Warriors Who Win Through the Word (1 Samuel 15:1–9)

Today is Military Mission Sunday, which we observe in honor of Veterans Day in the United States. First, as a church that holds the covenant of evangelizing America, this should be a time to pray for America in a difficult season. In particular, it should be a time to pray for and bless the military missionaries who are serving in the armed forces or doing military ministry, as well as the Remnants preparing to enter the military. We have about 20 military missionaries.

There is another important reason. God has emphasized that all of His saved people are to stand as the army of God, as soldiers of Christ. Israel, freed from Egypt, was called “the hosts (army) of the LORD” (Exodus 12:41), and the Remnants who had been scattered in captivity were called “an exceedingly great army” (Ezekiel 37:10). Paul told Timothy, his beloved son in the faith and his disciple, to stand as “a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3–4) who will enjoy spiritual victory in the last days. We must take hold of this message from the standpoint that every believer is a spiritual soldier of Christ.

Today’s passage shows Saul, who won the battle but failed once again in his relationship with God. It was a battle he could not lose. God permitted it, God spoke of it, and God was with them in that battle. As He sent them out, He gave an important command. The command was that, in the war against the Amalekites, they must utterly destroy them and leave none of their possessions. I will explain the meaning behind this later. Saul did not obey this word. He had his own reason. He claimed he wanted to offer the possessions (the spoils) to God as a sacrifice (verse 21). In reality, it was a rationalization or an excuse that put Saul’s own thinking first.

1. The result of not obeying God’s Word was devastating. 

He won the battle, but because he did not obey God’s Word, his relationship with God collapsed, and that became a fatal failure. This is what is frightening. Things may seem to be going well right now, but if they do not align with God’s Word, they ultimately end in failure. Scripture says God regretted making Saul king (verse 11), and this became the turning point at which Saul was completely rejected by God (verse 23).

1) It was the result of not obeying the Word.

① Adam’s failure also began here. Eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was the result of abandoning the Word, disobeying, and breaking the covenant (Hosea 6:7). The failures of all believers and of the church in past generations and in this one have come from this same place. They lost the Word, lost the covenant of the Gospel contained in that Word, interpreted the Word by their own standards, and used it to satisfy their own desires (2 Peter 3:16; Revelation 22:18–19).

② When Samuel rebuked Saul, he said that obeying and following the Word is more important than the act of offering sacrifices (verse 22). Train yourself to understand the Word and to obey the Word. This is why God tells us to obey our parents and to submit to every authority. It is where obedience begins. Especially for a soldier, refusing to obey means it’s over. A soldier’s greatest strength is obeying orders.

2) Through repeated failure, God resolved to no longer use Saul (verse 23).

A person who was in an important position and should have enjoyed important blessings ultimately came to this tragic moment through disobedience. Even after his first failure, God kept giving him chances. This was God’s hesed, His way of saying, “Come back to Me at any time.”

3) Because he did not recover from this, spiritual problems began for Saul (1 Samuel 16:14).

He was continually tormented by guilt, anxiety, greed, and a competitive spirit, until it reached the point where he was tormented by an evil spirit.

2. What Word must we hold on to, and how must we live a life of obedience to the Word?

1) The Gospel of Christ must continually be proclaimed through the Word, and believers must hold on to that Gospel Word.

① After the first man Adam lost the Word and sinned, what God gave was the Word of the Gospel (the covenant of grace). That is Genesis 3:15 and 3:21. The Bible contains many historical facts, many good lessons, and above all, the fearsome Law. The Law was given so that we would realize our sin and quickly enter into the grace of Christ (Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:24).

② Every life comes alive when it hears this covenant of grace, the Gospel of Christ. Everything can begin anew. Even salvation does not come simply by believing. Scripture says salvation comes when we hear and believe the word of Christ, who came as the Gospel (Romans 10:17). When we hear and believe this Gospel of salvation, we are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our whole inheritance (Ephesians 1:13–14).

③ Only through Christ, who came anointed by God, can every wound, failure, depression, and mental struggle be healed (Isaiah 61:1). In 30 years of ministry, I have seen family crises, depression, suicidal urges, panic disorder, addiction, and demonic possession healed through this Gospel, and people raised up as disciples. There are so many people who need to hear this Gospel Word. Especially in the military field, nothing but this Gospel can save people. Wounds and spiritual problems that began before joining the military surface during their time in the military. They become even more serious after returning from war. It is a mission field.

2) Within this Gospel Word, we must grasp spiritual facts and spiritual blessings.

① Every war in the Old Testament was a spiritual war. They were wars that God fought, and that is why they could not be lost. The reason God permitted the war against the Amalekites and commanded them to destroy and cast away everything, leaving nothing behind, is that it foreshadows spiritual warfare. When Israel applied the blood of the Passover, was freed from 400 years of slavery, and first set out toward Canaan, the first enemy they faced was Amalek. Israel did not pick a fight or start the war. That is what Satan does. He keeps doing evil without reason. God is carrying out that judgment (verse 2). God is telling us to fight this war until our enemy, Satan, is completely destroyed.

② In evangelism and missions as well, we must hold on to the Gospel Word and fight this battle first. That is why when Jesus sent out His disciples, He gave them authority to cast out demons (Mark 3:13–15; Luke 10:19), and He said that when we believe and proclaim this Gospel, demons will be broken first (Mark 16:17–20). Even when conflict arises at work or at home, we must fight this battle first (Romans 16:20).

③ In the field, there are people God has given up on, and there are prepared people God is waiting for. Theologically, the state of being given up is called “reprobation” (Romans 1:24–25). Such people do not give up their own desires. They keep clinging to idols, and their hearts have become completely hardened. The prepared people God is waiting for are those who have been predestined (Acts 13:48). The problem is that we do not know who is reprobate and who is chosen, so we simply share the Gospel first (7-Point Disciple).

3) Experience this Gospel Word being delivered and fulfilled through the pulpit.

The pulpit is the channel of blessing that connects the throne and the believers, and Scripture says the angels hear that Word and carry it out (Psalm 103:20–21).

① This is the blessing prophesied in Ezekiel 47 and fulfilled in Mark’s Upper Room in Acts 2. All the believers heard the apostles’ teaching, held on to that covenant, prayed, and became one (Acts 2:42).

② God blessed their lives, blessed their finances, and added daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:47). In every problem and every situation, take hold of the pulpit message accurately, believe it, and follow it. Scripture says the Holy Spirit works through it (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

Conclusion - Every believer is part of God’s army—a soldier of Christ. This is where the covenant of the watchman and bartizan came from. May you become true warriors whom God uses, following the Word and obeying the Word. I especially bless our military missionaries, that evidences of great victory would overflow in their lives.