New Year Thoughts 2014

It's been a long time since I last posted on here. Far too long. But it is a new year and, though I tend to dislike the idea of "resolutions," I have recognized a slip on my part of studying deeply the Word of God as I should. So, I hope that this begins me down the road to being more consistent in my in-depth studying and, hopefully, memorization. This is for my own personal benefit and I think the best when I have an immediate outlet to write out my thoughts. This is my journal of sorts. I hope to be open and honest with those of you who read these posts of mine, and, hopefully God speaks to you through me.

As I thought of where I should start in my study, I was reminded of a piece of Scripture that I hold dear and have spent a lot of time on. It is a great launching point for me because it is a reminder of why I take the time to study. It is a chapter at a peculiar time in Israel's history, just a few years after God allowed a king to be named over His people. The people chose Saul, who soon began to do things his own way. He made unlawful sacrifices and rash vows, but he finally did a thing that God could not allow in the leader of His people: Saul disobeyed.

Here is the scene:
[1Sa 15:1-3, 6-9 ESV] 1 And Samuel said to Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the LORD. 2 Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. 3 Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'" ... 6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, "Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.

There are, in these few verses, things that can be discussed for hours and days. God specifically says He remembers what a people did the Israelites many years before when they left Egypt. Here we can see that God's wrath burns slowly, that He avenges wrongs done upon His people in His own time, and that He remembers those who, for whatever reason, were friends to His people. We also see that He is clear in His direction. These are attributes of God that we cannot and should not deny. Especially the last one. God is always clear in His direction to His people. The Holy Spirit prompts us to action, but He calls upon what we already know what we should do. That is everyday living. We will always receive clear directions when it comes to the big, life-changing events. I can recall clearly each time God spoke to me about life-changing events. There was no uncertainty in what to do. There was no "I didn't catch that." My directions were clear. I had but one thing to do: obey.

Saul was giving clear directions. "Devote to destruction all that they have." But what did Saul do instead? He took Agag prisoner and allowed the people to take what they wanted from the spoils. He disobeyed God's clear direction. This was unacceptable in the man that was to lead the people of Israel in the ways of God. God needed a man of obedience, and Saul was not that man. So what does God do? He sends in someone who does obey.

[1Sa 15:10-11, 13-23 ESV] 10 The word of the LORD came to Samuel: 11 "I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments." And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night. ... 13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed be you to the LORD. I have performed the commandment of the LORD." 14 And Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?" 15 Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction." 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop! I will tell you what the LORD said to me this night." And he said to him, "Speak." 17 And Samuel said, "Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. 18 And the LORD sent you on a mission and said, 'Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.' 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?" 20 And Saul said to Samuel, "I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal." 22 And Samuel said, "Has 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 listen than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king."

God calls upon His obedient servant Samuel and tells him of Saul's disobedience. Again, we can see glimpses of another, longer discussion on calling out sin, which is Samuel's primary function, but I want to focus upon Samuel's words to Saul at the end of this section in verses 22 and 23. These are the words that God has spoken to my heart today, yet again. As many times as I have read them in the past, they are fresh and new to my soul now. God desires our obedience above all else. Do you give everything as an offering to God? Great, but ask yourself, "What has God told me to do, what direction has He given me, that I have yet to do?"

That is the ultimate question of this entire life as a Christ-follower. It is the ultimate calling: live a life of obedience. Why? Because by doing your own thing, by ignoring the words of God and by assuming your plan is greater than what God has planned for you, you are making yourself God. Look again at verse 23 above. Rebellion is as the sin of divination and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Raising yourself to the status of God in your life is an act of open rebellion which manifests itself in disobedience. Maybe it is the everyday Holy Spirit promptings that you ignore where you struggle, but, more often, I will guess that it is in the big, life-changing events that make you uncomfortable because of the change it will mean that cause you to hesitate. You may say, "But, God, I have a good job here!" or "I'm still in school and I won't know anyone there." or "My summer is the only time I have to do the things that I want to do. Don't take that from me!" Here is the truth of this chapter: God seeks obedient servants to lead His people, because only those who will obey are qualified to effectively lead His people. The shepherd/sheep analogy is completely relevant here. But you may ask, "What if I don't want to lead?" To you, God says that your obedience is a better offering and a sweeter fragrance than anything else you have to offer. One may only please God through faith (Hebrews 11:6), and faith leads to greater obedience.

This is my reason for needing to return to a deep study of Scripture, of God's words to us. It is an act of obedience. It is reasonable and sensible. It is what is expected of me, and I must confess that I have lived in disobedience for too long in this. So, in this public journal of mine, I leave this acknowledgement of my sin, my confession to my brothers and sisters, and my attempt to begin a habit of obedience in this, to discover the ways in which I need to keep growing.