“Has 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 listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.” –1 Samuel 15:22-23 {ESV}
It is very difficult to be familiar with this passage and not cringe at what is taking place. King Saul, full of flesh and fear, was engaged in a downward spiral into faithlessness and forfeiture. Here was a king in Israel who originally hid from his being chosen to lead the nation. Full of insecurity and knowing he was not sufficient for the unprecedented position of king over God’s people, Saul began his reign with what might be called humble fear. Once established as the monarch, somewhere along the way, his humble fear became fear of another sort which led to his trusting too much in himself. By the time we read the above verses, Saul has crossed a line with God from which he would never return. He had received clear instructions from God through the prophet Samuel to utterly destroy the enemy, Amalek. Saul tweaked those instructions and asserted his own will above that of God’s. He did what seemed reasonable to him and never thought twice about the fact that he was engaging in incomplete obedience of God which is nothing more than unacceptable disobedience. He offended in one section of God’s revealed will and became as guilty as if he had ditched the whole altogether. To whom much had been given, much was being required and Israel’s first king just had his throne removed.
If I’m being honest, I shudder a little when typing that paragraph.
When Samuel came upon the scene in the day of King Saul’s disobedience, he found Saul highlighting the fact that his disobedience was motivated in offering the saved livestock as offerings unto God. The command had been to kill ALL the livestock:
“Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.” – 1 Sam. 15:3
For some reason, Saul decided to improve upon God’s plan by preparing for sacrifices these animals that were to have been unceremoniously killed. In his own wisdom, he slaughtered the animals of inferior quality but presumed to utilize the better animals for something that made sense to him. Additionally, Saul chose not to kill the king of Amalek, sparing his life instead. When confronted, Saul’s answer shows that he had slipped into the place in life where he had entitled himself to determine what level of obeying God was acceptable. Full obedience had become optional for this man who once had great promise. Some sinister, unseen change had occurred within Saul that now enabled him to feel comfortable with a life of presumption, pride and partial obedience. In an act of convicting wholeheartedness, Samuel performed what his king failed to and the scripture says that “Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord” (15:33). If one person refuses to obey God, there is always someone with more integrity whom God will use instead.
I want to leave you with the key factor of when and where Saul went off course in his life. It is found in this succinct statement from Samuel: “When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?” (1 Sam 15:17 – KJV). When Saul knew he was little he had the potential for spiritual bigness. Once Saul became convinced he was big he experienced the withering that ultimately claimed his kingship, his sanity, his life and, I believe, his very soul. He lost it all on the altar of his own presumption and pride. He forgot who God is and therefore no longer knew who he himself was to be. Saul was not the first and he certainly has not been the last to err in this pathway of life. That potential for loss is with all of us who have been afforded such vast grace. Some of you have been entrusted with position and influence. Some of you have been graced with ease and privilege. Others have been made aware of God’s prospering of your soul as you have been granted wisdom to comprehend the riches of His word and kingdom. Has He advanced you over the years? Can you discern that His hand has rested upon you for goodness? When we think clearly we must all conclude that He has been immeasurably gracious to us when we only deserved His disdain. We are little and He has made us big in various ways.
Stay little. Prioritize humble obedience. Resist the universal temptation to make allowances in your life for presumption and partial obedience. Grieve your sin as if it were a malignant cell with the potential to metastasize and consume your life. Ensure that there are days when your laughter turns to mourning and your dance is replaced by a prostrate dependence upon God’s necessary mercy. Cultivate an appetite for conviction and stay at that table to eat your fill. Then go out and live in the brilliance of His blessing. Don’t apologize for being a recipient of His goodness. But don’t allow yourself credit for any of it. Stay as small as you can and if you fear that in doing so you will miss the freedom and fullness of His lavish grace and kindness…I would merely say it is much wiser to err on that side of the equation than where King Saul found himself erring.
A word to the wise is sufficient. Having been given ears, may we hear.
Was reading in Numbers 20 this morning, and saw the same principle :-
Instruction
– Saul was told to destroy Amalek, Moses was told to speak to the rock
Improvement
– Saul thought it would be better to save some good animals for sacrifice, Moses thought it would be better to strike the rock
Indictment
– Saul lost the kingship, Moses was barred from the promised land
Implication
– I Sam 15:22!