Then Samuel said: Does the LORD take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD: Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king. 1 Samuel 15:22-23 HCSB
Yesterday we mentioned Saul and how he seemed to suffer from some type of madness or mental illness. This Scripture passage shows us how disobedient Saul was. Sadly, Saul thought that he could sort of kind of be obedient and that would be enough.
His disobedience cost him dearly. It’s not so much that his ancestors would not succeed him as king, but the Spirit of the Lord departed from him (1 Samuel 16:14). It was all downhill from there.
God wants us to be obedient. We need God. Without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). Another sad story in the Bible was the story of Samson. God had given him great strength. No one had been able to defeat him. But Samson wasn’t such a nice guy. He was disobedient. He didn’t treat people well. He didn’t do all that God had commanded him to do.
We are told in Judges 13:25 after Samson’s birth the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to direct him. Sadly, Samson used his incredible God-given strength in anger and revenge. This did not please the Lord. In chapter 16, Samson was arrested for an act of revenge, and we are told in verse 14 the ropes they used to bound his hands became like burnt flax and fell of his wrists. He then killed 1,000 men with the jawbone of a donkey. God gave him another chance.
Samson later became involved with a prostitute named Delilah in Judges chapter 16. The Philistines were after him and Delilah was willing to sell to the highest bidder. She finally found from Samson that he had made a vow to God from birth and if his hair was cut, he would lose his strength. She cut his hair. The Philistines came for him as she had directed them to do for the price they paid her.
Samson awoke from his sleep in verse 20 and said, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him. His strength was gone, and he was in the hands of his enemies where he would die.
Many of us grew up singing the hymn Trust and Obey. This song was written by John H. Sammis in 1887 and the music was composed by Daniel Towner a year before. Its lyrics tell us there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. This is so true.
Samuel and Samson almost had it all. They were entrusted to high positions by the Lord. Had they been obedient they would have done well. Their problem was they didn’t trust in the Lord. They took matters into their own hands. They did things their way.
Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and not to lean on our own understanding. We are to trust the Lord in all our ways, and He will guide us on the right paths. Hebrews 11:6 tells us it is impossible to please God without faith.
When we worry about our future, we are not trusting God. When we take matters into our own hands, we are not trusting God. God will not tolerate our disobedience. If we are not careful, His Spirit will depart from us.
God also won’t tolerate partial obedience. This is what did Samuel in. We must remember also when we are disobedient to God, we are rebelling against Him. Our Scripture passage tells us rebellion is like the sin of divination and defiance is wickedness and idolatry.
In the Old Testament the Israelites were told to kill those who practiced such things. God does not take rebellion and defiance lightly. When we disobey His commands, we are defying Him. You don’t want to do that.
Trust in Him today. Obey His commands completely. Be quick to repent when you mess up. Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus.
God has good plans for you, but you must trust in Him. He demands obedience. We were put here to love and serve Him. No good comes from disobedience and defiance.
Have a great day!