But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, [H]e has rejected you as king.” 1 Samuel 15: 22, 23, NIV.
Precious LORD, please teach us obedience. Please help us to see the dangers of having our own way. Please make this plain to us as we study Your Word. In the name of Your Son Jesus, we pray. Amen.
The story of Saul, the first king of Israel, is, in my opinion, one of the saddest stories in the Bible. It is a story with an almost perfect beginning, and a very sad ending. It began with a young man, who had a change of heart (1 Samuel 10: 9), in preparation for his role as the king of God’s people. I have always thought of this, as Saul’s moment of conversion. Saul needed the power that this moment could provide him with, in order to lead the people of God. Do we realize that, Saul was succeeding God, as king of Israel. Listen to what God said to Samuel when the people of Israel asked for a king: ” ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king’ ” (8: 7, emphasis provided). Who wants to undertake such a feat? But God, who is love, wanted Saul to have the best opportunity at being a good king. So God gave him a new heart.
As long as Saul remained focused, and saw himself as small in his own eyes (1 Samuel 10: 17-24); as long as he was mindful of Who the real power was behind the throne; he was safe! When he was declared king of Israel, the men of Jabesh Gilead refused to acknowledge him as their king. But when they were besieged by the Ammonites, it was Saul who threatened with death, any of the Israelites who would not go out with him to rescue them. After the battle was won, and the people of Jabesh had been freed from the threats of the Ammonites, the other Israelites wanted to put them to death for having rejected Saul as their king; but Saul’s response was, “No one shall be put to death today, for this day, the LORD has rescued Israel” (11: 13, NIV, emphasis provided).
But sad to say, he lost sight of the real king, and of the real Captain of the army of Israel, and became disobedient. When the LORD commanded that the entire nation of the Amalekites be destroyed, God had a reason. If we can only bear in mind, that God has information that we will never be privy to, we would do well. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are [M]y ways higher than your ways, and [M]y thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55: 9, NIV). We may not understand what God is doing; we may not even agree with His plans; but that does not make disobeying Him, a wise choice.
Little by little, by departing from God’s expressed will; Saul was separating himself from God, and from divine protection. The very point upon which he disobeyed would prove his undoing. Saul and his sons were caught in the heat of battle. This was to be the last day of their lives. When Saul saw that his sons were dead, and that the enemy troops were drawing near, he threw himself upon his own sword. He was badly hurt; but not dead. Seeing a young man approaching, he asked him to put an end to his agony by killing him before the troops arrived. The young man complied. When the young man came to David, with what he thought was good news, David asked him who he was; he replied: “I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite, he answered” (2 Samuel 1: 13-15, emphasis provided).
The very enemy that God had instructed Saul to destroy; was the enemy who ended his life! So beware – our disobedience can kill us!