Did you hear what He said? Shhhh. He’s speaking. Listen. He said is something very important.
Did I hear my voice or did I hear “HIS” voice?
I may write you of ancient things and circumstances, nevertheless, the reasons and characteristics are similar. Times may change, but circumstances and needed results are and can be the same.
Samuel, the prophet, goes to Saul. You will recall that Saul was the first king of Israel. Look at what is happening and compare it to today’s events. Samuel says in God’s name, solemnly requires Saul to be obedient to the command of God, and plainly intimates that he was now about to put him upon a trial, in one particular instance, whether he would be obedient or whether he would not, according to 1 Samuel 15:1.
And the making of this, so expressly the trial of his obedience, did very much aggravate his disobedience. Samuel reminds Saul of what God had done for him. (Here is a great point right here. When people start thinking they have achieved and received their blessings by some other agency and they want to also charade as Christian, the Lord has a message for them.)
You recall David’s personal deception when he thought he could have another man’s wife, (and he did take her), kill her husband when he was at war and tried to hide it! His scheme was uncovered. Remember what Jehovah said to him…Jehovah reminded him who he was and where he came from.
The Lord said in essence, “I knew you when you were a nobody. You were herding the sheep. I saw something in you that I could cultivate you, nurture you and glorify my name.
“Now look at this Saul (or David). You have disrupted my plan and now I will exercise my power so that you learn there is only one true God, and I am that ONE.”
When a president or political official gets to be in that position, sometimes they need to be reminded that without God Almighty, they would be nobody, nothing. Samuel reminds Saul that “the Lord sent me to anoint you to be a king. God gave you power, and therefore he expects you should use your power for him. He put honor upon, and now you must study how to do Him honor. He made you king over Israel, and now you must plead Israel’s cause and avenge their quarrels. You are advanced to command Israel but know that you are subject to the God of Israel and must be commanded by him.”
Saul is not being released from his obedience to God, but now, he is obliged so much the more to be obedient. Samuel had been employed to anoint Saul, therefore, he was the one fit to be sent with these orders.
He tells him, in general, that, in consideration of this, whatever God commanded him to do, he was bound to do it- “Now therefore hearken (listen attentively) to the voice of the Lord.” Note, God’s favor to us, that is His blessings upon us, lay heavily on us so that we are obligated to be obedient to Him. This we must render to God, as written in Psalms 116:12.
Samuel had told Saul to wait. He told Saul, “I will come to you and I will do the necessary sacrifice.” Saul had usurped the office of acting as priest. He trespassed onto holy things that he was not appointed to do. He had no authority to do so. He was not “priest or prophet.
What’s the situation here? Saul had been in a war against the Amalekites and the Kenites (tribal populations). After fighting the war, Saul and his men defeated the Amalekites. God had taken revenge on the Amalekites because they had refused to help Israel when they (the Israelites-Hebrews) were coming out of Egypt being led by Moses.
As written in 1 Samuel 15:5 – “And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. And Saul said to the Kenites, Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites. If you do not, I will destroy you with them: for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt.
“The Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. And Saul smote the Amalekites, but he took Agag the king of the Amalekites , and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
So, what happened? Are we saying that Saul is in a trial situation? Samuel, the prophet gave an order, a command to Saul. This command came from Jehovah through Samuel. Saul did not utterly annihilate the Amalekites. Saul did not follow Samuel’s command given by God.
Saul decided he would preempt Samuel by officiating over the sacrifice while he was waiting for Samuel. He went and built a monument to himself. He was listening to the people (got the big head of arrogance) rather than being obedient to God.
Here is the question for us here – not all of the laws that are passed by politicians are from God, even though they know God would not agree with them. Many (I cannot say all) elected officials are following their own minds and not the right or righteous thing for the people and from God. Consequently, they have no God-given intent to listen to God first, but to the people only.
The people are caught in the middle relying on what the politicians do and how they are directing our lives; while at the same time, there is a vast population of hungry and homeless constituency.
God said to Saul to destroy the Amalekites for their disobedience and uncompassionate actions against the Israelites. God said, “I don’t like that. Saul, I gave you power to exercise for my will, not yours.”
We are in a big mess here and there is similarity of situations. We’re spending enormous, gigantic amounts of money. We’re agreeing to unite with the god of child sacrifices among so many other things that are not God-informed and not consulting with our Creator, God Almighty.
He will take revenge. As it is scripturally related, that which is expedient is not necessarily that which is the right thing to do. Saul wouldn’t wait. He lost his kingdom as a result of impatience, arrogance, greed and host of other self-motivated motives. He lost big time.
When we start thinking we are bigger than God and not obligated to follow Him, He has something for us and we won’t like it. Finally, Samuel corrected Samuel with these strong words, “obedience is better than sacrifice and stubbornness is as the sin of witchcraft.”
Thanks for reading! Jeanette Grattan Parker is founder-superintendent of Today’s Fresh Start Charter School 4514 Crenshaw Boulevard, L.A. 90043 323-293-9826, www.todaysfreshstart.org, (Ask Dr. Jeanette TM) Inquiring Minds Want to Know” All articles are copyright. All rights reserved © Errors? Let me know. Join Sundays for music & message: 11:30am {1-712-775-8971—code 266751} Keep praying and keep hoping. References: (The Holy Bible) 1 Samuel chapter 15 Henry’s Complete Bible Commentary (public domain)