Sep 1, 2024
Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 15:1-23
Saul was the first king of Israel and, though Israel's desire for a king was a 'great wickedness' (1 Sam 12:17), Saul was chosen by God Himself (1 Sam 9:16; 10:24). He was handsome and tall (1 Sam 9:2) and "there was none like him in all the land" (1 Sam 10:24).
On more than one occasion, God had granted Saul divine empowerment by His Spirit (1 Sam 10:10; 11:6; 19:23). Saul's kingship, however, was characterized by disobedience to God … and coming very near the beginning of his rule.
On two occasions, at least, Saul sinned greatly and rationalized his acts with the logic of darkness. In 1 Samuel 13:8-14, he violated a command of God to wait for Samuel to meet him at Gilgal, where they would offer sacrifices (1 Sam 10:8). His rationalization was the urgency of moment and the desertion of people in the face of an impending battle (1 Sam 13:11,12).
On another occasion, following the defeat of the Amalekites, Saul had not destroyed all the animals and Agag, the king (1 Sam 15:1-9). Pleading that he had, in fact, obeyed God, Saul's rationalization was he spared the best animals, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD (1 Sam 15:15,21,22).
God's well-known reply, through Samuel, to Saul's rebellious logic was to say, "To obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Sam 15:22). Samuel did not mean that people should not sacrifice, but that there is a kind of sacrifice that is not true obedience. True obedience comes from the heart … the heart of faith.