God Demands Obedience

MEMORY VERSE: “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” —I Samuel 15:22

I SAMUEL 13:5-14

SAUL was the first king of Israel. He was chosen from the tribe of Benjamin. (I Sam. 10:20-27) The people seemed pleased, and they shouted and said, “God save the king.” At first Saul was shy, and when he realized that he was the one chosen to be king, he hid himself. Although in stature he was head and shoulders above his countrymen, he was little in his own sight.—I Sam. 15:17

Unfortunately for himself, Saul did not maintain this humble appraisal of his own ability and position, for in a very short time as king he became conscious of his authority and power and began wielding it in ways displeasing to the Lord. The incident recorded in our lesson occurred only two years after Saul became king. He raised a modest army of three thousand men, two thousand of whom were under his direct command, and one thousand under the leadership of his son Jonathan.—vss. 1-4

Jonathan and his small contingent smote a “garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba,” or, as the margin states, “the hill.” Word of this spread among the Philistines, and “they gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is upon the seashore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven.”

Saul and his contingent of two thousand men were in Gilgal, and many of the Israelites went to him there, but in a very fearful state of mind. Others hid themselves in caves, and in thickets, and among the rocks, and in high places, and in pits. Some crossed over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.

Saul now realized that he was in a very precarious position, “and he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. (ch. 13:8) Samuel told Saul that when he met him in Gilgal he would offer burnt offerings, and show him what to do.—ch. 10:8

But Saul would not wait any longer for Samuel. He decided to take matters into his own hands and offered a burnt offering himself. Just as he finished, Samuel appeared and asked for an explanation. The Israelites were scattering, and Saul was fearful. He was certain that the Philistines would soon be attacking, and he reasoned himself into believing that the Lord would be pleased to accept a burnt offering he would present to him, and that it was therefore not necessary to wait for Samuel.

Saul paid dearly for this sin of presumption. Samuel said to him, “Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.”

Saul’s disobedience continued. He was directed by the Lord to destroy the Amalekites and their flocks. But instead of doing this, he spared Agag the king and saved some of the choice sheep and oxen, and explained to Samuel when questioned about it that these were to be offered in sacrifice to the Lord.

Samuel’s reply to this explanation pointed out to Saul that in the Lord’s sight obedience was better than burnt offerings, and that because he had again disobeyed the Lord he was being rejected as king of Israel.—ch. 15:22,23

The practical lesson for us today is that the Lord is still pleased with those who are fully obedient to him. His people today are called upon to offer sacrifice—not of animals, but themselves—and faithfulness in thus presenting our bodies a living sacrifice is the course of obedience.

QUESTIONS

Who was Israel’s first king, and what sort of man was he?

What were the circumstances which led to his downfall?

What lesson can we derive from Saul’s experiences?

| Home Page | Table of Contents |