In our OT passage we see Saul once again disobeying God and attempting to gloss over his sin, and he paid a high price for it.
In 15:11 God says that He regrets having made Saul king. My Life Application Bible says this....
was he saying he had made a mistake? God's comment was an expression of sorrow, not an admission of error. An omniscient God cannot make a mistake; therefore, God did not change his mind. He did, however, change his attitude toward Saul when Saul changed. Saul's heart no longer belonged to God, but to his own interests.
In v12 we see Saul building a monument to honor himself instead of giving glory to God. How far he has fallen so quickly! He went from hiding among the luggage to prideful disobedience and self-aggrandizement.
Saul's empty sacrifices could not make up for a disingenuous heart. Motive is key, and Saul failed the test. Doing the right thing for the wrong reason is still wrong. Doing the right thing for the wrong reason but wanting to take all the credit is also still wrong. The heart is key.
And when God chose the next king of Israel, He made it clear to Samuel that He judges, not on appearance or height, but on the heart.
What is our heart like? Is our heart reflective of someone whom God would choose to hold a place of great responsibility, or to lead a nation?
We may not lead a nation, but we lead someone - whether it's our children, or simply the people around us.
As our NT passage shows us, we need God's power to grow in godliness. Our pursuit of holiness proves our faith to be genuine, and is something we need to be proactive about and for which we need to rely completely on God.
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: 1 Samuel 17-18; 2 Peter 2
2 comments:
The verse that stood out for me is 1 Samuel 15:22
“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,
Obeying God is what counts, He doesn't need anything we can give Him. God wants our obedience first, not any material items we think He wants us to sacrifice.
For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
This verse is so important. What we see is not what God sees.
(This verse also reminds me of when Kaden learned it when he was younger..."The Lord looks at the "outside of the parents" but the Lord looks at the heart. ;)
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