because we love Him-1 Samuel 15

Saul by Elie Marcuse

The Lord commanded Saul to destroy the Amalekites and all they possessed 1 Samuel 15:1–3. Instead Saul kept the king and the best of the livestock alive 1 Samuel 15:4–9.) Following his own way instead of the Lord's will, Saul did not obey the Lord in this. 1 Samuel 15:11.

Years ago I read the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens with Spencer. In that book the author dissects the word rationalize and points out that the it is full of lies. Saul rationalized his disobedience saying that the animals were kept to sacrifice unto God and blamed the people for the deed. 1 Samuel 15:13–15, 20–21, 24.

“Saul rationalized. It was easy for him to obey as to the disposition of the kings, for what use were conquered kings? But why not keep the fat sheep and cattle? Was not his royal judgment superior to that of lowly Samuel? How like Saul are many in Israel today. One will live some of the Lord’s revelation on health except that he must have his occasional cup of coffee; she will not use tobacco nor liquor for which she has no yearning anyway but must have the comforting cup of tea. He will serve in a Church position, for here is activity which he likes and honor which he craves, … but rationalization is easy as to tithe paying which he finds so difficult. He cannot afford it. … He is not sure it is always distributed as he would have it done, and who knows anyway of his failure? Another will attend some meetings but Saul-like rationalize as to the rest of the day. Why should he not see a ball game, a show, do his necessary yard work, or carry on business as usual? Another would religiously attend his outward Church duties but resist any suggestions as to family frictions in his home or family prayers when the family is so hard to assemble. Saul was like that. He could do the expedient things but could find alibis as to the things which countered his own desires” (Spencer W. Kimball, Oct. 1954, 51).

Without constant devotions to God, I find myself acting as Saul, rationalizing my disobedience to the Lord. I'm sure I've heard of used the following rationalizations. “It’s just a little sin.” “I’m obeying the spirit of the law rather than the letter of the law.” “It won’t hurt anyone.” “I’ll try it just once.” “Other people are doing it.” or “That commandment doesn’t apply to me.” We can overcome the tendency to rationalize sin if we keep a constant prayer in our hearts and always ask grandma's favorite question, "What would Jesus do?"

Samuel did not buy into Saul’s pathetic explanation for saving the Amalekites’ animals. "to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." Samuel’s words should give us a hint as to how we should act--listen and obey. How is this done? The Lord speaks to us in many ways today if we will listen: the scriptures, personal revelation through the Holy Ghost, and the words of the prophet and other church leaders.
"rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry" 1 Samuel 15:23 Instead of listening, Saul was rebellious and stubborn--these are as bad ad idolatry. Why? Possibly, he was worshiping the wealth of the Amalekites rather than God. Quite likely, he wanted the honor of parading the captured king in the streets. So to liken this to ourselves, do I refuse to listen and obey? Do I esteem wealth and honor more than the kingdom of God? Am I stubborn and rebellious? Sadly, I have to admit that I am sometimes more like Saul than Samuel. To overcome these bad attitudes, I need to adopt an attitude of humility. C.S. Lewis addresses this quite well in The Screwtape Letters, which is still in my mind from a fresh reading. We can't really try to be humble; it is a result of following God's commands. So how then do we accomplish this thing? Follow God's commands with exactness, because we love Him--not because we expect punishment or reward--not because we expect worldly honor or wealth.

The really sad part of this is that Saul started out as the most righteous man of the children of Israel. After only a few short years, he became arrogant, disobedient, large in his own eyes, rebellious, stubborn, and disrespectful. It's been said that power corrupts--this is a good example. Saul was stripped of the worldly honors of being king and heavenly honors of which we can only guess. Samuel and later David fulfilled the commands that God gave to Saul. This leads me to the thoughts that although God will take blessings from those who cease to honor Him, there is always someone in the wings to take the place of those that turn to sin. God's purposes will not be frustrated but will be fulfilled. Will we be among those that get to help in the fulfilling of His purposes?