ng Diyos. . . una ang dami niyang kasama tapos iniwan siya. . . God wanted
him to understand na siya ang dapat pagtuunan ni Saul sa conquest na iyon. .
Obedience is the supreme test of faith in God and reverence for Him. The Old Testament
conception of obedience was vital. It was the one important relationship which must not be broken.
While sometimes this relation may have been formal and cold, it nevertheless was the one strong tie
which held the people close to God. The significant spiritual relation is expressed by Samuel

Tandaan natin: The closer you are to God, the easier it will be to obey Him.

There are times na dahil sa inip ng mga character sa Biblia ay nagkaroon ng problema (Abraham and
Sarah on Hagar and Ishmael sa Genesis)
Impatience is a mark of spiritual immaturity. . .

Maghintay tayo at umasa sa Diyos!

What is the consequences?

14 Ngunit ngayon ay hindi na magpapatuloy ang iyong kaharian. Ang PANGINOON ay humanap na ng
isang lalaking ayon sa kanyang sariling puso, at itinalaga siya ng PANGINOON upang maging pinuno sa
kanyang bayan, sapagkat hindi mo tinupad ang iniutos ng PANGINOON sa iyo.”
The Lord saw and assessed Saul's arrogance, impatience, disobedience, and trickery, and
Samuel pronounced the sentence: the crown would be taken from Saul and given to someone, in this
case, David. The throne will be bestowed on another man, "a man after [God's] own heart," who is
dedicated to carrying out God's purpose above all else. God desired a monarch with a righteous heart,
a shepherd's heart, and He found it in David (1 Samuel 13:14; Psalms 78:72; 89:20; Acts 13:22). "This
man [Saul] was a warrior and nothing more in his leadership of Israel," G. stated. "He was never a
shepherd," says Campbell Morgan, "but David had a shepherd's heart because the Lord was his
Shepherd" (Ps. 23:1). Because David was in a position of authority, he had the right to exercise it.
Saul would remain king, but he would not establish a dynasty, and none of his sons would
succeed him as rulers of Israel. Even if Saul hadn't sinned, how could his dynasty last "forever" (1
Samuel 13:13) when he was from the wrong tribe and God had already chosen David to be Israel's
king? One possibility is that Jonathan, Saul's eldest son, could have served with David, as David and
Jonathan had intended (1 Samuel 20:31, 42; 23:16-18). The Messianic line would have been created
by the Davidic dynasty, but someone from Saul's family would have served in the Davidic king's court.
Saul's dynasty was destroyed by his wickedness at Gilgal, and his kingdom was destroyed by his
transgression with the Amalekites. He eventually lost his throne as well as his life (see 1 Samuel 15:16-
34, especially verses 23, 27, and 29; 16:1).
Samuel is prophesying about David, as well as David's magnificent Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Samuel then departs, depriving Saul of further spiritual guidance. Saul couldn't wait for God's word,
and now he won't get it. He has no choice but to count his limited forces and hope for the best. "Your
reign shall not continue," Samuel declared, because the Lord is looking for "a man after his own
heart" (1 Sam. 13:14). At Acts 13:22, Paul uses this phrase to describe David (cf. 1 Sam. 16:7; Psalm
89:20; Acts 7:46). In chapter 16, David will be introduced into the narrative of 1 Samuel.

Notice this. . . Dahil sa isang pagkakamali ng isang tao. . . maaaring maapektuhan ang isang
komunidad. . .

Application:
Yung obedience ay higit pa sa simpleng paggawa ng mga task. . . ito ang naging problema ng
Panginoon sa mga eskriba, pariseo at saduseo. . . focus sila on doing things for God and yet their
heart is far from God. . .
Alam ng Diyos ang nilalaman ng ating mga puso. . .
 God is merciful, yet we should never assume that violating His stated commands would result
in no repercussions. Saul offended the Lord, and Israel lost the chance to have a long-lasting dynasty
of sons. We cannot lose our salvation if we are in Christ, yet our disobedience might cause us to lose
earthly rewards. So that we do not miss out on divine favors, let us strive to obey God's revealed will.

Challenge:
New Year Challenge!
"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance" - 1 Peter 1:14

"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not
burdensome." - 1 John 5:3

Mga kapatid. . . kahit gawin pa po nating monthly ang goal statement kung hindi po tayo willing
sumunod sa Diyos wala din pong mangyayari. . .

Conclusion:
Christ the King, Priest and Prophet!
Hebrews 1:1-3
1 Noong unang panahon, ang Diyos ay nagsalita sa ating mga ninuno sa iba't ibang panahon at sa iba't
ibang paraan sa pamamagitan ng mga propeta,
2 subalit sa mga huling araw na ito ay nagsalita siya sa atin sa pamamagitan ng Anak, na kanyang
itinalagang tagapagmana ng lahat ng mga bagay, na sa pamamagitan din niya'y ginawa ang mga
sanlibutan.
3 Siya ang kaningningan ng kaluwalhatian ng Diyos[a] at tunay na larawan ng kanyang likas, at
kanyang inaalalayan ang lahat ng bagay sa pamamagitan ng kapangyarihan ng kanyang salita. Nang
magawa na niya ang paglilinis ng mga kasalanan, siya ay umupo sa kanan ng Kamahalan sa kaitaasan,

Saul on attempting to act on three offices. . .

The prophet (such as Nathan, 2 Samuel 7:2), the priest (such as Abiathar, 1 Samuel 30:7), and
the king were the three major offices among the people of Israel in the Old Testament (such as King
David, 2 Sam. 5:3). These three offices were distinct from one another. The prophet delivered God's
message to the people; the priest presented sacrifices, prayers, and praises to God on behalf of the
people; and the monarch reigned as God's representative over the people. In different ways, these
three offices foretold Christ's own work.
 Therefore we can look again at Christ’s work, now thinking about the perspective of these three
offices or categories.1 Christ fulfills these three offices in the following ways: as prophet he reveals
God to us and speaks God’s words to us; as priest he both offers a sacrifice to God on our behalf and is
himself the sacrifice that is offered; and as king he rules over the church and over the universe as well.