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Saul was selected, anointed as king and sent on a mission. The mission was very clear–completely destroy the wicked Amalekite nation–do not spare anything or anyone. So Saul mustered his fighting men and went to battle, but he did not follow the Lord’s instructions. Saul spared King Agag and presumed that the best sheep and cattle would be a good offering for the Lord. (1 Samuel 15:15)
When prophet Samuel went to meet Saul and his men after the battle, he confronted him. Saul, however, insisted that he had done exactly what the Lord had required and explained that his intention in keeping the cattle was to sacrifice it to the Lord. Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying 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, he has rejected you as king.” (1 Samuel 15:22-23) Those poignant words are a sharp reminder that obedience cannot be compromised.
Do you see yourself in Saul? In which way, does his story remind you of your own? What do we learn about Saul’s character and how should he have repented?
The Holy Spirit of God, our helper, indwells every genuine Jesus follower to teach us all things and bring to our remembrance the things spoken by the Lord. (John 14:26) We can rest assured that the Lord desires to guide us in our most pressing times. Jesus, Himself, is our highest example of obedience. In the garden of Gethsemane, as He experienced anguish and pressure to run away from the crucifixion, He paused and prayed, earnestly desiring to obey. He asked the Father to take the cup away from Him, but not according to His will but that His Father’s will be done. (Luke 22:41-44). He surrendered in obedience. Thanks to His obedience, we have been set free and are reconciled to our Father in heaven.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation like Saul where the Lord clearly instructed you to do something and you blatantly did the opposite? What happened and what was the consequence(s) you experienced of that choice?
My church organized a talent show event that I took part in. That day, I was going to sing an opera piece entitled “Panis Angelicus,” a song in Latin meaning “Bread of Angels.” For that event I selected to wear a strapless silky black dress that I believed was very formal and beautiful for the occasion. However, upon selecting that dress, God told me not to wear that dress, but to wear a much more modest dress that would cover my shoulders and not bring any attention to my body and the way that dress shaped my frame. Although I knew God had clearly spoken, I ignored it and justified that I was making a big deal out of nothing. Ten minutes before I was to get on stage, I went to the powder room to change. Just as I put on the dress, the zipper broke and came off the dress. I was beyond embarrassed but so overwhelmingly grateful I was still in the powder room. I asked God to forgive me for having ignored His direction and thanked Him profusely for having let the zipper break in the powder room rather than in front of the entire congregation. I quickly returned home to get the other dress–the modest one that God had nudged me to wear instead. That day, I learned a great lesson on how important it is to obey God, and I even learned about His precious grace which was bestowed upon me on that particular day when God saved me from the most embarrassing moment of my life.