King Saul died because of his foolish decisions. “So, Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance.” (I Chronicles 10:13)
1) Faith and commandments: Faith is expressed by knowing the commandments, desires, will and purpose of God. Saul probably did not read the Law of Moses. He did not properly listen to Samuel. Is it possible to please Him without knowing His will? When there is no desire to know the Word of God, meditate and apply it in our lives, breach of faith begins to happen.
2) Faith and obedience: One foolishness of Saul was to offer sacrifice, which he was not authorized to do. He did not wait for Samuel to arrive. (I Samuel 13:8-10) Second, he did not destroy the Amalekites as God commanded. It was partial obedience; he invaded them, but did not dedicate them to destruction. Saul allowed people to save the best of sheep and flocks. He justified his decision stating that those were for an offering to God. (I Samuel 15:3-9) Faith is not seen but becomes visible when we act on this faith. In other words, faith is expressed, exhibited, and executed by obedience.
3) Faith and guidance: When God did not answer him in his distress, he sought a medium to know about his future. Interestingly he had banished all who practice evil spirits from the Land of Israel. (I Samuel 28:3-25; Leviticus 19:31) Even King Ahaziah did a similar foolish thing. Prophet Elijah to Ahaziah: “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? —therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” (II Kings 1:16) God, His Word and His Spirit are the only ultimate source of guidance. Seeking other sources is disastrous.
Am I careful not to breach my faith?