The Tragedy of Spiritual Drift

Let's continue our study in 1 Samuel. We are actually at the end of 1st Samuel. So find the last chapters 1st Samuel chapter 31. And I want everybody to read along. song. I want everybody to see it because this is going to be relevant to every one of your lives because there's a lot of chapters in the Bible that feel you can literally feel the victory before you even read the first verse. Joshua chapter 6, man, forget about it. The walls of Jericho are coming tumbling down in in 1st Samuel chapter 17. It's awesome because the giant is about to fall. In Matthew chapter 28, a tomb is about to open. But 1 Samuel chapter 31 is not that chapter. It's a heavy chapter. It's dark. It reads like the scene of a tragedy because the curtain is closing on Saul's kingdom. And there is a lesson in here for every one of you, no matter how young you are and no matter how old you are. Because in this chapter, there's not going to be any last minute rescue. There's not any dramatic comeback. There's no sudden victory in this chapter. By the end of the chapter, Saul is dead. Jonathan is dead. Israel is scattered. The Philistines have won and are celebrating on Mount Gabbora. And yet, the Holy Spirit has preserved this chapter for us for a reason, which means that we need to hear what's in this chapter. Because 1st Samuel chapter 31 is not a story just about a king who died. It's a story about a heart that slowly starts to drift from God. It's a warning about pride, about insecurity, about compromise, and about not addressing spiritual decay. But at the same time, woven throughout this chapter are whispers of God's grace. And one of the reasons this chapter matters so much is because Saul Saul didn't begin here. Saul and and that that's probably the saddest part of the whole story because if you remember Saul began with a promise all the way back in first Samuel chapter nine. He was actually chosen by God. He was anointed by Samuel. He was empowered by the spirit. You remember God said in chapter nine, he's like, "Hey, the next king of Israel, he he's hiding behind the baggage. Go find him and anoint him." And the spirit fell on him. And Saul did some great things in his life. And and there were moments and flashes where he looked exactly like the kind of king that Israel needed. moments of courage, but but somewhere along the way, Saul stopped guarding his heart. And and here is what God is showing us. In one sense, nobody collapses overnight. Spiritual ruin happens gradually, quietly, slowly, one compromise at a time, one act of disobedience at a time, one moment of pride at a time, one refusal to repent at a time. So by the time that we've reached 1st Samuel chapter 31, the battle on Mount Gilboa is just really an outward manifestation of a loss that's taking place and and a loss that's been happening internally for years. So let's begin verse one. Y'all following along? We got pews in the Bible for you. You can pull it up in the Bible app on your phone. There's no reason not to follow along. The word is God is powerful quicker than it sharper than any two-edged sword. It can draw s you know it can it can divide the soul and the spirit and the body. So it's powerful stuff. So read along with me. Now the Philistines fought. Here's how the word of the Lord reads. Now the Philistines fought against Israel and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down sllaying Il Gilboa. I want you to notice as we start the chapter how quickly the battle turns. The chapter begins there's no there's it begins with immediate collapse. There's no buildup. The Philistines attack, the Israel flees, and the Israelites die. There's there's no in between. And as we read it, there's something that kind of kind of dawns on you almost immediately. It's like, man, they lost this before it ever began. As a matter of fact, that shouldn't come as a surprise because in 1st Samuel chapter 27, when we had the sermon about the witch of indoor, Samuel the prophet rose up and said, "Hey, tomorrow you and your sons are going to be hanging with me here in the indoor world." So, I mean, it was actually predicted. And I'm wondering, although the scripture doesn't say it, I'm wondering if that affected Saul's battle plan, you know, because you know that you're going to die tomorrow. What what what would you do differently? And I'm pretty sure instead of coming up with a really good strategy, he was kind of focused on himself and preserving his life. I don't know. I'm just speculating. Let's get back to the word of God. It said now because Gilboa is not the beginning of Saul's downfall. The Philistines fought against Israel. The men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down slain at Gilboa. That might have been where the body fell. But the loss, guys, the loss has been happening all over 1 Samuel because when we go to 1st Samuel chapter 13, y'all remember the first compromise? Saul was very clear when uh Samuel told him, hey, you know, wait on the sacrifice. But instead of waiting on the sacrifice, he got tired of waiting on Samuel. And when he went ahead and offered the sacrifice and when Samuel confronts him, what he said was, "Well, I I saw that the people were starting to scatter away from me. That's why I disobeyed." So instead of a just a simple act of you know what, dude, I was wrong or dude prophet or Mr. Prophet Samuel, you know, represented, I I was wrong. Instead of saying that, he's like, well, you know, people were starting to scatter. I had to do something. He didn't repent. Then just like two chapters later when Samuel said, "Hey, this is what God says. Kill every one of the Amalachites. Every man, every woman, and every child." Oh, that's not sensitive, John. Why you killing the children? Because they grow up to be big Amalachites. That's why. Kill them all. Kill every beast. What did Samuel do? Well, he spared King Aag and he spared the best of the flock. And then when Samuel confronts him, he's like, "I get no respect. Look, what I was doing was I was just going to offer up the the best animals for sacrifice. Start sacrificing." And Samuel looks at him and says, "It is better to have obedience than sacrifice." Y'all understand, right, that the word of God and the laws of God and the admonitions of God are not designed because God is a killjoy. They're designed because God knows. God knows the best way for humans to interact with each other. God knows how sin will destroy your life. And God doesn't want that because he loves you because you're his children. God knows. He's not out there trying to kill your joy. He's trying to fulfill your joy. Because if you'll just do it his way, you'll be happier. That's why God put these rules and these things. He's like, I want you to do this. You're my children. And I want you to be fulfilled. And I want you to have a joyous life. And I want you to have a happy marriage. I want you to have great friendships. I want you to have a good working relationship with your boss. I want societies to function. I don't want homeless people. I don't want hungry people. I don't want a society where the rich oppress the poor. I don't want that. So that's why he has the rules. And Saul didn't follow him. Better to be obedient than to sacrifice. And then then if you remember even after admitting the sin where Saul goes like, "Yeah, yeah, I was wrong." Okay. Then he turns to Samuel and he says, "Hey, but hey, before we walk out here, do you mind honoring me before the people?" Just kind of showing them that I'm a good guy. Matter of fact, the words are, "Honor me now, I pray thee, before the elders of the people." That's 15 verse 30. So, he's caring more about image. And this is something that is going to plague him his entire life. And listen to me teenagers and social media people and 20 year olds and 30 year olds. Listen to me in to the image an awful slave master. Saul's instinct was repeatedly to defend himself to explain himself to protect his reputation. So Saul's defeat at Mount Gilboa really is just a reflection and culmination of all these earlier attempts when God would confront him and Saul chose to assuage his guilt assuage his I'm sorry to assuage his ego rather than to repent. It it really began when obedience became partial instead of complete. It started when Paul began worrying about protecting an image more than protecting his relationship with God. And that's one of the frightening things about spiritual decline because not many people wake up in the morning and and suddenly decide, you know what, I'm going to run my life today. I'm going to crash the plane. It never happens like that. It usually happens slowly. One neglected prayer at a time and prayer becomes less important. When when convictions become easier to ignore when when pride starts growing unchecked. When when bitterness settles into the soul, I know you're upset with your family member. I know you're upset with your friends. I know you're upset with your boss. But you know what? Maybe God has a better plan. And the Apostle Paul told us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, don't let bitterness take root in your soul because it will poison you and strangle you to death. It's little things like that. People don't I'm just going to ruin my life. No, they let bitterness take over their soul. And then your relationship with your family, your friends, your boss, it's ruined. And then worship becomes routine instead of intimate. And over time, what happens is that this heart starts callous. Then it starts to grow hard. And so by the time that Saul reaches Mount Goboa here, he's fighting a battle physically that he's already lost spiritually. And Paul and like Saul like Saul, many people spend their lives trying to win an external battle while neglecting the internal one that really dictates the direction of your life. And that's one of the frightening realities of spiritual drift because outward collapse is usually the final stage of an inward decay. Let me say that again. An outward collapse is usually the the the final stage of a inward decay. People rarely wreck their lives suddenly. It usually it happens slowly like we talked about a neglected prayer life, a growing bitterness, unchecked jealousy, a refusal to humble yourselves, and eventually the external battle is going to is going to just publicly reveal your internal condition. So Saul's army, Saul's army is falling physically because Saul, the leader, has already fallen spiritually. And here's the thing. The problem gets worse when you try to fight public battles while you're privately. This is how it gets you're you're trying to fight public battles while you're privately completely disconnected with God. Because I'm here to tell you cannot consistently win life's wars while losing the inward one. You can't you can't win those outward wars while you're losing your inward war. And eventually what's happening in your soul is going to spill over onto everything else. Let's read verse two. And the Philistines followed hard. You might want to underline that phrase phrase. And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons. And the Philistines slew Jonathan. Underline that one. And that's sad. They slew Jonathan Abenadab and Milkishua Saul's son. So there's not going to be any apparent because all the Saul's sons are dead. Just like the witch of indoor had predicted act. No, no. Samuel had predicted when the witch of indoor called him up. Now, let's go back and follow a couple of things here because that word followed hard, y'all. That's a that phrase carries the idea of a relentless pursuit. Y'all get it right. The enemy is closing in. Have you ever felt that? The pressure is amped up. There's no room to breathe anymore. The anxiety is not on 10. Quote spinal tap. It's on 11.

For those of y'all that haven't seen that, it it just it's in overload. Okay. So, yeah, let's get back and then let's get back to the word of the Lord. And then suddenly, here's what the text tells us. Jonathan dies. Jonathan, perhaps next to Jesus, the purest man in all of scripture. He's dead. The courageous prince, the loyal friend, the humble son who recognized David would someday wear a crown and was totally cool with it. Now Jonathan dies, dig this in the same battle as Saul. And that's a painful reminder because sin rarely damages only the sinner.

Right. Let me repeat that. That was so good. Sin rarely damages only the sinner. The ripple effects of rebellion spread outward. Families feel it.

Children feel it. Friends feel it. Communities feel it. Churches feel it. Parents feel it. Children are affected. Divorce.

The effects of sin have a ripple effect. One person's spiritual drift can create heartbreak for everybody around them. Nobody nobody sins in the vacuum. And and yet even here, I want you to notice something. Jonathan died with his father. Even here, Jonathan's loyal. I'm hearing a whisper of grace. Even here, Jonathan's loyal. Jonathan knew that Saul was wrong. Jonathan has confronted him before. Jonathan knew that David was God's chosen king. Jonathan knew that the kingdom was unraveling,

but he still honored father. And I I want to make this clear especially in this political climate. There is wisdom in that balance because we live in a culture that only knows extremes. You either idolize someone or you completely destroy them in public. If I've lost your attention, give it back to me because this might be the most important thing I say for this political time. Jonathan shows us that it is possible to seize someone's failures without becoming dishonorable ourselves. you can show grace to other fallen people and that kind of maturity is rare. That's why we need to pray for our leaders even when we disagree with them. It is reprehensible that people are hoping that Donald Trump gets assassinated. It is just as reprehensible that people wish the same thing on Joe Biden. It is uncchristian. It is satanic. It is wrong. And we need to stand up against that kind of evil. Jonathan knew that his daddy was wrong and Jonathan honored him anyway. That is why the Bible tells us, "Pray for those that God has put in leadership above you." And it doesn't qualify it. Because if you spend your time obsessing about how much you hate a political leader, you're focused on the leader and not on the God whose heart the leader's hand is in. So focus on God. Pray for people that disagree with you. Pray for the others that disagree with you. Pray for them. Pray for them. Pray for them. Focus on God, not on that person. Pray for your leaders. This is the word of God. And there is no arguing with because if you're arguing with the word of God, you are wrong. You can show grace to people who are fallen. And it says in verse three, "And the battle went sore against Saul." And I want you to notice this. And the archers, underline this, "And the archers hit him. And he was sore wounded of the archers." So now we got the big battle. People are dying. People are falling. And then all of a sudden it narrows down to Saul. We do that, you know, mid-range shot, and then we close in on one person in the arches. That's interesting because the king who once stood head and shoulders above everybody else is now bleeding on the battlefield. I guess he made a big target. Notice this. It was the archers. It was the archers that wounded him. I find that interesting because the enemy is not in striking distance. They're striking from a distance. And Saul can't even get close enough. Saul had a spear. An archer beats a spear thrower any day of the week. and and and and Saul can't even get close enough to fight back. Have you ever been there? And so so many times often the deepest wounds the deepest wounds are those spiritual wounds that come indirectly, gradually from afar, not one catastrophic moment necessarily, but but through repeated small wounds that that that pierce the heart and hurt the soul. disappointment, offense, envy, fear, pride, isolation, little arrows. And if those wounds go untreated spiritually, eventually they'll weaken everything. And Saul's life here is a is a tragic example of unresolved inward wounds. Paul was a deeply insecure person. Every time David succeeded, fall Saul felt threatened. And every time somebody celebrated David, Saul interpreted it as a personal attack against him. I mean, just think about it for a moment. God chose Saul, but he also chose David because Saul messed up, but that didn't mean that Saul couldn't have finished his life out until he died and then David would have taken over. There was nothing that you had to leave right now until he did have to leave right now through continued disconnect from God. And so he had all these issues, his insecurity, his it just being personally attacked or interpreted everything as personally attacked and an insecurity left untreated eventually turned Saul into a suspicious, paranoid and angry man. And y'all, this is why inward healing matters so much spiritually because listen to me, wounded people wound people. Can you hear me? Wounded people wound people. People hurt by rejection become controlling. People hurt by betrayal become bitter. People dominated by insecurity become prideful and and defensive and and so pain that's not brought honestly before God will eventually distort our soul. Hey guys, David, ladies, David had brothers, sisters, David had wounds, too. But when David got wounded, he'd pour his pain out before the Lord in repentance and worship. But Saul Saul mostly buried his pain beneath his pride. Eventually, those wounds would become fatal. Let's pick up with verse four. Then said Saul to his armor bearer because he's been pierced. He's dying. He goes to his armor bearer, "Draw thy sword, 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. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. One of the more tragic moments of scripture, Paul dies the same way he lived, desperate, fearful, without peace. To me, I think one of the more sadder verses is this, lest the uncircumcised come and thrust me through. And here it is, and abuse me. Because verse four right here carries a little a lot more weight than simply Saul fearing physical pain. Because the word abuse in the King James opens a window to the ancient world and to Saul's psychology and kind of the deeper tragedy of his life. Because the word abuse here carries the sense of mockery, a humiliation, torture, desecration, public shaming. Saul's not merely afraid of dying. He's terrified of the Philistines will do to him after they capture him. And honestly, in the near east, that's not an irrational fear. Y'all remember Samson? Saul does. Saul knew the story of how the Sam of how in Judges 15 when the Philistines captured Samson, they blinded him in both eyes. They put him in chains. They forced him to grind wheat like a bunch of oxen. And they publicly mocked him for his support. Saul probably fears the same thing. But here's what I think Saul forgot that even Samson in that condition was able to repent and before he died, God gave him the strength to kill more Philistines in death than his entire life. I mean, he died blinded. And and let me tell you this. Maybe there are some decisions that you've made in your life that you cannot reverse. They are irreversible. But you can still you can still come home as a child of God. You can still have that intimate moment with God in those last days. We serve a gracious God. That's that's what Samson did. Saul Saul didn't. and and and he's so consumed with shame and appearance, he forgot what a gracious God we have. And that has to be one of the driving forces of his downfall. And he he repeatedly has has has has feared losing honor before people more than than he feared losing intimacy with God. Remember back in 1st Samuel 15, we talked about it earlier where he looks to Samuel and says, "Hey, honor me. I pray thee before the elders of my people. And even after the rebellion, even after this, Saul's instinct is here's what I want to do. I want to preserve my dignity. It's his pride. And so, here we are on Mount Kaboa. The same fear remains. He fears humiliation, exposure, public disgrace. In church, this is actually one of the crulest forms of bondage. The tyranny of image management.

the tyranny of image management, one of the the worst task masters, one of the worst forms of bondage. And Saul took it to his grave. And and some people are more ex fear fearful of being exposed than they are of being healed. They they'll hide their wounds instead of confessing them, protect appearances instead of seeking restoration, defend pride instead of embracing repentance. Because shame is a powerful act. In fact, it was Satan's oldest weapon. Because you remember in the scriptures when they talk about the Garden of Eden, we don't know what foods they ate. We don't know what the conversations took place. We don't know anything. This is the one thing that we know about the state of humanity.

They were naked and not ashamed. So apparently living in paradise means that not ashamed. Well then the fall happened and then the fig leaves or the you know oak leaves or maybe it was maybe it was poison ivy that that is that had served him right. Wouldn't that have been funny? Sorry you Adam, I'm busy. Anyway, so but here's some people are more ashamed of being exposed to being healed because shame is so powerful. The enemy, Satan loves our humiliation.

He loves to isolate people from the knowledge of grace. This is what shame says to you. hide, pretend, protect yourself, don't let anybody know. So, Paul spent years hiding behind pride, behind jealousy, between behind anger and control. And then, and he said right here, he said, "And these less these uncircumcised come." So, the anointed king in his final days is terrified of becoming mockery before pagan enemies. But tragically, that's exactly what happens. And so in the following verses, what happens is the Philistines cut off his head, they strip off his armor, and they fasten his body to a wall at Beth. And that very humiliation that Saul's been trying to avoid all along is exactly what happens anyway. And that's the sobering truth of chapter 31 that if if we continue to refuse to surrender to God really the uh the thing that we fear most can often masters us. So Saul still worried about appearances even now even dying even at the end he fears humiliation more than death. It's been his problem for years consistently caring about that public perception more than private obedience. And church, hear me. This, hear me, hear me. Living for appearances is exhausting. Trying to maintain an image will drain your soul because eventually you're going to be more committed to looking healthy than becoming healthy. And becoming healthy requires honest self assessment about where you are. Hey, this idea I'm okay, you're okay. Only through the blood of Christ. Only through the blood of Christ. You know, the Apostle Paul because I know that there's this underlying religious current out there that you can be sinless, you can be perfect, you can get to a place where you don't struggle with sin. That's so funny. I mean, you are so arrogant. This is what the Apostle Paul says. Oh, wretched man that I am. And I'm pretty sure that the Apostle Paul and the Holy Spirit understand verb tenses. So, the Apostle Paul, who's out there founding churches, writing twothirds of the New Testament, he's a saint. He says in the middle of all that oh wretched man that I not was I am we are all today in this moment wretched people but then he goes on to say and I thank God in Christ Jesus the hope that we have and the struggles that we have we don't have to fear God because of Christ Jesus. That's the hope. And so here's here and there's there's Saul never fully learning how to humble himself before God. David failed miserably. We're going to see it in second Samuel. But but he always repented deeply. Saul failed spiritually, but he defended himself constantly. So one man broke and he ran to God. The other kept hiding behind his own pride. So let's go on. Let's go on to verse five. And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword and died with him. This is devastating. Saul falls, but not just Saul. Somebody else falls with him. Leadership always affects other people. That's why we pray for our leaders. Leadership always affects other people. Always. Whether good or bad. Nobody rises alone. Nobody collapses alone. People are watching, families are watching, children are watching, church is watching. That's why integrity matters. And honestly, this verse is one of the reasons why we should pray instead of criticizing. But when leaders drift, the damage often spreads outward. So let's go on to verse six. 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 saw that the men of Israel had when the men of Israel, there we go, saw that the men of Israel had fled, they forstook the cities and fled. So now it's not only the people are fallen. Now now the nation is unraveling. The cities are abandoned. The people are fleeing. The Philistines are moving in. Fear spreads fast. And this is the tragic end of Saul's kingdom. The man who was chosen to deliver Israel from the Philistine ultimately dies defeated by them. Why? Because partial obedience never produces lasting victory. And Saul wanted God's blessings without full surrender. But eventually what's hidden in the heart becomes visible in life. And when it came to pass on the tomorrow, they found Saul and his three sons fallen in Mount Gil Gilboa, I'm sorry, the Philistines cut off his head, strip his armor, fasten his body to a wall. They publish the victory everywhere. Why? Because Satan and the enemy loves publicly shaming. Cruel. But hear me carefully.

Failure. Listen to me. Failure. Listen to me. Failure is not identity. Peter failed, but he was restored. Jonah failed, but God pursued him. Mark failed, but he became useful again and wound up writing one of the gospels. The difference is repentance. So Saul continually resisted brokenness before God and that's what ultimately destroy him. But God's not going to end the chapter now because he's got another whisper of grace. I want you to listen because it's beautiful. And when the inhabitants of Gabesh Gilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul. So suddenly unexpectedly grace enters the chapter. The men of Jabish Gilead traveled all night to recover Saul's body. Why? Because years earlier Saul had rescued them. Back in in 1 Samuel chapter 11. Saul delivered Gabesh Gilead from destruction. And these men never forgot it. This is remarkable because at the very end of Saul's tragic story,

somebody remembered the good that he once did. And I love this because people are complicated. Saul was not all evil. He was a deeply broken man who resisted God repeatedly. But there were still moments that God used him. And these men honored that. They risked their lives to give Saul a dignified burial. The Bible says that they even fasted seven days. Israel mourns not nearly because a king died, but because of what could have been. Saul had so much potential. Yes, he was a child of God. Yes. Samuel said, "You're going to see me because Saul went to heaven."

Let me make this deeply personal. Several of us in this congregation had a pastor who the end of his life was disappointed. But he was a child of God who was deeply used by God. Even the most flawed among us. God used him. So Saul had so much potential, chosen, anointed, empowered. But the reason he died the way he did is because of spiritual. The tragedy is not that Saul was weak. Tragedy is that Saul would not stay humble because Saul did not begin this way. He was humble. He was hiding in the baggage. He was overwhelmed by the calling. But Somewhere along the way that humility turned to insecurity and that insecurity turned to jealousy and that jealousy turned to paranoia and paranoia turned to rebellion. Drift is subtle. Nobody wakes up thinking that they're going to just collapse at day. It just happens inch by inch. And that's why it's important for us. Book of Psalm says to guard your heart. So finally, let's close out with this because 1 Samuel chapter 1 points us to Jesus. Because Saul is a picture of a failed human king. Even the strongest earthly leaders collapse. But Jesus is a better king. Because where Saul clung to power, Jesus laid down glory. Where Saul hurled spears, Jesus stretched out his hand. Where Saul died because of his own sin, Jesus died for our sins. And unlike Saul, Jesus rose again. This is our hope. Not in human strength, not in giftedness. Our hope is in Christ. A faithful king who never drifted, never failed, never changes. And the safest place in the world that we can find ourselves is in surrender to Jesus. Because grace can be known, grace can live, mercy is still calling. And the king still receives broken people who come honestly to him. If you'd like to worship our Lord as we do here at Camp Creek Church, we'll give you that chance as we stand and sing him number.

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