When our faith is young, we look for ways to impress God. We negotiate—we try to make deals, to bargain with God: “Lord, if you get me out of this, I will put such and such in the offering plate.” Or, “God, if you will bless me with this, I will stop doing so-and-so.”
But God is not interested in deals—nor is He impressed by sacrifices. Samuel told King Saul to destroy the Amalekites as punishment for what they did to Israel, to “completely destroy everything. Put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.” That may sound harsh, but God cannot tolerate evil—and He knows the seemingly innocent children of these pagans will become another generation of pagan destroyers. So God requires their annihilation in order to protect His people. But Saul did not obey.
“Saul defeated the Amalekites…. But Saul spared King Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the more valuable animals, the lambs, and everything that was good, and was unwilling to destroy them completely” 1 Samuel 15:7,9. When Samuel returned he was angry. “What is this bleating of sheep in my ears and this bellowing of oxen that I hear?”v.14. Saul said, “we spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God”v.15. Samuel rebukes the king: “Why didn’t you completely obey the Lord?,” and Saul ARGUES about it: “I DID obey the Lord… but the people took some of the spoils… to sacrifice to the Lord”v.20-21. Then Samuel pronounces a great truth:
“Behold, to obey is BETTER than sacrifice, and to HEED than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry”
1 Samuel 15:22-23.
Stop trying to make deals with God. Stop trying to impress Him with some sacrifice. Just OBEY. Memorize this verse—that rebellion is as bad as witchcraft—and take it to heart.
God, give us consistent, obedient hearts.
ΑΩ
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