To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice (April 14)

When Samuel reached him, Saul said, "The Lord bless you!  I have carried out the Lord's instructions."
                                 1 Samuel 15:13 NIV

Saul continues his spiritual free fall today,  in walking by his path and not the Lord's.  Samuel, "the one the Lord sent to anoint" Saul, now clearly states that the Lord declares Saul is to "totally destroy everything that belongs," to the Amalekites, "for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt."  Remember Exodus 17, when Israel fought the Amalekites and the Lord declared that he would blot out the Amalekites?  God is now fufilling his word.

Today, we read that Saul acts on a different idea.  Saul, instead of destroying everything, spared Agag and kept the best of everything that was good.  Saul's pride speaks volumes when he declares in Samuel 15:13 that he carried out the Lord's command.  To Samuel's humble question about lowing and bleating, Saul replies that he kept the best for sacrifice to the Lord your God.

Samuel then goes on to ask, "Why did you not obey the Lord?  Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?"  He then goes on to explain that obedience is better than sacrifice and because Saul rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord rejected Saul as king. 

Thanks and praise can be given to God for our salvation being purchased by the perfect, complete, efficient, effective, sufficient blood of Christ and not by any effort on our part other than faith given by grace. 

Look at Saul, how blind he is, with pride, thinking that he has "carried out the Lord's instructions!"  Samuel on the other hand, asks about what his ears hear.

Other events of today include David's anointing, the Spirit of the Lord departing from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord tormenting Saul.  David, by playing his harp, would allow relief to come to Saul.

Thoughts:

How do you seek guidance in doing the Lord's work?

How do you thank the Lord for what He has done?

What plunder might you be pouncing on that might cause rejection of God's word?

Pray for all eyes open to the Spirit's direction and for provision of the strength and courage to follow that direction. 

In Christ,

David P