After Saul was anointed the king of the Israelites, he was required to carry out God’s plan, but sadly, he did not. The Almighty God spoke and King Saul was required to obey fully, but this was not the case.
“This is what the Lord Almighty says, “I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys”.
1 Samuel 15:2-3. But Saul turned a deaf ear to what the Lord had commanded him and this led to his downfall.
“Then Saul attacked the Amalekites, all the way from Havilah to Shur to the east of Egypt. He took Agag, king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people, he totally destroyed with the sword. But Saul and the army spare Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs – everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak, they totally destroyed”. 1 Samuel 15:7-9.
You can see that what Saul did was not in accordance with the commands of the Lord. He was totally disobedient and this made the Lord to regret that He made him king in the first place. “The Word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions”. Samuel was troubled and he cried out to the Lord all that night”. 1 Samuel 15:10-11.
Saul did things in his own way by taking the best of the plunder and sacrificing it to the Lord. This was not part of the Lord’s command; HE demanded obedience and not sacrifice! Samuel told Saul, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the Word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king” 1 Samuel 15: 22-23.
This was a great disaster for Saul and he brought it upon himself, through his disobedience. He must have regretted his actions but it was too late to make amends. He had to pay a very high price for his wrong actions.
Child of God, please note that leadership requires accountability in order to sharpen you. Saul was not prepared to be accountable to anyone; hence he brought his downfall with his own hands. To this end, I encourage you to obey God 100%, as He is not interested in sacrifices. He is only interested in your full obedience and nothing else. May the Lord grant you grace as you determine to obey Him always, in Jesus’ matchless Name. Amen
PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you have not already committed your life to Jesus and you would like to do so now, please pray this prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I am sorry for all the things I have done wrong. Thank you for dying for me on the cross, to set me free from my sins. I ask you to come into my life as my personal Lord and Saviour, and fill me with the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord Jesus. Amen.”
Congratulations, if you have prayed this prayer, please look for a Bible-believing church, to fellowship with the brethren. Please do not hesitate to contact me, if I can be of any assistance to you. Remain blessed and enjoy the presence of the Lord.
Ronke Immanuel
THM(UK)
November 19th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Super post, Need to mark it