(Discussion Notes Below)

This year we are working our way through the Bible – highlighting Leaders. The previous 3 leaders highlighted:

• Abraham: called out to begin a new nation
• Joseph: How Abraham’s people got to Egypt
• Moses: 400 years later, Moses called by God to lead the people out of Slavery/Egypt
• Joshua: 40 years later – Joshua was the Military General who led them into the Promised Land
• Judges: Gideon (Judges 2:11-12 – Read) “The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. They abandoned the Lord….instead they went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them.”

Although some faithful leaders tried to pull them out of this spiral (like Gideon) – once those leaders left their positions – the people continued to prefer to follow the ways of the world rather than be Obedient to God. This cycle of disobedience set up a sad spiral which ended: Judged 21:25 – “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
So – When you turn from Judges to Samuel (the last Judge) You could say: Israel was looking for a Leader. The Leader the people chose was – Saul. – Unfortunately, Saul continued the sad spiral of Disobedience:

Saul – The Lack of Self-Leadership/Discipline

Your greatest leadership challenge is the challenge of leading yourself. The hardest person to lead is the person you stare at in the mirror every morning! We all have preferences – impulses – desires…they strongly influence our leadership (We Want Ice Cream!) But Christian Leadership requires Obedience to God’s preferences – God’s Desires – above our own!

The failure of obedience can have heavy consequences – much more than being taken to your room.

1. Fatal Beginning: I Samuel 8:4-7
   The Elders (the Leaders) uncoupled themselves from God’s leadership. They decided instead to obey their own desires – their voice/their desires will be King. (Repeat of Gen. 3 when desires become King)

Notice Samuel’s Warning: (vs. 10-18)

• “He will take” – 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
  Note: Whenever you uncouple your life from God and listen to another voice – that voice….”he will take”
  John 10:10 – ” I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full…. The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy…{to take}
• (8:18) – Just hold onto that. There will be a day when you cry out and the LORD will not answer!

Notice the People’s Response: (vs. 19-20)
Even after God’s warning – the people respond -“No, we don’t want God as our King, we want what we want, we want to be like everyone else….” *Like the kid in the Movie…I want Ice Cream!

Notice The Lord’s Response: (vs. 22) – A scary & sobering verse
“The Lord said to Samuel: “Obey their voice” – Let them lead!!”Make them a king” –  Give them a king in their own image…one who is emotionally immature, a king who will easily uncouple himself from God’s instruction.

2. Saul – Highlight Saul’s leadership… Downward Spiral – Everything rises and falls on Leadership

• I Samuel 9: Worth noticing: 9:1-2 – Saul is from a wealthy family, handsome and tall. All the external qualities the world is looking for in a leader. Yet it’s not those qualities which make great leader
• Chapter 13 – Saul’s first leadership test. Samuel (representing God’s voice/instruction) tells Saul to go to Gilgal and prepare to fight against the Philistines – Saul instructed to wait 7 days for Samuel to arrive, Samuel will give an offering (seeking the Lord’s favor in battle) and give instruction to Saul.

So here’s the real leadership test – it’s not the fight against the enemy (Philistines) but the fight against himself (Saul). Will Saul lead himself well and obey the voice of the Lord or will he do what he desires and “Eat the Ice Cream?”

Question: As a leader are you willing to be led by God’s Word…even when you have to wait, even when it looks like things are falling apart and people are abandoning you, even when everyone else is doing business another way…whose voice do you obey?  (This is a Constant Challenge!)

(Read 13: 8-11) — O so painful…so familiar to times in my own life!

• (10) – If he had waited just a little longer
• (11) – Skilled in blame shifting (A terrible trait as a leader):
  “I saw“…(I follow what I see not God’s instructions)
  “I saw” – The People – You (Samuel) did not come/The Philistines: Everyone gets thrown under the bus…..except Saul!

• (12) – “So I forced myself” It was difficult to go against God’s word, but I forced myself. Saul – uncouples himself from God’s Word. (So interesting, hold onto that)

As a leader, your biggest enemy is Yourself!

• Chapter 15 – A second similar test: Whose word will Saul obey. Samuel gives Saul specific instructions to destroy the wicked Amalekites. – “Saul – go to war and don’t bring anything back.”

Saul’s response: (15:9) – Saul keeps the king (Agag) and the best of the livestock alive.

• • (12) – Sobering: After the battle – Saul set up a monument to himself! My voice, my desires are King!
  •  19-21) – (So many poor leadership traits) *Blame shift – *Fear of Man – *Disconnect between his leadership and those he leads.
  • (23b) – God’s response: “Because you have rejected the word of the LORD (Yahweh), he has rejected you from being king.”
• Chapter 18 – Following David’s defeat of Goliath. (Read vs. 6-9): Saul’s emotional immaturity intensifies…Saul’s two-year-old response is so incredibly unattractive…he drifts further from God. Saul is uncoupled from God’s word and is slowly being destroyed.
• Chapter 28 – Saul is nearing the end of his reign, now completely uncoupled from God’s voice and under great pressure from the Philistines.
  • (Read vs. 5-6a) Saul doesn’t cry out to Repent, he doesn’t cry out for restored Relationship with God — NO, he cry’s out for Rescue….he is only concerned about Himself!  Saul’s prayer {*Recall 8:18}
  • (Read vs. 7) – Saul, who once forced himself to go against God’s Word now easily consults a Medium – Necromancer. **Leaders please listen: Sin left unchecked….Grows.

**Leaders please listen: When you uncouple yourself from God’s word…it may seem like a small thing in the beginning but left unchecked – Grows…

• Chapter 31 – Saul’s sons die ( 2) Saul commits suicide (vs. 4-6)
  John 10:10 – The enemy wins – Saul’s total destruction.
  The failure of obedience……can have heavy consequences – much more than being taken to your room: Saul loses himself, his sons & a nation.

Questions:

1. If your greatest enemy is yourself (self leadership) – then what area of Self-leadership do you need to focus on in 2026? What help do you need to be successful?
2. Saul was: A Blame-shifter/Afraid of what others thought / Refused to take personal responsibility for personal mistakes/was Emotionally Immature (Jealous of David’s victory). Which one of these is the most unattractive leadership quality? Why?
3. In your own life, how have you experienced your leadership success or failure affect those around you?

Iron Leadership Materials:

• The Daily Office 12-5-25
• IL Handout – 12-5-25