Guilty, Yet Not Forsaken

When the Credits Should Roll

There are certain things I experienced as a kid that I mourn my own children will never experience. One of those things is summers at grandma's house.

Grandma's house was a magical place. She cooked all our favorite foods, and she pretty much let us do whatever we wanted. "Go outside, go wherever you want," she'd say. "Just be back inside by the time it gets dark." She was what you'd call a free-range grandparent — she trusted us.

My grandmother didn't have many rules, but she had one: do not disturb her while she's watching her favorite show. And that show was Matlock.

She used to say, "If you sit down and watch this with me, you better not say a word." The first couple of times I watched, it had me on the edge of my seat — until I realized the show told the same story every single episode.

Here's how it went. Matlock was an old man who was a lawyer. The show usually began with a crime and someone charged for that crime, but the one charged in the beginning was never the one found guilty at the end. Matlock would take the case and sort it all out. The guilty party was usually right under your nose all along. By the time the episode ended, the innocent person was vindicated, the guilty party was determined, the credits rolled, and the screen faded to black.

Now, in our chapter today we're going to cover an incredible picture of the grace of God. But before we see that grace, we see Israel tried and found guilty. Here's the amazing thing:

Israel was declared guilty before God, and yet their guilt is not the end of their story. Grace is.

God's grace never leaves guilty people the same as they were before. I don't know if that's been your story. I don't know if you can declare today that grace invaded your life and you were never the same. Well, we actually see that in this text.

The Trial Begins in Reverse

This episode doesn't begin the way you'd expect. It begins back in 1 Samuel chapter 8. In that episode, Israel is not the defendant — Israel is the accuser. And the one initially charged with a crime is God himself.

The story of Saul begins when Israel requests a king. And that request, chapter 8 tells us, was actually a rejection of God as their king. In demanding a king, they were charging God with a crime — charging God with breaking his covenant.

God had declared to Israel that they were his people. He would lead them, guide them, protect them, deliver them, and save them. For Israel to say after all of that that they wanted another king was to charge God with the inability to do a job he had already signed up for.

Samuel Puts Israel on the Stand

This leads us to chapter 12. Here Samuel maintains the innocence of God and puts Israel on the stand. He calls God as witness and judge, and he brings the most compelling evidence to establish Israel's guilt.

Imagine it: Samuel walking around a proverbial courtroom where God now sits — not as the accused, but as witness and judge. Samuel stands there with Israel on the stand, and he presents history as his evidence.

In verses 6 through 12, Samuel takes them on a journey back — all the way to Egypt, through the time of the judges, up to the present day. And he establishes his case on two facts no one in the courtroom can deny. Catch this refrain:

Every time Israel messes up, God saves. And every time God saves, Israel forgets.

Then he makes his closing argument in verse 12:

"And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, 'No, but a king shall reign over us,' when the Lord your God was your king."

You can almost imagine Samuel standing before Israel with a question that clinches his case: "When it came time to be rescued from Nahash, instead of crying out to the Lord who saved you time and time and time again, you cried out for a king. Is that true, Israel?" And Israel admits, "Yes, it's true."

The Verdict of Thunder and Rain

Before Samuel rests his case — having established that Israel, not God, was the faithless party — he asks God to render his judgment. Look at verse 16:

"Now therefore, stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that your wickedness is great."

Samuel calls on God as judge to render his verdict. And to proclaim Israel's guilt, God sends thunder and rain during the wheat harvest.

What's the big deal? The wheat harvest was the dry season. It did not rain or thunder during that season. Rain and thunder then weren't just strange or out of season — they were bad news, because they could harm the harvest. When Samuel calls on God to send thunder and rain, and God does it, God himself declares that Israel is guilty. It's God himself rendering the verdict of guilty.

See how far we've come. Israel begins as the accuser, and now they've been tried and found guilty. If this were an episode of Matlock, this would be the point where the credits roll and the screen fades to black. The bad guy gets what's coming to him.

But the Screen Doesn't Fade to Black

Here's the beauty of this story: the people have been declared guilty by God, but their lives don't fade to black — even though they should. Look at verse 19:

"And all the people said to Samuel, 'Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.'"

God flashes his displeasure. Israel knows they deserve death for their treason against a holy God. Their story should be over — the credits should roll, the screen should fade to black. But instead they ask Samuel to mediate for them: "We see the thunder and the rain. We know we're guilty. Go and mediate for us into the presence of God and ask for mercy on our behalf."

And the glorious thing is this: God gives it. Why? Look at verse 22:

"For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself."

God doesn't give grace because they deserve it. He gives grace because he's good like that. He will not forsake his people — for the glory of his great name.

The Grace That Astonishes Heaven

God wants to use your screw-ups and your mess-ups to show all of creation just how far his grace goes.

We hear about grace so much that we tend to get bored by it. But catch this: the angels in heaven are blown away by it. They look at how far God has gone to save lost people and say, "Wow — I can't believe how far God's grace goes."

How far does it go? God's grace is willing to meet you in the darkest and furthest places that sin has taken you. Sin can't get you into a spot where grace can't find you. James 4:6 declares:

"He gives more grace."

You might say, "Eric, you don't know me. You don't know what I've done." You're right. But God does — and he gives more grace. Take the worst sin you've ever done, multiply it by the highest number you could ever count, and you know how much grace God gives you? More than your sin. This is the great God we serve.

How Grace Works

Each of us — not just Israel — has been found guilty before God. We have sinned and fallen short of his glory. God has been so good to us, giving us life and breath and every good thing. And in return, we treated God as if he's not good, not trustworthy, as if we know better than him. We deserve his condemnation.

And yet, in grace, God the Father sent his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus came living the perfect life you did not live and dying on the cross in your place as your substitute for your sin. He takes on himself the death you deserve. And our Jesus did not stay dead — he rose again in power, proving he's victorious over sin, Satan, death, and the grave.

If you repent of your sin and trust in Jesus as Lord, you can experience the beautiful, wonderful grace of God today. God has given you the opportunity for your life to not end with the guilty verdict.

How many of you are glad your guilty verdict is not the end of your story? How many of you are glad that when the gavel dropped and you were declared guilty, the credits didn't roll? Grace is available for the guilty.

How Do You Know You've Received Grace?

If grace is there for the taking in Christ, how do you know you've actually received it?

Here's my answer: no one can experience the beautiful grace of God and walk away unchanged.

Consider Rosie Ruiz, declared the winner of the 1984 Boston Marathon with what would have been the fastest time in the race's history. Very soon her win was called into question — partly because of how she looked. At the end of the race she wasn't breathing heavily, and she had no sweat. A woman who supposedly ran 26.2 miles crossed the finish line, raised her hands, and her T-shirt was bone dry. No armpit stains. An investigation determined she had not actually run the race — because no one can run a marathon and walk away looking exactly like they did before.

It's the same with grace. When you experience the grace of God after being declared guilty before the God of the universe, there is no way you walk away unchanged. And this text shows us three ways grace changes us.

1. Grace Changes Who We Serve

Look at verses 20 and 21:

"Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty."

The proper response to God's grace is to serve him now. It's God's grace that gives you another opportunity to serve him.

How is that grace? Because we all serve something. If you don't serve the Lord, you'll serve something else — and whatever you serve outside of God will not lead to your happiness, it will lead to your enslavement. Serving anything other than the Lord will leave you with loss and not gain, enslavement and not deliverance, emptiness and not satisfaction.

Let me bring it home:

• You were not created to serve your career. Pour your life into it, and when you retire, all you get is a plaque — and they'll replace you the next day.
• You were not meant to serve approval. Give your life to it, and you'll be enslaved by the praise of others, never risking anything that might upset anyone.
• You were never meant to serve romance. Give your life to finding your true love, and you'll be disappointed — because you'll crush whoever you love under the weight of your unrealistic expectations.

Living your life for the glory of God alone is the only way to the joy, peace, and purpose you've been searching for your entire life. It's God's grace that allows us to serve him rather than empty things.

2. Grace Changes How We Fear

Look at verse 24:

"Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart."

You might be confused. In verse 18 the people are afraid of God. In verse 20 Samuel says, "Don't be afraid." Then in verse 24 he says, "Fear the Lord." So which is it?

Samuel is describing two kinds of fear that are closely related. There is a fear we'll call dread, and a fear we'll call awe.

A Tale of Two Fears

Years ago there was a 440-pound gorilla in the Cincinnati Zoo named Harambe. The story began with a three-year-old child who somehow climbed over a wall and fell into the gorilla enclosure, coming face-to-face with the animal. (If you wonder how a three-year-old could do such a thing, you're revealing you don't have kids.)

That child, face-to-face with the gorilla, saw how massive, strong, and fast he was — and was filled with dread. Yet the normal zoo attendant saw the very same size, strength, and speed and did not dread Harambe. They likely admired him.

The only difference between dread and awe in the presence of Harambe was the wall. The attendant was protected; the child was not.

Israel is commanded to no longer have the fear of dread, but the fear of awe. They are told to see God's authority and power and be amazed by it — because they are now protected by grace.

McLean Bible Church, do you know that if you're in Christ, you are protected by grace today? That fact alone should fill you with awe of God.

You Serve What You're in Awe Of

Verse 24 connects the fear of the Lord with service to the Lord, because you will always serve what you live in awe of the most. Whatever is the most weighty reality in your life, you'll serve that.

• If you're most in awe of what money can give you, you'll serve money.
• If you're most in awe of what a relationship can give you, you'll serve it.
• If you're most in awe of what approval can give you, you'll serve that.

But here's what's better: you were guilty before the God of heaven, and he used his infinite authority and power not to condemn you, but to give you grace. He used his infinite power not to crush you, but to give you another chance — the fullness of life found in him.

You no longer have to dread God's punishment if you're in Christ, because you've got a new vantage point. You are protected by grace, so the God you used to dread you can now observe with awe.

3. Grace Changes What We Consider

How do we live in awe of God? How easily we forget how big he is. The answer lies in verse 24:

"...For consider what great things he has done for you."

God's grace changes what we consider. Throughout chapter 12, Samuel takes Israel down memory lane, describing every moment God showed up and did great things — how he rescued them again and again. God's people had so many great things to consider.

So why did they put God on trial? Why does this whole thing start off like a Matlock episode? Because instead of considering the great things God had done, they were comparing themselves with other people.

Remember chapter 8? Why did Israel want a king in the first place? Because the other nations had a king.

• Instead of considering that they'd been just fine with God as their king...
• Instead of considering that God had never failed them once...
• Instead of considering that every time they called on the Lord to save them, he came rushing toward them...

...they compared their lives with other people's.

Watch Out for Comparison

Hear me loud and clear: if you're going to endure the Christian life, if you're going to walk with God by faith, you'd better watch out for comparison. Comparison will have you using other people's lives as evidence that God forgot about you.

How easy it is to scroll online and look at our friends' engagement photos, baby photos, vacation photos — and present them to God as evidence that he forgot about us. How easy to look at our peers' promotions and home purchases and use them as evidence that God somehow forgot about us. And we end up letting comparison put God on trial.

Lament vs. Bringing Charges

Stay with me: there's a difference between expressing your disappointment to God and bringing charges against God.

God is so good that you are free to bring your disappointment to him. As the Psalm says, "Trust in the Lord at all times; pour out your heart to him, for God is a refuge to you." You are free to be honest:

• "God, I don't understand what you're doing."
• "God, I don't get why this hurts so bad."
• "God, I don't understand why this person has what I want and I don't."

We have a whole category of Scripture called the Psalms of Lament. Lament gives you the ability to express your disappointment with God while still trusting God. You can say, "God, I don't understand what you're doing, but just because I don't understand doesn't mean you don't have a reason. You're wise, and I'm not."

Israel could have said, "God, I don't get why we don't have a king, but we're still going to trust you as our king, because you've proven yourself through your track record." Instead they said, "God, I don't get why we don't have a king, so we're going to turn to a king we think is better than you." They allowed comparison to give them amnesia about all the great things God had done.

Learn to Consider

What's better than comparison? Considering. If you want to walk in grace, serve God, and live in awe of him, you need to learn each day to consider the great things God has done for you.

Even in a season of life you don't want to be in — instead of wallowing in self-pity or comparing your life with someone else's — declare with the psalmist in Psalm 103:

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits."

Don't let your desires cause you to forget what he's done. Surround yourself with brothers and sisters in Christ who will listen to all the things you're waiting for and then help you remember all the things God has done. You need people who will tell you:

• "I know you're disappointed, but don't you remember that in the gospel Christ has forgiven you?"
• "I know you're waiting, but don't you remember that you have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places?"
• "I know you're hurting, but don't you remember you have the Spirit inside of you and heaven ahead of you — and that nothing can separate you from the love of God?"

We need people in our lives to help us consider all the great things God has done. He's been so good to you. Christ has come, and he's died for you.

The Justice of the Gospel

It's tempting to believe an episode of Matlock has more justice than 1 Samuel 12. In Matlock, the guilty are punished and the credits roll. But in this story, the guilty get grace and the story continues. Where's the justice in that?

Here's why I love the gospel. The judge declares us guilty, gives us the sentence, and is filled with so much love for the guilty party that he says, "I'm going to step down from my bench to serve the sentence I just gave." In the gospel, God meets his own demands for justice in Christ while extending us grace.

When you get grace like that:

• How can you not serve God?
• How can you not live in awe of how far God would go to save you?
• How can you not consider the great things God has done for you in Christ?

When you experience the incredible grace of God, your life will never be the same.

Let's Respond

Father, we are a people who have been declared guilty. We have sinned against you. All you've done has been good to us, and yet we turned our backs on you. Thank you that you are willing to reach down and save your people, as verse 22 says, for the glory of your great name.

Thank you that our guilty verdict is not the end of our story — that by your grace you forgive us, cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and empower us to live new lives. Thank you that grace does not leave us the same. It changes who we serve, how we fear, and what we consider.

So, God, change us today. Make us a people who refrain from serving worthless things, who in whatever we eat, whatever we drink, whatever we do, do it all for your glory. Help us to fear your great name — no longer to dread you, but to see you in all your glory and live in awe of you. And instead of comparing our lives with others, help us each day — whether high or low, satisfied or wanting — to warm our hearts by considering the great things you have done for us.

We love you, Lord. We thank you. In the name of Jesus. Amen.