This is lesson 3 of 3 in the Sabotage sermonlink series. See also the kids edition of this lesson.
What if there was one root cause for all of your bad decisions in life? This might sound simplistic, but for centuries philosophers and religious teachers have viewed pride as the root cause of so many of our problems. Nearly all of our sins and bad mistakes can be traced to pride. Biblically, pride is when we elevate our own truth, desires, or plans over God. Simply, when we trust in ourselves instead of God, it is pride. The story of Saul, Israel’s first king, shows us the dangerous consequences of our pride. Saul’s pride ended his reign as king and forever destroyed his family.
Don’t believe your own hype
At first, Saul appeared to have a pretty good understanding of who he was. He freely admitted that he was an unimportant person from an unimportant part of Israel (1 Samuel 9:21). Saul was as surprised as anyone that he should be king.
1 Samuel 13:1 Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty-two years.
But once he became king, Saul’s character changed. He no longer thought about his own humble background and inadequacies. And instead of listening to God every step of the way, he began to trust in himself. This reflects the common human temptation to take credit for success in our lives that really belongs to God.
Proverbs 11:2 Pride leads to disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.
Saul’s life began to unravel when he foolishly took credit for his accomplishments. He started trusting in himself instead of God, and this would become clear in the next crisis he faced. The crisis came quickly as Israel’s greatest enemy, the Philistines, rallied together to defeat Saul (1 Samuel 13:5-7). Unfortunately, Saul’s pride would determine how he responded at that moment.
[Related: Christian Leaders and Pride]
Crisis is an opportunity to trust in self or trust in God
Before the Israelites were to engage in battle, Samuel the prophet had instructed Saul to wait seven days. After the seven days, Samuel would arrive, make a sacrifice to God, and receive instructions from the Lord about what to do. This time of patient waiting would reveal Saul’s character, and he failed the test.
1 Samuel 13:8-9 Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself.
Saul took matters into his own hands when crisis struck. If you aren’t a person of faith, then you might think that Saul did the right thing. His back was against the wall and he acted to save his people. But God had already told him the plan and when the crisis hit he stopped trusting in God.
Our response to God after failure reveals our pride
Everyone messes up and everyone fails to trust God. But how do you respond when that happens? Instead of repenting, Saul tried to justify his actions.
1 Samuel 13:11-12 Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.”
Saul blamed Samuel, he blamed the Israelite army, and he blamed God. He took no responsibility for his actions. These are the words of a person who trusts in himself. We do the same thing when we say things like, “God, I had no other choice,” after we make a foolish decision.
[Related: What Is True Repentance?]
Pride sabotages the present and the future
Unfortunately for Saul, this episode pointed to a larger problem that the king had. He wanted to be the king of his own life. And as a result, God began to remove him as king.
1 Samuel 13:13-14 “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
Saul was a one-and-done king. His kids wouldn’t be on the throne. Saul wasn’t a person after God’s heart. He’s a person who was motivated by his own pride and sense of self-sufficiency. Our pride is hard to fight. But if we leave our pride unchecked, it will lead to devastating consequences.
[Related: Death to Pride (and Fake Humility)]
Discussion Questions:
- Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
- What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
- Make a list of several common sins. How do you see pride as the root cause of these sins?
- How do you know if you are beginning to get too preoccupied with yourself and thinking of yourself more highly than you should?
- Read Proverbs 11:2. Give an example of how you have seen the truthfulness of this verse in your own life.
- Read 1 Samuel 13:8-9. How were Saul’s actions a failure to trust in God?
- Read 1 Samuel 13:11-12. How would you characterize Saul’s explanation for his actions?
- What is your typical response when you realize that you have sinned? Where does that reaction come from in you?
- Think of a prideful person in your own life (don’t name them). Describe some of the consequences they have experienced from their pride.
- Read Philippians 2:5-11. How does the cross deal with our pride?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
