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Holiness literally means to be “set apart” or different.  Pragmatically holiness is internalizing the changes that God leads you to, it is becoming like Christ.  It starts with us setting apart a small part of ourselves and allowing God to transform us.  Unfortunately we are to easily satisfied with the appearance of holiness.

We see why holiness is important from Jesus’ teaching.  In Luke 6:46ff Jesus tells us that when we obey his commands and model our life after his we establish our life on the rock.  We build our house like a wise builder and build on the sure foundation of Jesus’ sinless life and perfect teaching.

The very first act of Saul’s affirmed Kingship (1 Samuel 11) Saul is told that he is not going to last as king. That’s what happens when you play games with God – you lose.  God says here in 1 Samuel 13:14 that he is now choosing someone “after his own heart” or his own choosing.

Saul had a track record of indifference –  Samuel had a track record of integrity.

• Age doesn’t equal maturity.  Saul testifies to this, the young King David has more spiritual awareness and leadership maturity than Saul ever did.
  • This is what Paul reminds Timothy of when he admonishes him to not let others look down on him because he is young! (1 Timothy 4:12)
  • Samuel has served for years (1 Samuel 12:1-2) and Saul is starting (1 Samuel 13:1).  Yet, in this short time we see the true character of Saul.  While Samuel’s has been built for a lifetime.
• You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.  Samuel’s life is more than a charade.
  • Samuel took nothing (1 Samuel 12:3-5): more importantly Samuel owed no one anything.  The people were indebted to Samuel!  Compare this with Saul who took everything. (1 Samuel 13:2).
  • We saw Saul’s indifference prior to his inauguration.  We Saul follow through with taking their very lives for service.

Saul played at holiness – Samuel practiced it.

• With Samuel they feared the Lord – 1 Samuel 12:6-18
  • Samuel kept the people’s eyes on the right issue because his eyes were fixed there.
  • If leadership is the head and a leader is the eye then wherever their gaze is fixed so to the group.
  • Coaches constantly exhort their players to keep focused, because the coach sees the bigger picture in the season not the game or the opposing players.
• With Saul they feared their enemies – 1 Samuel 13:5-7
  • Fear is a funny thing, it seems to me that we fear the most immediate threat not the greatest.  We worry about what we’ll eat for dinner, or wear – but neglect to think about feeding ourselves spiritually, or clothing ourselves with Christ.
  • We worry more about car crashes and burglary than we do our spirituality.
  • Jesus said, “I’ll show you who to fear, fear him who after destroying the body can…” (Luke 12:5)
• Jesus calls out the people that worry more about the appearance of holiness and not true holiness.  He reserves his harshest criticism for them – calling them whitewashed tombs. (Matthew 23:27)
• Is your heart aligned with the fear of God or are you consumed with worries in this world?

Saul’s authority was political – Samuel’s was spiritual.

• Here we see the split of prophet and king, spiritual leader and national leader truly take shape.  Prophet – King  (1 Samuel 12:23)
  • Aaron was the priest, but Moses spoke to God and was a Levite.
  • Joshua found himself at the tent of meeting speaking with God.
  • The judges were called by God and directed by God.  From here on out the primary means of Divine to royal communication comes through a prophet.
• This authority is deeper than the ability to tell someone to do something, it is a moral authority a matter of integrity.
• I won’t tell you who, but there are a few people in my life that if they called me on the phone and said, “God wants you to do this…” I’d do it.  Because I know that their spirituality and integrity places them in a position of authority in my life.
  • Samuel’s was to God – 1 Samuel 12:13-15.  Samuel looks beyond the kingship to the true kingship of God reminding the people to submit first to the Lord.
  • Saul’s was to himself – 1 Samuel 13:8-12.  Look at verse 12 and notice how many times “I” occurs – this reveals Saul’s focus.

How do we start?  Humility.  James 4:10 tells us to humble ourselves before God and he will lift us up.-
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