In 1 Samuel 15 God gives specific instructions for the Israelites to destroy the Amalekites and everything they owned. Often times God would allow the Israelites to keep the plunders of war but in this case, God did not permit it. Now my last post talked about this already so I am not going to repeat everything I have already mentioned, but this is just something from which I can't not seem to get away. Obedience or Sacrifice.
When Samuel arrives at the camp after the battle, he rebukes Saul for not following God's instructions. How does Saul respond to this rebuke? He rationalizes the actions and throws the blame on the soldiers. He says the troops took them to offer as a sacrifice for the Lord. When Samuel informs Saul God has rejected him as king, does Saul repent? No he takes no responsibility for his actions. He says to Samuel, but I have obeyed the Lord. I went on the mission the Lord gave me and I brought back the King of Amalek and destroyed everything else. The troops brought back the livestock as a sacrifice for the Lord.
Recap, at the beginning of the chapter God said destroy everything! Kill everyone (not spare the king's life) Everyone includes the king. Destroy all the livestock. Not spare the best and kill the rest. The words everything, everyone, and all are all inclusive words. There was no buts or excepts which followed those words, which means there were no exceptions. Saul and the soldiers justified their actions by convincing themselves and attempting to convince Samuel, because they obeyed part of God's instructions and because they had good intentions with what they spared then it was acceptable.
God saw things differently. He didn't see partial obedience, He saw saw complete rebellion. You say, no way, God wouldn't be that harsh. vs 23- For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king. Hard core, huh? Now we may think God was being strict, after all the sacrifices were to honor God. However, right before vs 23 is vs 22 when Samuel says Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. God wants us to obey Him. When we obey God, it demonstrates the level of trust we have in Him. We trust He is going to instruct us to do things which will benefit us.
Just think back to when you were a child and your parents told you to do something and you did, the first time you were asked you did it and how did your parents respond? They were probably very excited (if they didn't show it, trust me on the inside they were leaping with joy). Now how would your parents have responded if they asked you to do something and you went and colored them a picture instead? It took time and effort to color that picture, but it won't what they asked you to do so the sacrifice was not enjoyable. Now if you had completed the task your parent asked then colored a picture for them they could have enjoyed both. If the Israelites had followed through with God's instructions then offered a sacrifice (from their own flock or herd) to thank Him then God could have been pleased with both.
We must also remember God saw the heart of Saul. This was not Saul's first offense. in chapter 13 Saul exalted himself to the priestly position and offered a sacrifice when he was suppose to be waiting for Samuel. God knew Saul's heart and He knew he was not in a right place with God when he made his decision to spare the king of Amalek's life and allow livestock to be spared. God knows our hearts as well. Are we sacrificing over being obedient? You may be faithfully serving at your local church every Sunday but if God has called you to mission field and you are not doing anything to get there, are you obeying or only sacrificing? Maybe you pay your large amounts of tithes every week, but God wants you to go into ministry which means leaving your current job. Perhaps you spend plenty of time alone with God but God desires for you to participate in outreach ministries and go impact the lives of people. Maybe you are the opposite, you may be spending so much time doing God's work you have failed to spend one on one time with God. I am sure we can all think of a way we have sacrificed instead of being obedient. I encourage you to take the time to seek God and search to see where and/or in what areas God may be calling you to be obedient instead of just sacrificing. I know I am guilty and am working to try and be more obedient. I truly want to make God happy. I desire for Him to be pleased with my life, which means I need to make sure I am obeying Him 100%.
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