I Samuel 15:17-22
“So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?” And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” So Samuel said: “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 heed than the fat of rams.”
When I was a kid on Mother’s Day my dad generally took care of a gift from all of us so we wouldn’t fail to get mom something nice. He always got the same Mother’s Day stuff like cards, candy and flowers. But on this one particular Mother’s Day I overheard mom talking on the phone telling someone she wish she had some Hawaiian Punch and Ginger snaps. I couldn’t have been more than 12-13 years old but I went off on my own to the corner store and got exactly what she asked for. Of course my feeble gift paled in comparison to dad’s, but when mom saw what I gave her, she lost it. She started crying and hugging me. Honestly at the time I really didn’t get the significance of what I’d done. But as I look back on it I can say it was a very special moment, all because I got what I heard my mother ask for. Not what we wanted her to have.
That experience serves us well today as we review the rise and fall of King Saul. God allowed the people to select a leader and they chose Saul. He was selected because he was tall, handsome and represented them well. He had all the outward characteristics, but God was looking for a king after His own heart.
As we review today’s text we find Saul in big trouble with God. Saul was given a very specific assignment, and failed miserably to complete it. But before we judge him too harshly, let’s put his dilemma in perspective. Saul amassed a sizable army to fight against the Amalekites. His army prevailed, but tradition demanded he spare the life of the king of the conquered kingdom and take him into captivity instead. Additionally, the spoils of war traditionally went to the soldiers as payment for a job well done. To kill the king and all the healthy animals would have certainly upset the status quo. The people would think Saul was ‘off his rocker’. But that was the exact challenge God put before him. And Saul failed. He gave into the peer pressure and disobeyed God instead.
One of the fallacies of gift giving is the notion that what you want to give is what the recipient wants. Be honest. How many times have you had to smile through disappointment because you received a gift that you didn’t really like? It wasn’t the right size, or color, or style. It just wasn’t you.
Well if that’s true of us, how much more does that apply to the Lord? Can you even imagine the many times we’ve disappointed, rebelled, halfheartedly delivered and just plain ignored His instructions? Our propensity for selfishness is overwhelming. Even with our best efforts we struggle to get flesh out of the way. Flesh wants to get the glory in preaching and the credit in praise. We battle continually within ourselves to rid ourselves of ourselves and let God dominate our lives.
But if I had one word of advice it would be to revert to the character of a young child seeking to please their parent. Don’t overthink. Don’t focus on the past. Don’t compare your assignment to anybody else’s. Listen to the instructions. Carry them out exactly as given. And see if God won’t bless you real good!
God Bless
