Date: 04-13-2020

Title: Incomplete Obedience

(S) cripture:
    1 Samuel 15:10-22 (NASB77) 10 Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, 11 ” I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all night. 12 And Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal.” 13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, ” Blessed are you of the LORD! I have carried out the command of the LORD.” 14 But Samuel said, ” What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” 15 And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait, and let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!” 17 And Samuel said, “Is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed you king over Israel, 18 and the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, ‘ Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.’ 19 “Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD?” 20 Then Saul said to Samuel, ” I did obey the voice of the LORD, and went on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 “But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal.” 22 And Samuel said, ” Has the LORD as much 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.

(O) bservation:
    The Lord has sent Saul to destroy the Amalekites. He does but not completely. Saul spares the king and keeps the choicest of the livestock. God’s response is to reject Saul as king. Samuel is sent by God to confront Saul with his sin. When he is confronted he claims to have completely obeyed the Lord’s command. When asked about the livestock he says they were brought back to be sacrificed to the Lord as an excuse. For sparing the king he offers no excuse. Samuel then asks a penetrating question and gives a pointed answer that strips away all excuses for incomplete obedience.

(A) pplication:
    This scripture puts to flight any attempt to make excuses for not completely obeying the Lord. Too often we try to cover up our incomplete obedience with excuses of good intentions (we were going to sacrifice the animals to the Lord). Today I will not offer any excuse. I want to heed what God desires and to obey completely.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, I thank you for your call in my life. My desire is to obey and not make excuses for my disobedience. I never want to take your forgiveness for granted or use it as an excuse not to obey You completely. Amen