A Better Idea

Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22

King Saul had a better idea. He knew God’s command to destroy everything Israel took from their pagan enemies. But he was the king, after all, and shouldn’t he get a vote? So he kept the choicest of the plunder and prepared to offer the best as a sacrifice to God. But God didn’t want it. He had never asked for it. The pretense of a gift did not cancel Saul’s overt disobedience. So God sent the prophet Samuel to Saul to remove him as king of Israel. The reason is found in this verse.

We often think we have better ideas too. What we read in the Bible makes us uncomfortable, so we decide that surely God cannot mean that. Surely He has evolved with the times, changed His mind on some things, and bowed to culture. Surely he will give us a vote. So we cut and paste the Bible to make it say what we want it to say. We then adjust our lives to fit the religion we created ourselves. But God doesn’t want it. The pretense of our gifts, our good deeds, or our lip service does not cancel our overt disobedience. God commands obedience from the heart. He doesn’t negotiate with us or allow us co-god status. If we insist, he removes us from the place of blessing and fellowship, and we never become all we could become.

What are you substituting for full obedience? Are you trying to negotiate with God? He doesn’t buy it.

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