Life Around "The Fire"
This podcast is dedicated to those wanting to experience a living and real relationship with God as well as growing together in love for one another. We consider that to be a true sign of spiritual growth as we journey along The Way. If this is you then come along with us as we co-operate with God in what He is doing around the corner and around the world!
Life Around "The Fire"
When Fear Leads: The Cost Of Disobedience
Pressure mounts, the crowd scatters, and a leader reaches for a quick fix. We walk through 1 Samuel 13 and 15 to see why Saul’s hurried sacrifice and partial obedience cost him a kingdom—and what that reveals about the difference between religious activity and loyal trust. The stakes are high: when fear of people sets the agenda, authority withers and communities shrink. When obedience anchors our choices, God’s timing and presence carry the day.
We explore Israel’s shift from God’s direct rule to a human king and how the desire to look like other nations reshaped expectations of power. Saul’s choices feel familiar: act now, manage optics, justify results by calling them “worship.” Samuel’s words cut through the spin: to obey is better than sacrifice. We unpack the sacrificial system as a foreshadowing of Christ, not a tool for crisis management, and we consider how partial obedience—keeping the “best” for ourselves—still breaks trust. In contrast, God is already preparing David, reminding us that He works ahead of the curve, forming hearts that rely on Him rather than on weapons, strategies, or applause.
This conversation offers practical takeaways for pastors, team leads, and anyone navigating pressure: resist the urge to rush outcomes, replace people-pleasing with reverence, and let Scripture serve as your plumb line when vision is foggy. If we traded some noise for listening and acted on what God actually says, we would see more clarity, courage, and fruit that lasts. Join us, reflect on where you’re tempted to settle for almost, and share the episode with someone who needs a steady word. If this helped you, subscribe, leave a review, and tell us how you’re choosing obedience this week.
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Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.
Shalom to you and your home.
All right, all right, here we are. Back at it again, man. We are in 1 Samuel, chapter 13, 14, and 15. They're the primary text that we're using right now. And up and coming this week, though, I've got to share with you this. This is pretty cool, man. In the next podcast episode, we're going to be having back in the studio one of our favorite teachers and preachers. His name is Trevor McMahon. And if you haven't listened to his stuff before, man, you're going to want to tune in because he is really a highly anointed man of God and a true friend. And so we're looking forward to having him in our studio coming up in the next two episodes, actually. But today we're going to be looking at 1 Samuel chapter 13, verses 6 through 15, and 1 Samuel chapter 15, verses 10 through 35. That's a lot of scripture, but you know, actually 80, check this out. 80% of the world, of the world population, 80% of the world population really still requires or looks for us to teach people orally through stories. Eighty percent of teaching is still done through storytelling across the nations. And so some of you listening today have a great opportunity to hear the scriptures and a story that we've been following concerning the life of Saul and the life of Israel during a time in which they were transitioning from being a society that was ruled by God being their king, God Almighty being their leader, and prophets and judges being the human agents through which God would express his word and his ways to Israel as a nation. From that way of jurisdiction to a type of kingship that modeled itself after the other nations, because Israel wanted to be like the other nations. And there's something within human nature to want to be themselves and to be unique, but only so much, man. You don't really want to stick out. And for sure, you don't want to stick out if it draws negative attention. And Israel was receiving plenty of negative attention from the company uh from the from the countries that surrounded them and produced for them a temptation to live like them, to do things the way that they did, because it looked better. And oftentimes, again, that's the case. Things look better from the outside, but when you really find out what's going on on the inside, you realize that it isn't better. In fact, it's worse. It's more bondage than it is blessing. But Israel wanted a king, and so God said, Go ahead, you can have a king. But they pushed the issue and they prematurely wanted something that God would have given them down the road had they waited. And again, that is so relevant to us today because if we would just at times sometimes, sometimes, just wait, be obedient to what God has said, and then wait for the next thing that he says, not the next thing we think or the next thing we want, but waiting upon him for the next thing he says, because this really is all about God. The earth is the Lord's first and foremost, and everything in it, us included. And so we are here to serve the Lord. And when He is sent, when He is central, when He is at the core of all things, things go well, but when we place other things in front of Him, things go poorly in life. It's just the way it works. When God is central and our focus is upon Him, we find ourselves in right standing, righteous. And there's peace that goes along with that, and a joy that just can't be denied, an undercurrent of things being in order. And so God had a plan for Israel because Israel is his people, it was his people, it is his people, and it will remain to be his chosen nation. And praise God, we who are Gentiles, because of faith placed in Jesus, because of the work that he accomplished on the cross, we Gentiles now can be grafted into the promises of God. Like a wild olive branch being grafted into an olive tree. We as Gentiles are grafted into the promises of God in Israel, and we become one new man. Hallelujah. What a miracle. But we're looking at the life of Israel, because Israel serves as a sundial. What takes place in Israel eventually will reverberate, excuse me, all throughout the earth. But God has things happen to Israel first and uses them as an example, whether it's a good example or a poor example. Nonetheless, he lets it be revealed or lets it be known, lets it be seen out in the open. God is not afraid of having things revealed. It doesn't take away from his goodness, it doesn't take away from him being righteous and holy, and his judgments being good and pure. It just shows the fact that life has within it twists and turns. And sometimes we don't see things. We can only see things in part. We know in part and we even prophesy in part. But when the perfect comes, Jesus, hallelujah! He is going to make things known across the board plainly. But right now, we see in part. But we've been given a good, good, good tool to use to gauge our life by. And that's found in the scriptures. So we can look into the scriptures and see what happened in the life of Israel, and we can find ourselves there very easy because there's nothing new under the sun. If it's happening now, it's happened before. And we can learn from what's happened before if we pay attention to the principles that God reveals. So fortunately, he's been showing us some things in the book of 1 Samuel, and we're going to take some time right now and look into 1 Samuel chapter 13, verses 6 through 15, a very key point in this transition from the monarchy to a type of human kingship where the divine monarchy, a theocracy, gave way to a more kingly approach. And unfortunately, because Israel pushed the issue ahead of time, they got what they wanted, but it wasn't God's first choice. And so we see why. We start seeing it really kind of unravel more and more in chapter 13. We saw where Saul was an unwilling, he just didn't want to be a king. He hid in the luggage area where the donkeys were. Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, sunset by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter. So he said, Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings, and Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. What have you done? asked Samuel. Saul replied When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, I thought Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord's favor, so I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering. You acted foolishly, Samuel said. You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. If you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time, but now your kingdom will not endure. But the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command. Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him, they numbered six hundred. Okay, so when I first read this and I read Samuel's response to what Saul had done, I didn't get it, man. I didn't get why Samuel was so upset. I actually thought, man, Saul took the initiative. He did what I probably would have done. In looking at the situation and seeing that the Philistines were moving in on them and that the men were fleeing, and that there was a ritual that hadn't been done, I probably would have done it in just in trying to get something to happen. And that is the problem of our human nature, because that is not the way things were supposed to take place.
SPEAKER_00:There was a certain order and there was a certain relationship order that things had. And Saul went at things just in the hasty attempt to perform what he thought was just a religious ritual.
SPEAKER_01:But in all reality, it had much more involved, it was it was it was much more involved than just killing an animal and offering it up to God. There were certain things that were involved that actually portrayed the life of Jesus. And it was meant to be a picture of Christ. And the way that it was enacted was a portrayal of respect and honor of the body of Christ.
SPEAKER_00:It was a picture, it was a foreshadowing of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01:And Saul got his hands in there and he added to things, he took away from things, and he messed things up. And you see, God was not so concerned about the bull and the offering, as much as he was relationship and obedience to his word, and the fact that he had something in order and there was a reason behind it.
SPEAKER_00:And Saul basically interrupted that.
SPEAKER_01:I didn't realize that there was as much involved in the sacrificial system as now I realize because I could see Jesus in the sacrifices. And things aren't just done any old way. You don't just handle Jesus any old way. In fact, we don't just handle him, he molds and shapes us. And so the kingdom was being taken from Saul because of disobedience. The primary issue with Saul was he was filled with fear, the fear of man, and he was lacking faith in God. The God he had in his mind was too small. It didn't line up with who God really is. And sometimes that's an issue in leadership. Leadership could be doing a good thing, but it's the wrong person for the job because it looks good humanly speaking. It might look good on the other side, they might have the degree and the pedigree for it, but there's no anointing, there's no backing of God. They can say the right things, but it lacks power.
SPEAKER_00:It's just religious work.
SPEAKER_01:And it's empty in the end, even though it looks good on the outside. Saul giving a sacrifice, offering it up, looked okay from the outside. It looked like, okay, well, this is what you do. I mean, can't anybody just step in and do it? Can't anyone just teach? Can anyone just preach? Can't anyone just do it? I mean, does it have to be these people doing it?
SPEAKER_00:What's so special about them? But Saul, he operated out of fear.
SPEAKER_01:And when you have fear in leadership, that group is not going to grow, it's going to shrink. Saul started out with two thousand men, and he wound up with six hundred. His leadership style didn't attract more people. People fled because fear casts out all good things, whereas perfect love casts out all fear. Fear casts out all good things.
SPEAKER_00:Even God's things.
SPEAKER_01:And so God had to into his word and his kingdom move on and move forward. And he then began to provide indication as to who it was who's going to be the next king. Because even though the Philistines had a corner on iron working and it shut down things militarily on the outside for Israel because they couldn't make spears and swords, because they had no black they had no blacksmith. Nonetheless, God was ahead of them. And they didn't need swords or spears. They just needed one man with five smooth stones. God was ahead of things. They didn't need a spear or a sword. But I'm getting ahead of myself. That's some information that Trevor's going to be carrying and covering when he's in town here. So on to 1 Samuel chapter 15. We're looking at the transition time and excuse me, let me get some more water here. Thank you. Yeah. So we're in it we're in a transition time where Israel is experiencing what it's like to have a king for the first time. And things aren't going so well. This is now Saul's second and third year in his kingship, and he's already been told that his kingship's not gonna last. But that's not bad news, that's actually good news because that's showing that God is ahead of the enemy, and he always is. Many steps ahead of the enemy. And where the Philistines had iron workers, God had David. Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel. I am grieved that I made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions. Samuel was troubled and he cried out to the Lord all that night. Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told Saul has gone to Carmel. There he set up a monument in his own honor, and has turned and gone on to Gilgal. When Samuel reached him, Saul said, The Lord bless you, I've carried out the Lord's instructions. But Samuel said, What then is this bleeding of sheep in my ears? What is what's this flowing of cattle that I hear? Saul answered, The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites. They spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest. Stop Samuel said to Saul, let me tell you what the Lord has said to me last night. Tell me, Saul replied. Samuel said, Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel, and he sent you on a mission saying Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites, make war on them until you have wiped them out. Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you not pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord? Excuse me, why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord? But I did obey the Lord, Saul said. I went on the mission to the Lord assigned me, and I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God in order to sacrifice them to the Lord at Yugal. But Samuel replied, Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams, for rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry, because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king. Then Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned. I have violated the Lord's command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people, and so I gave in to them. Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so I may worship the Lord. But Samuel said to him, I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel. As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe and it tore. And Samuel said to him, The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbors, to one better than you. He who is the glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind, for he is not a man, so that he should change his mind. Saul replied, I have sinned, but please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel. Come back with me so that I may worship the Lord your God. So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord. Then Samuel said, Bring me Agag, King of the Amalekites. Agag came to him confidently, thinking, Surely the bitterness of death is past. But Samuel said, As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women, and Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal. Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. Until that day, until the day Saud excuse me, until the day Samuel died, he did not go see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him, and the Lord was grieved that he had made king over Israel.
SPEAKER_00:Wow. Disobedience is a big deal. Especially if you're a leader.
SPEAKER_01:To obey is better than doing a bunch of religious stuff. To obey the word of the Lord is better than doing a bunch of religious activity. Having a good service that you have on a Sunday morning is not as important as obeying the word of the Lord and serving him. If we did away with all of the religious church services and spent that time waiting on the Lord, listening to him, and then obeying his word, we would see the glory of the Lord manifest in our midst. And that's what we're looking for. And that's what God provided when he brought David on the scene. Saul, he showed his colors, and as a leader, the fear of man was a snare. It snared the word of God away from Saul and snatched the kingdom out of his grasp. God cannot use a leader like that. He won't use a leader like that. We might have people that call themselves leaders who are like that, but God has not ordained that. God is going to have his way, and his kingdom is going to be manifest, and his glory is going to be revealed. And it requires us, excuse me, it requires us to be in a place of obedience. To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed better than offering up some religious activity. God is not concerned about our religious activity, our churchity, as he is in our obedience. Hallelujah. Let's pray. Hallelujah. Father, we thank you, God, for who you are, for what you're doing, and how you're doing things. And we invite you by your spirit to mold us into leaders that look like Jesus, who are obedient first.
SPEAKER_00:Don't have that snare of the fear of man in operation.
SPEAKER_01:Deliver us from evil, Lord, and separate us from that way of living into a lifestyle that is involving the way you do things in your kingdom, your culture, your power, your glory, forever and ever. We pray this in the name of Jesus to be real in our midst. And we say Amen. Amen. Amen. Alright, folks, we love you. And if you have any thoughts, questions, concerns, please feel free to look us up on the web. Just type in Life Around the Fire, or you can type in Life Are on the Fire and send us an email. We would love to hear from you. Our email address is life are on the fire at gmail.com. In the meantime, God bless you. Adios, amigos.