1 Samuel
David shows us what it really means to honour those in power. Saul was anointed by God to be king of Israel, but he didn't follow God's ways. Through envy, he tried to kill David a number of times. While on the run from Saul, David had multiple opportunities to kill Saul, and yet he didn't. He would tell his men, "This is the Lord's anointed. Far be it from me to avenge myself on the Lord's anointed." He allowed God to take care of Saul for him. He said "I will not be the one to kill Saul. When his time comes, he will die, or he will go into battle and die, but I will not be the one to kill him."
That is true reliance on God. We are not to take vengeance into our own hands, for God is the only one who truly knows what is going on. Giving up our supposed control over the situation results in a far better outcome, because we won't feel the guilt of having done something we would later regret, and God will ensure that the person who wronged us will pay the price. We just have to be patient. That's not to say that we should lie in wait and gloat when they finally are avenged. We should ask God to change our hearts so that we are more like David - we should want to be reconciled to the other person (Saul, in David's case).
Showing posts with label 1 Samuel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1 Samuel. Show all posts
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Obedience is better than sacrifice
1 Samuel
Today I learned that even if we think we're doing God a favour, we aren't if we have not followed his commands. That's where this verse comes in - 1 Samuel 15:22 - Obedience is better than sacrifice. Saul had just waged war against the Amalekites, as the Lord had asked. However, God had also told Saul to kill all the Amalekites, both the people and their animals. Saul killed the weak ones, but left the king alive, as well as the choicest sheep and other animals. He was going to sacrifice these animals to God, thinking he would be pleasing God. However, this is what Samuel the prophet tells 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."
God is not interested in our offerings if we can't actually follow his word. In the end, it will go better for us, even if we can't seem to understand that right away. Here's what happened to Saul - Samuel killed the Amalekite king, and God took the kingship away from Saul and gave it to David.
It seems to me that living within the will of God is far better than trying to get on his good side in our own way.
Today I learned that even if we think we're doing God a favour, we aren't if we have not followed his commands. That's where this verse comes in - 1 Samuel 15:22 - Obedience is better than sacrifice. Saul had just waged war against the Amalekites, as the Lord had asked. However, God had also told Saul to kill all the Amalekites, both the people and their animals. Saul killed the weak ones, but left the king alive, as well as the choicest sheep and other animals. He was going to sacrifice these animals to God, thinking he would be pleasing God. However, this is what Samuel the prophet tells 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."
God is not interested in our offerings if we can't actually follow his word. In the end, it will go better for us, even if we can't seem to understand that right away. Here's what happened to Saul - Samuel killed the Amalekite king, and God took the kingship away from Saul and gave it to David.
It seems to me that living within the will of God is far better than trying to get on his good side in our own way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)