In Matthew, Jesus tells us, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Our obedience to Christ Jesus is the key to transforming the world. Over and over, throughout the Bible God tells us that what He really wants from us is our obedience. The story of King Saul and Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15, shows us just how important that being obedient to the Lord is. In this story, we find that being obedient is better than trying to honor God through our own works.
Samuel, God's prophet, is told by God to have King Saul lead an army to destroy the Amalekites. In verse 3, God is very specific, "Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys." The Amalekites had attacked the Israelites as they traveled from Egypt to the Promised Land and God was now going to punish them. So King Saul gathers an army and attacks the city of Amalek. But in verse 9, we find that God's command has not been followed. "But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed." So, In their minds, the King and the soldiers were bringing back the best of the best to sacrifice to the Lord. They wanted to give to God an offering, they wanted to show God their devotion through these sacrifices.
But God is not pleased with this turn of events. We read in verse 10, "Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: "I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel finds King Saul at Carmel, where Saul is setting up a monument to himself. So Samuel questions Saul about the animals that are there and Saul explains that these animals that were captured are to be sacrificed to the Lord. Then Samuel tells Saul, in verses 18-19, what God had spoken to him the night before, "And he sent you on a mission, saying, 'Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.' Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?"
Saul is completely caught off guard by this. His response comes in verse 20, "But I did obey the LORD," and again Saul explains the reasoning behind his actions, "I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal." Do we not act in the same way sometimes? God's Word is very clear about how we should live, but we decide that this verse or that verse just does not apply to us. We reason that even if we do not do exactly what God's Word says to do, that God will surely understand. Maybe not. Samuel's reply to King Saul is found in verse 22-23, "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. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king."
Look at the words that are used in the last verse, rebellion, sin, divination, arrogance, evil, idolatry, rejected. These are strong words used to show how serious God is about disobedience. In order to make a difference in this world, we as Christians, must learn to be more like Christ Jesus. He is our Saviour precisely because He was obedient. Philippians 2:8 "He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." In order for the world to be transformed, we must first be transformed through the renewing of our minds. Romans 12:2: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Let us cast aside the idea that we can in some way, do something for God. Instead let's turn to His Holy Word and apply His teachings to our lives on a daily basis. In Luke 9:23, Jesus is talking to the crowd, "If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me." This is the model that Jesus set before us and only when Christians begin to follow this model will the world be transformed.
Samuel, God's prophet, is told by God to have King Saul lead an army to destroy the Amalekites. In verse 3, God is very specific, "Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys." The Amalekites had attacked the Israelites as they traveled from Egypt to the Promised Land and God was now going to punish them. So King Saul gathers an army and attacks the city of Amalek. But in verse 9, we find that God's command has not been followed. "But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed." So, In their minds, the King and the soldiers were bringing back the best of the best to sacrifice to the Lord. They wanted to give to God an offering, they wanted to show God their devotion through these sacrifices.
But God is not pleased with this turn of events. We read in verse 10, "Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: "I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel finds King Saul at Carmel, where Saul is setting up a monument to himself. So Samuel questions Saul about the animals that are there and Saul explains that these animals that were captured are to be sacrificed to the Lord. Then Samuel tells Saul, in verses 18-19, what God had spoken to him the night before, "And he sent you on a mission, saying, 'Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.' Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?"
Saul is completely caught off guard by this. His response comes in verse 20, "But I did obey the LORD," and again Saul explains the reasoning behind his actions, "I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal." Do we not act in the same way sometimes? God's Word is very clear about how we should live, but we decide that this verse or that verse just does not apply to us. We reason that even if we do not do exactly what God's Word says to do, that God will surely understand. Maybe not. Samuel's reply to King Saul is found in verse 22-23, "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. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king."
Look at the words that are used in the last verse, rebellion, sin, divination, arrogance, evil, idolatry, rejected. These are strong words used to show how serious God is about disobedience. In order to make a difference in this world, we as Christians, must learn to be more like Christ Jesus. He is our Saviour precisely because He was obedient. Philippians 2:8 "He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." In order for the world to be transformed, we must first be transformed through the renewing of our minds. Romans 12:2: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Let us cast aside the idea that we can in some way, do something for God. Instead let's turn to His Holy Word and apply His teachings to our lives on a daily basis. In Luke 9:23, Jesus is talking to the crowd, "If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me." This is the model that Jesus set before us and only when Christians begin to follow this model will the world be transformed.
