Proverbs 3:5-6
To _ is better than to sacrifice Obey
Introduction
Balderdash (diaspora, hyssop, or laver) - guessing at the definition of an unfamiliar word is like making decisions based only on our own understanding. Just as we turned to a trusted source to learn the correct definition of the word, we need to trust the Lord and seek his will to make correct decisions in our lives. This lessons teaches us the importance of trusting the Lord and seeking his guidance when we make decisions contrasting the experiences of two men, Saul and David.
1 Samuel 9-11 - Saul seeks guidance from Samuel and is anointed to be king.
The Israelites wanted a king like those of the nations around them. Yielding to the Israelites’ request, the Lord told Samuel to anoint Saul as Israel’s first king.
What do the scriptures say about Saul? (v.2) He was goodlier than any other person
The word goodly seems to indicate many of the qualities that made Saul a logical candidate to be Israel’s first king. All that the Bible reveals indicates that Saul was honest, reliable, considerate of his parents, and altogether a very promising person for the great task ahead. Goodly also described Saul’s physical attributes. In this regard, Saul was potentially the hero and man of valour all Israel sought. He was about a foot taller than those of his generation
What did Saul do that demonstrated his good qualities?
- He was diligent in his search for his father’s donkeys (v. 9:3-4)
- He was willing to listen to and follow the wise counsel of his father’s servant (v.9:5-10)
- He trusted the prophet Samuel and communed with him (v.9:18-25)
- He was humble (v.9:20-21)
- He was spiritually reborn, and he prophesied (v.10:6-10)
- He forgave his critics (v.11:11-13)
- He recognized the help of the Lord in Israel’s victory over the Ammonites (v.11:13)
1 Samuel 13 - Saul offers a burnt offering without the proper authority
Two years after Saul was anointed king, the Philistines gathered a mighty army to fight against Israel. Saul’s men were so afraid that many of them hid and scattered.
Why did Saul want the prophet Samuel to come to him at this time? (v.7-8) He wanted Samuel to offer sacrifices to the Lord in behalf of the people
What did Saul do when Samuel did not come at the appointed time? (v.9) He offered the sacrifices himself even though he did not have the priesthood authority to do so.
It was not long before Saul began to have an exaggerated opinion of his
power and importance. This tendency is natural to men who forget the
Lord and trust in themselves. The Prophet Joseph Smith
said, “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and
disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority,
as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous
dominion It
is true that this was a time of great crisis. The Philistines were
amassed in great strength and the people were deserting from Saul’s army. When Samuel was late in coming, Saul took things into his own hands and offered the sacrifices. This action was a great sin.
James E Talmage said “Think also of Saul who had been called from the field to be made king of the nation. When the Philistines were marshalled against Israel in Michmash, Saul waited for Samuel, under whose hand he had received his kingly anointing and to whom he had looked in the days of his humility for guidance; he asked that the prophet come and offer sacrifices to the Lord in behalf of the people. But, growing impatient at Samuel’s delay, Saul prepared the burnt offering himself, forgetting that though he occupied the throne, wore the crown, and bore the scepter, these insignia of kingly power gave him no right to officiate even as a deacon in the Priesthood of God; and for this and other instances of his unrighteous presumption he was rejected of God and another was made king in his place."
The circumstances were critical, but one of the purposes of mortality is to demonstrate that one will remain faithful and obedient under all circumstances. Saul failed that test and thereby lost his right to be God’s representative of the people.
*** What did Saul’s offering an unauthorized sacrifice reveal about him? (v.14) He was no longer “a man after [the Lord’s] own heart”. He had grown impatient, failed to trust the Lord, and disobeyed. In addition, his presuming the authority to offer sacrifice suggests that he had an exaggerated opinion of his own power and importance.
*** In what ways are we sometimes impatient with the Lord or his servants?
Note: Scholars believe that at this time the Israelites did not know how to work with iron. The Philistines guarded the secret carefully to maintain superiority in weapons over the softer brass weapons of the Israelites. As a result, the Israelites did not have the superior chariots of iron, nor could they manufacture swords and spears of iron. The other instruments mentioned, “share,” “coulter,” “axe,” “mattock,” and “goad,” had to be taken to the Philistines for sharpening.
A share was a metal instrument used to plough the ground.
A coulter was a small garden hoe used to loosen the earth and weed the soil.
A mattock was an Egyptian hoe or grubbing axe.
A goad was a sharp rod about eight feet long used to prod stubborn animals.
1 Samuel 15 - Saul disobeys the Lord in the battle with the Amalekites and is rejected as king
Saul was commanded to utterly destroy the Amalekites
What did Saul do instead? (v.4-9) He spared the King and took the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and all that was good.
What did Saul’s actions reveal about him? (v.11) He followed his own judgment rather than doing the Lord’s will.
Saul tried to justify his disobedience in saving the best of the Amalekites' animals by blaming his people for wanting to save the animals to use for sacrifice
What was Samuel's response for those justifications? (v.22) To obey is better than to sacrifice
1 Samuel 16 - The Lord chooses David as king.
What did Samuel learn when determining which of Jesse’s sons should be the next king? (v.6-7) The Lord looketh on the heart
Elder Marvin J. Ashton said: “We … tend to evaluate others on the basis of physical, outward appearance: their ‘good looks,’ their social status, their family pedigrees, their degrees, or their economic situations.“The
Lord, however, has a different standard by which he measures a person. …
He
measures the heart as an indicator of the person’s capacity and
potential to bless others”
Why is it important that in
our relationships with others, we see beyond the outward appearance and
look on the heart?
Because Saul had been disobedient, the Spirit of the Lord departed from him.
How did Saul seek relief from the evil spirit that came upon him? (v.15-23) David played the harp
*** What outside sources do people today sometimes turn to as they try to
find relief from their sins?
What characteristics did David have that qualified him to be a leader? (v. 16:18)
1 Samuel 17 - David slays Goliath in the strength of the Lord.
What could the Israelites gain or lose in the fight with Goliath? (v.8-9)
Although it seems peculiar in this day of modern warfare, in ancient
times it was not unusual for opposing armies, which were generally quite
small, to select one representative from each side to fight a personal
contest. The outcome of that contest determined the winner of the
battle.
Why were Saul and his army afraid to fight Goliath? (v.4-11) They did not think they could defeat Goliath because of his size, strength, armor, and weapons
Goliath’s height was six cubits and a span. The most widely accepted
opinion of the length of a cubit is about eighteen inches or, roughly,
the distance from the elbow to the tip of the extended middle finger. A
span is said to be one-half the distance from the thumb to the end of
the little finger when the fingers are spread as wide as possible. These
measurements would make the height of Goliath approximately nine feet,
nine inches! It is unusual that anyone today is over seven feet tall, but it is
commonly believed there were men in ancient times whose height far
exceeded seven feet. There are references in the scriptures to giants in
the earlier periods of history. Experts have estimated the weight of Goliath’s armor to be about 150 pounds.
How did David get the courage to fight Goliath? David recognized that the Lord had delivered him from a lion and a bear
while tending his father’s sheep, and he trusted the Lord to help him
fight Goliath
Victor L. Brown said David’s
actions showed that his answer to the question Who's on the Lord's side Who, would have been a
hearty “I am!” Arriving at the battlefront at a time when the haughty
giant Goliath had openly challenged Israel to send a man to fight him,
David boldly volunteered to accept Goliath’s challenge. When accused of
pride, the future king of Israel asked his oldest brother, “Is there not
a cause?” Many
young people of today are great joiners. They attach themselves to this
or that organization or group because they wish to make the world a
better place. They need a purpose for living, a reason to be—they need a
cause. Young
David, shepherd boy of Israel, had a cause. And this cause was
emphasized when Samuel, the Lord’s prophet, anointed David to be a
future king of Israel. Throughout his early life, David stayed close to
the Lord. In all his military ventures, in the face of threats against
his life, and despite numerous opportunities to slay Saul, David was
true to his chosen cause. “And David behaved himself wisely in all his
ways; and the Lord was with him”.
And
what of today? Have we a cause? Indeed we have! We found that cause
when we gained our testimonies of the true gospel and of the value of
citizenship in the kingdom of God.
“I
declare with all my soul—there is a cause! It is a cause worth giving
one’s life for. It is the cause of righteousness. It is a cause that
every youth in this Church should rally to as he declares war on Satan
and his legions. As David said to Goliath, so each youth should declare
to Satan, ‘Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a
shield; but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of
the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
*** What challenges might we face now that prepare us for
greater challenges?
*** How do our responses to challenges affect our
ability to battle the Goliaths that may come later?
President Gordon B. Hinckley said: "There
are Goliaths all around you, hulking giants with evil intent to destroy
you. These are not nine-foot-tall men, but they are men and
institutions that control attractive but evil things that may challenge
and weaken and destroy you. Included in these are beer and other liquors
and tobacco. Those who market these products would like to enslave you
into their use. There are drugs of various kinds which, I am told, are
relatively easy to obtain in many high schools. For those who peddle
them, this is a multimillion-dollar industry, a giant web of evil. There
is pornography,
seductive and interesting and inviting. It has become a giant industry,
producing magazines, films, and other materials designed to take your
money and lead you toward activities that would destroy you. The
giants who are behind these efforts are formidable and skillful. They
have gained vast experience in the war they are carrying on. They would
like to ensnare you.It is almost impossible to entirely avoid exposure to their products. You see these materials on all sides. But you need not fear if you have the slingshot of truth in your hands. You have been counseled and taught and advised. You have the stones of virtue and honor and integrity to use against these enemies who would like to conquer you. Insofar as you are concerned, you can hit them ‘between the eyes,’ to use a figurative expression. You can triumph over them by disciplining yourselves to avoid them. You can say to the whole lot of them as David said to Goliath, ‘Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
Victory will be yours. … You have His power within you to sustain you. You have the right to ministering angels about you to protect you. Do not let Goliath frighten you. Stand your ground and hold your place, and you will be triumphant."
Closing
Important to trust the Lord and seek his guidance when we make decisions
As we defeat the lions and bears in our lives, we will develop the confidence, character, and faith to defeat our Goliaths.
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