Woven
Are you ready to dig into our study of Israel’s first kings? Since we’ve read the chapter, we know who we will study; Saul, David, and Solomon. We also know from Angie’s writing that what we are about to embark on will have some highs but many, many lows. Let’s get started anyway.
1 Samuel 12 gives the report of Saul’s confirmation by Samuel. If you read through the chapter, you’ll see that Samuel is confirming the people of Israel as much as he is Saul (at least that’s the way I've read it). Once again, Samuel reminded the people why a king had been chosen to lead,
When you saw that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon came against you, you said to me, “No, but a king shall reign over us,” although the LORD your God was your king. (verse 12)
Samuel would not let the people forget that they already had a King, and He was God, but they wanted a human leader. So, Saul was their guy. In his reminders, Samuel gave this warning to the people of Israel,
If you will fear the LORD and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the command of the LORD, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God. And if you will not listen to the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the command of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as it was against your fathers.1 Samuel 12: 14-15
That sounds like excellent advice for the people of Israel and for us; listen and obey God to follow Him – OR, do not listen but rebel and the LORD will be against you. It seems simple enough to understand. I wonder how they’ll do…..
Please read 1 Samuel 13: 1-14.
Saul was chosen to be king, but he was not given the rights of the priests. Remember, God chose the tribe of Levi to serve as His priests among the people. Saul overstepped his boundaries and gave Samuel plenty of excuse for doing it. Samuel answered with the consequence… Saul’s kingdom would not endure. God would look for another, a man after His own heart. Tomorrow, we will study him.
If you’re up for it, will you please read one more passage of scripture? I’ll summarize a portion of it for you. In 1 Samuel 15, Samuel instructed Saul to destroy the Amalekites. They’d been a problem for Israel since Exodus. In verse 3, God told Saul to go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.
Now, read 1 Samuel 15: 7-9.
Oh goodness, Saul is one of those people that follows directions halfway. He did fight the Amalekites and defeated them. He just decided to keep the king and all of the best resources. It made sense to him.
Read 1 Samuel 15: 10-20. (If you don’t read Samuel’s sarcasm and humor, please read until you catch it. The Bible is funny, y’all.)
I know we all understand that it’s best to completely follow the Lord’s instruction However, if we read with an open mind, we can also understand Saul’s point of view. He thought it would be wasteful to destroy good resources that could be offered to the Lord in sacrifice. I’d "bless his heart" if I didn’t know his lack of full obedience would cost his people and future generations.
Complete obedience is the only way to live victoriously with and for the Lord. His commands don’t always make sense to us. This command didn’t make sense to Saul. But, we have to trust that God, who knows our future circumstances, instructs us for our best.
Journal – Take some time to reflect today. Is there an area of your life where you may have partially obeyed the Lord? I’m guilty of it at times. Write out 1 Samuel 15: 22-23 and meditate on these words. Obedience is better than sacrifice. These are important verses, girls. God is after our hearts. He wants us to have hearts that are after HIS heart. Obedience is our first step every, single time.
And, there you have it. Saul’s end was written almost from the very beginning. In verse 24, he confessed his sin but followed the confession with excuse. True repentance is always without excuse. We will see that tomorrow.
You studied well today! I hope God has given you a word, a verse, or a message that you can reflect on all day.
Heavenly Father, we want to be women who obey. We want to know in our hearts that obedience is our safeguard. When we trust that You are for our BEST, I believe we won’t struggle to obey You fully. Help us to repent quickly when we miss the mark. Show us that we are safe in Your forgiveness. We don’t have to waste time with excuse, because YOU are our righteousness. We have nothing to prove, so we can admit our failures quickly and turn back to You immediately. May it be so…..
