Saul

1 Samuel 15

When Saul gets rejected by God, it's pretty poignant. There are a lot of good little morsels that tell a lot about how we as humans can get. Saul takes matters into his own hands, thinking he knows what is best, maybe because he's loosely interpreting what God told him to do, I don't know, I wasn't there. Either way, Saul decides he's got a pretty good plan and goes through with it. He probably thought he was doing exactly what God wanted. He save the good stuff to offer to the Lord. Makes sense right? I guess that's the problem. God's will doesn't have to make sense. Anyway you slice it, Saul messed up and God regretted putting him on the thrown. Ouch.

Then he talks to Samuel. He says to Samuel "your God". This is where I start to see that Saul might be a little full of himself. While he may recognize that he needs God to make him great, I get the feeling that he thinks he's pretty darn great the way he is. He doesn't even say that God is his God. He tells Samuel to make offerings to Samuel's God. Maybe it's just my translation, but I wouldn't put it past this guy.

So Samuel has to tell Saul...look...what you're doing isn't what God likes. Does He enjoy simple sacrifices? No! Anybody can kill a cow and say it's in the name of the Lord. Does God care about worship? No! Anybody can sing songs that sing God's praises. What does God delight in? Obedience. Obeying the will of the Lord, especially when it doesn't make sense is a million times harder than offering a sacrifice or worship. You can tithe till the cows come home but if you aren't living in obedience, you're just like Saul.

And God rejected Saul.

Ouch.

God wants a man after His own heart - David. David messes up but he lives in obedience to God. He doesn't get big headed when things start to go his way. He doesn't forget who gives and takes and sustains. He knows and has his priorities in order. He doesn't worship God because he's supposed to but does it because he wants to.

Could I do that? Could you? Instead of thinking we can do it alone, can we obey God? Instead of singing songs, thinking that's enough, can we obey? Can we listen for the voice of the Lord and do exactly what it says?

Sounds difficult...but is there someone else who knows better? You may think you do (or at least your actions show that you think that)...I know I act that way...but I don't actually know anything...except that it's better to obey...