Overview:
1 Samuel 15:1–23
Webster defines the term “submit” in this way: “To surrender or yield to the will or authority of another . . . give in. To allow oneself to be subjected: acquiesce.” Those words seem strange in today’s rebellious world where resistance to authority is not only tolerated and expected, it’s admired and defended! Children, once taught to be submissive to their parents, now resist their authority with hardly a second thought. In some cases, they take them to court!
Those who lead companies, corporations, and even ministries must now be ultra-sensitive toward their employees, using great diplomacy when exercising their role of authority. For professions such as teachers and police officers, the former days of demanding absolute submission to their authority are over.
Admittedly, there are times when resistance is appropriate. We would not remain a free nation if we submitted to the tyranny of those who would take our liberty from us. There are times when defending one’s rights is essential; to do less would result in chaos. However, we are not addressing those issues in this message, but rather the sin of standing in stubborn defiance against and questioning any and all authority that has the right to confront, correct, or instruct us. Such resistance greatly displeases the Lord our God.
Message Summary:
Message Key Facts:
- The Decades of Loss: Quoting Ravi Zacharias, Swindoll traces the cultural decline of authority:
- 1950s: Kids lost their innocence.
- 1960s: Kids lost their authority (the decade of protest).
- 1970s: Kids lost their love (replaced by self-love).
- 1980s: Kids lost their hope (fear of nuclear war).
- 1990s: Kids lost their reason (logic replaced by postmodernism).
- 2000s: Kids lost their imagination (desensitized by violence) [9–11].
- Definitions:
- Rebellion: Opposition to one in authority; open defiance or resistance.
- Rationalization: Providing plausible but untrue reasons for conduct; attributing actions to rational motives without analyzing what is actually true.
- Valid vs. Invalid Resistance: Swindoll clarifies that not all resistance is wrong. It is right to resist when protecting property, liberty, religious convictions, or when resisting the devil. However, it is "carnal rebellion" to resist proper authority or God’s will with a defiant spirit [12–13].
- Partial Obedience: Saul’s failure was specific: God said "destroy," but Saul "captured" the king and "kept" the best livestock. Swindoll notes Saul did not misunderstand the instructions; he simply disagreed with them [18–19].
- The Monument to Self: Before Samuel arrived, Saul traveled to Carmel to set up a monument to himself—a clear indicator of the ego and pride that fueled his disobedience [19–20].
- The Dentist Illustration: Swindoll shares a humorous but poignant story from Dr. James Dobson about a defiant boy named Robert. A dentist finally curbed the boy's rebellion by calling his bluff—threatening to take the boy's clothes if he didn't sit in the chair, and then actually doing it. This illustrates the necessity of parents "calling the bluff" of a rebellious child [26–28].
- Crushed by God: Swindoll quotes A.W. Tozer: "It is doubtful God can use any of us greatly until He has hurt us deeply." He explains that a rebellious life must be crushed by the Lord to break the stubborn will.
Message References:
- 1 Samuel 15:1–3: The Lord’s explicit command to Saul to completely destroy the Amalekites.
- 1 Samuel 15:13–15: Saul’s rationalization to Samuel: "I have carried out the Lord's command... the army spared the best of the sheep... to sacrifice".
- 1 Samuel 15:22–23: The core theology of the message: "Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft".
- James 4:10 / 1 Peter 5:5: Referenced regarding the command to "humble yourselves" and be subject to elders.
- Job 23:10: (Implicitly referenced regarding being tested and coming forth as gold).
