1Samuel 15-17<\/a><\/p>\nDaily Thought<\/h2>\n
Chapter 15 is the turning point in the life and reign of Saul, as Samuel declares, \u201cBecause you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king\u201d (v 23). The chapter ends with tears and regret, \u201cSamuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel\u201d (v 35).<\/p>\n
Saul\u2019s last chance hinged on his obedience to a clear command, a command Saul heard and understood and disregarded. Saul\u2019s own words convict him, \u201cI have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal\u201d (vv 20-21). Saul is passing the blame to the people, but Saul is king, and it was he who kept \u201cthe best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good\u201d (v 9).<\/p>\n
When God devoted the Amalekites to destruction, God meant everything. The Amalekites were a particularly wicked people, avowed enemies of Israel (see Deuteronomy 25:17-19). God\u2019s covenant with Abraham to make him a great nation included the promise, \u201cI will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse\u201d (Genesis 12:3). The command to Saul was God keeping his promise to Israel. It was a just God dealing with a wicked and evil enemy.<\/p>\n
Saul turned God\u2019s justice into plunder for profit. Saul would destroy what was not worth keeping and keep the best. He knew exactly what God commanded, but he thought better and did less. The nation of Israel is called to \u201clove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might\u201d (Deuteronomy 6:5).\u00a0Saul bargained for a percentage, \u201cI\u2019ll give you 80%, God.\u201d The 20% Saul kept was his way of showing who was really king. It exposed his heart, and Saul now spoke of the Lord as \u201cyour God\u201d (1Samuel 15:21), not his.<\/p>\n
Partial obedience is disobedience, and Saul served at God\u2019s pleasure. God was no longer pleased, \u201cHas 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\u201d (1Samuel 15:22).<\/p>\n
Daily Prayer<\/h2>\n
Almighty God, You are awesome. I use that word too often for other things and diminish the word. It belongs to You. I am in awe of Your creation, Your mighty power, Your majesty, Your holiness, and in the midst of all that, Your patience with me.<\/p>\n
You are powerful and loving, strength under control, gentle and mighty. You are amazing, and it is You and You alone I worship and follow, fully and always.<\/p>\n
Amen<\/p>\n
Daily Question<\/h2>\n
Does God have 100% of your life? If not, how much and why less than 100%?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Daily Reading 1Samuel 15-17 Daily Thought Chapter 15 is the turning point in the life and reign of Saul, as Samuel declares, \u201cBecause you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king\u201d (v 23). The chapter ends with tears and regret, \u201cSamuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord … <\/p>\n
Continue reading “Obedience”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[456,48],"class_list":["post-2260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-thought","tag-gods-pleasure","tag-obedience"],"yoast_head":"\nObedience - In the beginning God<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/davemprice.com\/?p=2260\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Obedience - In the beginning God\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Daily Reading 1Samuel 15-17 Daily Thought Chapter 15 is the turning point in the life and reign of Saul, as Samuel declares, \u201cBecause you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king\u201d (v 23). 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