1 Samuel 15:22-23
And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
I was in a class where the question was asked, ‘What is the strongest desire in a human?” After a lengthy discussion covering every imaginable subject, the teacher gave his conclusive answer. The strongest desire in a human is to be right. And we all had to agree. People will do almost anything to prove their viewpoint is correct. Wars have been waged, battles fought and martyrs crucified all because people didn’t want to admit they were wrong. Most of the time we don’t even want to imagine it. But as much as we want to hold onto our views and beliefs, there’s something of greater value to those of us that truly love the Lord. We are subject to His will, His Word and His desire. No matter how we feel, our greatest demonstration of devotion is shown through obedience.
Our scripture today speaks of the error of King Saul in amending the instructions of the Lord to include opinions of his own. I wish I could say Saul was unique in this rebellious act, but in true disclosure I see it all too often. Many times in me (Father forgive me/us).
Proverbs 14:12 states, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but it’s end is the way of death.” That is a sobering truth that we often miss, or sometimes dismiss in exchange for the intoxicating notion that somehow or other we have a better plan than God. I doubt anyone would admit it, but there are times when we actually believe we need to assist God in doing the work of the ministry. Don’t think so? Check out our order of services, our liturgies, our calendars, annual celebrations and weekly schedules. They all make the presumption that our plans, ideas and practices are infallible and need no adjusting. Not even by the Lord. We can say that’s not true, but truth is, we are more like Saul than we may want to admit.
Saul got caught up in the most common of human frailties, pride. His success in battle, popularity with people, finances and position tricked him into believing he was more than he really was. He had won wars before and taken the spoils. That was commonplace. It was the established protocol. Samuel stating God was asking him not to do what he had become accustomed to doing was embarrassing. He would have to disappoint the soldiers. He feared looking small in their eyes, so he figured God would just have to understand.
Now if that sounds ridiculous, think real hard of many of the things we say and do that aren’t completely biblical yet we expect God will accept them anyway. Our denominational affiliations. Not biblical. Our nationalism and patriotism. Also not biblical. Black church, white church. Definitely not a biblical supported concept. And the list goes on and on. But like Saul, we assume God will accept our halfhearted efforts. We say things all the time to substantiate ourselves in the face of our rebellion. Statements like, ‘At least we’re here’. Or ‘I’m not Jesus’. Do we not realize that each of these declarations are simply rebellious rants and insulting excuses. Yes insulting, because it assumes God’s instructions are not adequate..
The prophet Samuel reminded Saul that when he was a nobody God exalted him and gave him the throne. It wasn’t Saul that won the battles. It was the Lord. And after being disobedient Saul had the audacity to erect a statue in his own honor to celebrate his win. All this may sound incredible, unbelievable and extremely vain, but disobedience causes delusional machinations and chaotic behavior. The human psyche when challenged reverts into a defensive posture that is capable of ignoring logic, truth, and even common sense. We want to believe we’re right, even in the face of undeniable truth. This egotistical, prideful spirit is the fodder for sin and rebellion against God. The cure for this disease of the soul isn’t more worship, praise, singing, dancing, preaching or even praying. The solution is simply to obey. Obedience is the greatest sacrifice.
God Bless
