1 Samuel 12, Worship the King!

1 Samuel 11:15 says, “So all the people went to Gilgal and confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the LORD. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the LORD, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.” And, do you recall how this celebration came after the great victory against the Ammonites led by Saul?

They got it now. God had granted them what they had been longing after, what they had been asking for a king to call their own just like other nations had. When Saul led the charge against the Ammonites and won a great victory against them, perhaps they through how lucky, fortunate, blessed to have such a king. They were standing at the important turning points in their history. The rise of Saul as king over Israel marked the end of the era of Judges and the beginning of the monarchy, a nation under a king.

Things were seemingly unfolding just the way they had imagined. All seemed to be well with just the good reasons for celebration! They felt secure under this new management. They had high hopes for this new system, a strong and courageous king to lead them to the winning battles, a king to protect them from the threats and the powerful forces of other nations. Life felt good to them.

This moment of great celebration and certainty for having their own capable king was the backdrop for 1 Samuel 12 our today’s passage. I would like you to consider this question; when you feel good about life because you got what you wanted, is everything really well? Jeremiah 17:9-10 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the LORD searches the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”

What we will see in 1 Samuel 12 is God searching the heart and examining the mind of Israelites through Samuel, to unveil what was really in their hearts. God does this because he is after raising you to worship him with passion and faithfulness.

1. Samuel a servant of God in integrity and faithfulness

Before Samuel engaged the heart and the mind of Israelites to search and examine them, Samuel sought to establish his integrity as their leader thus far. He had been their leader from his youth until now, an old man. Although his sons were infamous and disgraced for their dishonest gain, accepting bribes, and perverting justice, Samuel was a man beyond reproach, blameless unlike them. So, Samuel called them in verse 3, “Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the LORD and his anointed”, Saul. People testified in verse 4, “You have not cheated or oppressed us… You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.” He was a man of impeccable character.

2. God saved you so you can worship him.

From verse 6 to 12, having established his faithfulness and blameless, he confronted the Israelites with the facts of God’s faithfulness and righteousness in the history to make worshipers out of unbelievers.

The greatest historical moment in Israel was the Exodus. God appointed Moses and Aaron to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. What was God’s purpose to bring them out of Egypt? Exodus 3:12 says, “When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” They were brought out of Egypt to Mount Sinai, and then later given the Promised Land; they were saved and they were given the spiritual blessings so that they could worship the LORD their creator, their holy king, as his holy people, to draw all men to their God.

But, what defined them was not worship, but forgetting. Verse 9 says, “They forgot the LORD their God,” that is they didn’t remember their God. What is God to do when his people forsake him, when his people don’t remember how he saved them so they could worship him freely and passionately? He gave them into the hands of their enemies.

We are saved to worship God; but when we don’t worship God, God leaves us in the hands of the devil until we cry out to God. When the Israelites cried out to God for help, he sent the judges like Jeru-Baal, Barak, Jephthah and even Samuel to deliver them out of the hands of the enemies in order that they would worship their God again.

But, when Nahash king of Ammonites moved against them, all they wanted was to have a king over them, even though the LORD their God was their King, verse 12. When they got fearful of the Ammonites, they didn’t remember their God who delivered them out of Egypt to worship him. They forgot their true King who alone could deliver them.

3. Worship God in fear!

We can see that the Israelites were asking for a king for all the wrong reasons. Then, why did God grant them a king? God had bigger plan for the Israelites. His plan was spelled out in verse 14 and 15; “If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God-good! But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers.”

God is always at work to bring us to true worship. He gave them a king not for the reason they were asking for, but for the purpose of bringing the whole nation to worship God; the king was to lead them to worship!

There are two aspect of what it means to fear God. God honoring fear is when people find themselves in awe in who God is and what he have done and still does. But, for people who live in rebellion and disobedience, fear of God means having God’s hand against them.

In verse 16-17, we see God demonstrating his power through Samuel to rouse the fear of God in the hearts of the Israelites. It was wheat harvest season which meant normally it was a dry season. Samuel said, “Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call upon the LORD to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil things you did in the eyes of the LORD when you asked for a king.”

When God demonstrated his power, the fear of God gripped the hearts of the Israelites; the fear of God had a purifying effect on them, helping them deal with their own sins. Verse 19, they said to Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”

When the fear of the Lord gripped their hearts, they became afraid. So Samuel replied in verse 20, “Don’t be afraid.” The fear of God can make people be afraid of God and be paralyzed. But, this is not what God intends. His intension is that all who fear him turn to him. The true fear of God helps us not to turn away from the LORD. It helps us to serve the LORD with all our hearts. Transforming-fear of God helps us turn away from the useless idols.

4. Cultivate the heart of worship!

What we as God’s people need is to cultivate the heart of worship! Let me point out the practical steps you can take that will help you to cultivate the heart of worship!

• Prayer

Samuel said in verse 23, “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you.” Wow, have you considered this? When we don’t pray for each other we are sinning against the LORD. As God’s people, we are commanded to pray for each other’s spiritual health. What amazes me is Samuel’s burden to pray for people who rejected him as their leader. Instead of licking a wounded pride, he prayed humbly for their spiritual wellbeing.

• God’s word

Samuel said in verse 23, “And I will teach you the way that is good and right.” The heart of worship knows the way that is good and right. The heart of worship avoids the evil way. If you want to cultivate the heart of worship, recommit to daily reading and mediating in God’s word.

• Fear the LORD

Samuel said in verse 24, “be sure to fear the LORD.” And, verse 25, “Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”

Jesus said in Luke 12:5-7, “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Our Lord alone has the power to control the final destiny. At the end of the road, each of us will have to stand before God and give account to our motives and actions. Consider in fear when we persist in doing evil, God’s hand will be against us; consider what happened when God actively opposed his rebellious and disobedient people.

Consider and reconsider in fear how without Jesus Christ, we would all be thrown into hell. Consider in hear how God is intimately aware of all our motives and actions. Consider in awe how with Jesus Christ, we become really important to God; in Christ we matter to God.

• Serve faithfully

Samuel said again in verse 24, “Serve him faithfully with all your heart.” To cultivate the heart of worship, you need to find ways to serve God with all your heart. This Friday, I was mopping off the floors of our church with Mike. I noticed how the edges where the floor tiles meet the walls were really dirty. I mopped the edges as hard as I could to clean the dirty spots. As I was doing that God helped me to pray this prayer… “Lord, cleanse me all my dirty spots!” In serving, God touched my heart.

You cannot cultivate the heart of worship without finding yourself in serving. If you don’t know where to serve, come and ask me. I could sit down with you and explore the ways you can serve Jesus in our church. Or, go and ask those who seem to do everything. They might be able to give you ideas on how you can serve.

When God searches your heart and examine your mind what does he find?

Do you worship your king?