Obeying the Lord...Completely: Saul

1 Samuel 15:2, “Thus says, the Lord of host, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have.  Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

These orders were given to Saul. They seem like pretty clear right? Do not leave anyone alive, no men, no children, no women, and no animals! God wants the Amalek people to be completely wiped off the face of the earth! So Saul gathers 210,000 men to accomplish this.

But, what we see Saul and the Israelites do next in verse 9 doesn’t match up with the command that the Lord has given Him, “But Saul and the people spared Agag (the king) and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.”

Saul decided there that he wasn’t going to completely obey the Lord. He was only going to destroy the worthless thing but keep the good things for himself. It says right there in the verse he, “he would not utterly destroy them.” But wait God had told him too utterly destroy them. Yes he did, but let’s not be self-righteous. God gives us pretty clear instructions too in His Word.

Ephesians 5:3-4, “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among the saints.  Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” Well, I think we’ve all directly disobeyed this command today. We’ve all had lustful thoughts, or said/laughed at crude or foolish jokes in the last 24 hours. How about this next verse?

Philippians 2:14, “Do all things without grumbling or questioning.” Have you complained about your life recently? Wondering why this or that has happened to you? Well God’s word tells us we are not suppose to grumble, yet we all are guilty of this. Oh that we will not take God’s word and twist it to fit what we want.  Paul continues in verses 15 and 16 saying why we are to not grumble or complain, “that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” Hold fast to the word of life, and be a light to this crooked and twisted generation we are living amongst. We do this by obeying God’s word!

Back to 1 Samuel 15, in verses 17-19 it says, “And Samuel said, ‘Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. And the Lord sent you on a mission…Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord?” Samuel point blank asks the question all of us reading want to ask Saul. Pretty much, “what were you thinking???” God had taken Saul from herding sheep to becoming the king over Israel.

Saul responds in verse 20-21, “And Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction.  But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” Oh, its pretty funny reading Saul’s words, because anyone who can read can see he did not obey the voice of the Lord. Saul is a biblical example to us, showing how human hearts are deceiving him and he tries to make himself feel alright by saying the animals he did not destroy were meant to be offerings!

Samuel in verse 22, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?” God wants our complete obedience to him. Yes he loves us even though we are sinful creatures. Once you place your faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, you’re saved. Yet, God is most glorified when we seek to obey His word all the way! The more we press into the Word and the more we press into the Lord, trying to obey Him completely and trying to glorify Him in all your actions brings more joy then we can even imagine!

In verses 27 and 28 it says, “As Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore. And Samuel said to him, ‘The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.” Sometimes, the only way for the Lord to get our attention is to tear away from us what we love most in this world! When we disobey the Lord’s commands to us, there are going to be consequences. Yet, these consequences are given to us for our good and growth.

After his kingship has been torn away from him, Saul responds in Verse 30, “Then he said, ‘I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may bow before the Lord your God.’ So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul bowed before the Lord.” Saul realizes all he can do is get down on his face and bow before the Lord to repent. When we sin and fall short and experience the discipline of the Lord. I pray it brings us to an awareness of how Great our God is and how sinful we are. We don’t deserve salvation. We don’t deserve the cross. Let us be able to say to the Lord, “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” (Psalm 16:6)