Sacrifice Or True Obedience???   A Word from THE WORD!!! #267

I want us to take some time today and consider our choices and behavior; yes, our choices are important, and sometimes we try to appease God rather than obey—in our own wisdom rather than walking in the Spirit and obeying what God has clearly spoken.  King Saul made a tragic mistake in this area, and I think it worthy of our consideration, for many of us today are faced with the same kind of situations—do I please God or seemingly keep the peace around me?

“Now go and smite Amalek,

and utterly destroy all that they have,

and spare them not;” 1 Samuel 15:3a

God gave a specific command to King Saul, and he seems to obey; like we often do. (And without going deep into the context this may cause us to question, but you’ll need to go back to Exodus 17.)

“And Saul gathered the people together,

and numbered them in Telaim,

two hundred thousand footmen,

and ten thousand men of Judah.

5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek…

…7 And Saul smote the Amalekites

from Havilah until thou comest to Shur,

that is over against Egypt.”. 1 Samuel 15:4-5 & 7

But then the king decided that he had a better plan; oh how often, I’ve tried to exercise that better plan.  How about you?  We think we can walk with God in intimacy and do things our own way!  Not!  Let’s see the outcome of King Saul’s decision.

“But Saul and the people

spared Agag,

and the best of the sheep,

and of the oxen,

and of the fatlings,

and the lambs,

and all that was good,

and would not utterly destroy them:

 but every thing that was vile and refuse,

that they destroyed utterly.”  1 Samuel 15:9

Yet even before King Saul and the people returned God spoke to the prophet Samuel (and just FYI, Samuel was a priest and a prophet.). As God told Isaiah.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways

higher than your ways,

and my thoughts

than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:8-9

Oh, that we would learn the lesson of humble obedience, and Paul gives us the key.

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit,

and the Spirit against the flesh:

and these are contrary

the one to the other:

so that ye cannot do

the things that ye would…

25 If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:16-17 & 25

Like the King we often think, “I’ve got this!”, when we are simply walking in the flesh, in blatant disobedience to our Lord!  Saul found out how costly this could be.  I pray that we will ponder the message that God spoke through Samuel.

“Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,

11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king:

for he is turned back from following me,

and hath not performed my commandments.

And it grieved Samuel;

and he cried unto the LORD all night…

….13 And Samuel came to Saul:

and Saul said unto him,

Blessed be thou of the LORD:

I have performed the commandment of the LORD.

14 And Samuel said,

What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep

in mine ears,

and the lowing of the oxen

which I hear?

15 And Saul said,

They have brought them from the Amalekites:

for the people spared the best

of the sheep

and of the oxen,

to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God;

and the rest we have utterly destroyed…

…18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said,

Go and utterly destroy the sinners

the Amalekites,

and fight against them

until they be consumed.

19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey

the voice of the LORD,

but didst fly upon the spoil,

and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

20 And Saul said unto Samuel,

Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD,

and have gone the way

which the LORD sent me,

and have brought Agag the king of Amalek,

and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

21 But the people took of the spoil,

sheep and oxen,

the chief of the things

which should have been utterly destroyed,

to sacrifice

unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.”                                      Portions of 1 Samuel 15:10-21

Saul had a ready answer, but God’s reply was not what he expected; and like Saul we are often surprised when God is not pleased with our way!  God’s answer is one that we need to heed today; we must see that God’s ways are worthy of our obedience-in full not in partial.  Partial obedience is disobedience!  Ouch!

“And Samuel said,

Hath the LORD as great delight

in burnt offerings

and sacrifices,

as in obeying the voice of the LORD?

Behold,

to obey

 is better than sacrifice,

and to hearken

than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion

is as the sin of witchcraft,

and stubbornness

is as iniquity

and idolatry.

Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD,

he hath also rejected thee

from being king.”  1 Samuel 15:22-23

We could go on and see that while God didn’t take the kingdom from Saul immediately, when you read the rest of 1 Samuel, you’ll find that he was tormented in his heart and mind for the judgment that he knew was coming.  I encourage you to read the rest of this story, it’s worth your time.

May we truly learn to walk in The Spirit and not our own way.  There is great reward in obedience:

“Hath the LORD as great delight

in burnt offerings and sacrifices,

as in obeying”!

May we ponder God’s judgment and take it to heart today!!!

‘Nuff said!

Amen and Amen!!!