The Cost of Disobedience - Part II

Despite clear instructions from the LORD, Saul decided to do his own thing. According to the narrative, "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" (1 Kings 15:9, KJV). However, when confronted about his disobedience, "Saul said unto Samuel, 'Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal'" (vv. 20-21).

An interesting observation from the verses above is we are told that Saul and the people spared Agag, and so on, yet in Saul's account, he made a distinction between himself and the people. He had spared Agag and destroyed the Amalekites, but it was the people who took of the spoil and they did so to offer it as sacrifice unto the LORD as peace offering for the victory they had obtained. He tried to excuse his way out of accountability.  However, as Bible scholar John Darby observes, "Our excuses, even when true, only condemn us. Saul, not having faith, not looking to God, fears the people more than God." Saul failed to recognize that ultimate responsibility rested with him as the king and the one who had been given the instructions, and that such responsibility could not be delegated.

One other pertinent observation is that from God's perspective, partial obedience is ruled and judged as disobedience.  Notice He said to Samuel that Saul "is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments" (v. 11).  There was no credit for partial obedience. In other words, God does not "live" in the shades of gray where most of us reside. He means what He says and He says what He means. How many times have we made the mistake of thinking we know what God wants? Just because we think something is a good idea doesn't mean it is a God idea! Like Saul, our intentions are good; they may even seem honourable and to the service of God. Yet if we choose to deviate even an iota from His instructions, we are effectively engaged in disobedience. It is always better to obey and leave the rest up to Him.

So why did the LORD dealt so harsly with Saul? It was because His faithfulness was at stake. In Deuteronomy 25:19 we read: "Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it," and to Saul was entrusted this fulfilment. His failure to do as instructed was deemed  "evil in the sight of the LORD" (v. 19), rebellious and "stubbornness" (v. 23), and as such could not be tolerated or excused. The chickens had come home to roost and for his disobedience, Saul lost the kingdom. How are you doing with the instructions you have received from the LORD?

The Cost of Disobedience - Part I

God's instructions to Saul through the prophet Samuel were quite clear. He was going to punish the Amalekites because "their ancestors opposed the Israelites when they were coming from Egypt" and so Saul was to "go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. Don't leave a thing; kill all the men, women, children, and babies; the cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys" (1 Samuel 15:2-3, GNB). According to the narrative, "But Saul and his men spared Agag's [the king of the Amalaketies] life and did not kill the best sheep and cattle, the best calves and lambs, or anything else that was good; they destroyed only what was useless or worthless" (v. 9). In other words, Saul outrightly, knowingly, and purposefully disobeyed God. The response was immediate. The LORD said to Samuel, "'I am sorry that I made Saul king; he has turned away from me and disobeyed my commands.' Samuel was angry, and all night long he pleaded with the LORD" (v. 11). The prophet went and confronted Saul who greeted him with the words, "The LORD bless you, Samuel! I have obeyed the LORD's command" (v.13), but Samuel was having none of it! Without acknowledging the greeting, he asked, "Why, then, do I hear cattle mooing and sheep bleating?" (v. 14). Saul tried to explain himself and the prophet countered with what the LORD had told him (vv. 15-18) before asking the all-important question: "Why, then, did you not obey Him? Why did you rush to grab the loot, and so do what displeases the LORD?" (v. 19). Saul insisted he had obeyed, "but my men did not kill the best sheep and cattle that they captured; instead, they brought them here to Gilgal to offer as a sacrifice to the LORD your God" (vv. 20-21). Seriously, Saul? Using a spiritual reason to justify disobeying God? Samuel then spoke words to Saul which continue to echo across the centuries to all humanity - "Which does the LORD prefer: obedience or offerings and sacrifices? It is better to obey Him than to sacrifice the best sheep to Him. Rebellion against Him is as bad as witchcraft, and arrogance is as sinful as idolatry" (vv. 22-23a). Ouch! But Samuel was not finished. "Because you [Saul] rejected the LORD's command, He has rejected you as king" (v. 23b). It was only then that Saul admitted, "Yes, I have sinned . . . I disobeyed the LORD's command and your instructions. I was afraid of my men and did what they wanted" (v.24). Read that last statement again, slowly - "I was afraid of my men and did what they wanted." Obeying God is not easy, but to remain in fellowship with Him it is mandatory. To do so means we often risk offending people, sometimes losing people we call friends, people who do not understand that we have to do what God commands. No matter the situations in which we find ourselves, we can never ever justify disobeying God. Regardless of the consequences, given the choice between obedience or offerings and sacrifices, the believer would do well to never forget Samuel's words: "it is better to obey [the LORD] than to sacrifice the best sheep to Him." It is what He prefers. Just ask Saul.

No Deal!

Standing before king Nebuchadnezzar and facing his wrath for their refusal to worship the image according to the instructions heralded to all (Daniel 3:4), the three Jewish boys were offered a deal that would spare them being thrown into the burning fiery furnace. To compound the severity of their non-compliance, certain Chaldeans accused them before the king of having "not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (v. 12, KJV). There was no ambiguity to the deal. When they heard the sound of the music, "now if . . . ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" In other words, dance or die. However, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not intimidated. They knew that this was a bad deal and so "answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (vv. 16-18). In other words, no deal! Thanks, but not thanks! The fiery furnace is nothing for our God to deliver us from and even if He doesn't, we will not compromise our beliefs or turn our backs on the God we serve. What tremendous commitment! One could argue that such commitment is lacking among some professed believers who time and time again dance to the music and worship various images in an attempt to preserve popularity, their relationships, and personal ambitions. Instead of standing firmly for Christ regardless of cost, it is often easier to compromise our beliefs and values. Who wants to be ridiculed? To be ostracized? What we know is that after being thrown in the furnace, heated seven times more than it was initially, the boys' faith in God was rewarded and they were delivered (vv. 19-30). Miraculously, "the fire had no power [upon their bodies], nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them" (v.27). God rewarded their faithfulness and their testimony was of such that it transformed the worship practices of the Babylonians (vv. 28-29). We should never discount the power of individuals standing for Christ and what He is able to do in and through them in those difficult circumstances. Christians everywhere are in somewhat similar positions today. Compromise or be ridiculed? Stand for Christ or be scorned? Oh, lest I forget, we get to choose. We must choose. Deal or no deal? How do you choose?