QT 11/28/2022 1 Sa, 15:10-21, We need to hear God or our sin will close our ears to truth

1 Samuel 15:10–21 (ESV) —

10 The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night. 12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.” 13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14 And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”

17 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. 18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” 20 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. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”

 

NOTE: Saul failed in many ways. He did not obey the Lord. In herem warfare, everything needed to be destroyed. It was the sin of Achan repeated. God's grieving (regret ESV) is the same word used to describe God's response to the people of the earth before the flood. In essence, he was pained. God did know the choices Saul would make, and they serve as an example of how not to obey God. Why is that important? Because many people think partial, even 99 percent obedience is good enough for God. No, He demands 100 percent obedience in his commands. The commands given to Saul were not difficult. Obeying the whole law is in fact impossible and is the reason Jesus died on the cross for us. But Saul could have done what God ordered. And finally, Saul's placement of a statue honoring his victory shows where Saul's heart was. Saul started out humble, but his lack of a relationship with God led him into deeper and deeper pride and deceit.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I close enough to God to hear the Holy Spirit's still small voice tell me when I am in error?

 

PRAYER: Father, I need you. I am as susceptible to the games Saul played as anyone. I can justify most things but that does not make them right. Speak to me and show me my errors. Open my eyes to your truths.