REDEFINING GOD'S WORDS
DAY 124: There has been a great deal in the news lately about redefining God's first institution - marriage. What disturbs me the most, is how many people acknowledge that it is God's plan but also declare that it is time for the plan to evolve. It sounds crazy that someone would actually admit that they think they can modify God's plan and make it better. Then again, I think I have been guilty of doing the same thing - even if to a less obvious degree.
I can recall having the thought, Surely God will understand this once - as I veered from what I knew was His will. However, in light of the blatant disregard our culture has for His plan for marriage, and the stories I saw unfold in today's Bible reading - I have concluded that God is never honored when we "modify" His plan. Here is what happened to a Leader who tried it.
In response to Israel clamoring for a king like all the other nations around them, God made a choice and sent the prophet Samuel to anoint Saul, son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. Saul was given God's approval and His spirit - and the promise that God would be with him. He would not have to rule alone. Unfortunately, Saul seemed to want to do it alone. More than once he chose to alter God's plan and go with his own ideas instead.
First, when Samuel delayed in getting to Saul to offer sacrifices to the Lord before an important battle, Saul made the choice to sacrifice the burnt offering himself. After all, he explained to Samuel when he arrived, "I saw my men scattering from me and you didn't arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are ... ready to battle...So I felt obliged to offer the burnt offering myself."
Samuel was not sympathetic to Saul's excuses. "How foolish!" Samuel exclaimed. "You have disobeyed the Lord your God. Had you obeyed the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever, but now your dynasty must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart... for you have not obeyed the Lord."
With his troops deserting and his enemies approaching, Saul was confident that there were exceptions to obeying God. Samuel made it clear there are no exceptions to obedience. Even with this warning that his position as King was at risk, Saul will again turn to his own wisdom. In this instance the instructions were crystal clear. Samuel took a message to Saul directly from God.
1 Samuel 15:2 The Lord Almighty declares, ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
So Saul mobilized his army and did as God instructed - almost. While he did kill the Amalekites, he didn't kill them all.
9 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.
Then Saul went off to set up a monument to himself. That is where Samuel found him.
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
19 Samuel said, "Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 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.”
If nothing else, Saul was sincere in his belief that he had done the right thing by doing the wrong thing. "But I did obey the Lord," he declared. In reality, he obeyed his interpretation of what he concluded God actually must have meant. God said kill them all and Saul said, "I did, except Agag." That's "all" isn't it, you can almost hear him ask. "And we killed all the scraggly animals and the best we brought back to sacrifice -(after we kept some, of course). That will make God happy, right? "
22 But Samuel replied:
There is so much in Samuel's rebuke that should convict - actually, ME! God delights in obedience. PERIOD. He delights when I yield to His way of doing things. He delights when I obey even though I can think of many excuses not to. He delights when I want to keep the letter and the spirit of His commands. He delights when I realize that I can't improve on His Word, or modernize it, or tweak it. To obey is better than to sacrifice. No matter what the "benefit" might seem to be, the ends do not justify the means. Obedience is the means and the end that He desires.
Everything short of obedience to the Lord is rebellion and arrogance - judged to be as egregious as divination and idolatry. To reinterpret God or define how I want to obey God is to build a monument to myself, just like Saul.
I had to ask myself where I have been at risk of "modifying" instead of obeying. The workplace is certainly a place that seems to demand compromise. How can a person get ahead always being loving, giving and serving? Wouldn't God be honored if I get promoted, make more money and give more money to His work? Comforting my friend is easier if I can listen to her vent (ie gossip) and that has to be worth the compromise. There are just some laws that are inconvenient for me, like the speed limit; surely God doesn't mind if I bend His command to obey authority when I'm running late. I could go on and on with the places in my life I can justify disobedience - just like Saul did. At the end of the day though, it isn't about convenience, or benefit, or expedience. It's about obedience.
God had the last word on Saul's choice to build monuments to himself by modifying God's commands. 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.”
I don't want the Lord to ever regret entrusting me with a responsibility. I grieve to think that in the past He probably has had to replace me with someone "after His own heart" because I was building monuments to my own cleverness by trying to improve God's plan. I can't change what's past, but I can listen closely in the future and offer God my obedience no matter what I face.
Day 124 of 365
1 Samuel 15
1 Samuel 16
John 8:1-20
Psalm 110:1-7
Proverbs 15:8-10
In response to Israel clamoring for a king like all the other nations around them, God made a choice and sent the prophet Samuel to anoint Saul, son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. Saul was given God's approval and His spirit - and the promise that God would be with him. He would not have to rule alone. Unfortunately, Saul seemed to want to do it alone. More than once he chose to alter God's plan and go with his own ideas instead.
First, when Samuel delayed in getting to Saul to offer sacrifices to the Lord before an important battle, Saul made the choice to sacrifice the burnt offering himself. After all, he explained to Samuel when he arrived, "I saw my men scattering from me and you didn't arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are ... ready to battle...So I felt obliged to offer the burnt offering myself."
Samuel was not sympathetic to Saul's excuses. "How foolish!" Samuel exclaimed. "You have disobeyed the Lord your God. Had you obeyed the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever, but now your dynasty must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart... for you have not obeyed the Lord."
With his troops deserting and his enemies approaching, Saul was confident that there were exceptions to obeying God. Samuel made it clear there are no exceptions to obedience. Even with this warning that his position as King was at risk, Saul will again turn to his own wisdom. In this instance the instructions were crystal clear. Samuel took a message to Saul directly from God.
1 Samuel 15:2 The Lord Almighty declares, ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
So Saul mobilized his army and did as God instructed - almost. While he did kill the Amalekites, he didn't kill them all.
9 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.
Then Saul went off to set up a monument to himself. That is where Samuel found him.
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
19 Samuel said, "Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 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.”
If nothing else, Saul was sincere in his belief that he had done the right thing by doing the wrong thing. "But I did obey the Lord," he declared. In reality, he obeyed his interpretation of what he concluded God actually must have meant. God said kill them all and Saul said, "I did, except Agag." That's "all" isn't it, you can almost hear him ask. "And we killed all the scraggly animals and the best we brought back to sacrifice -(after we kept some, of course). That will make God happy, right? "
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 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.”
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 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.”
There is so much in Samuel's rebuke that should convict - actually, ME! God delights in obedience. PERIOD. He delights when I yield to His way of doing things. He delights when I obey even though I can think of many excuses not to. He delights when I want to keep the letter and the spirit of His commands. He delights when I realize that I can't improve on His Word, or modernize it, or tweak it. To obey is better than to sacrifice. No matter what the "benefit" might seem to be, the ends do not justify the means. Obedience is the means and the end that He desires.
Everything short of obedience to the Lord is rebellion and arrogance - judged to be as egregious as divination and idolatry. To reinterpret God or define how I want to obey God is to build a monument to myself, just like Saul.
I had to ask myself where I have been at risk of "modifying" instead of obeying. The workplace is certainly a place that seems to demand compromise. How can a person get ahead always being loving, giving and serving? Wouldn't God be honored if I get promoted, make more money and give more money to His work? Comforting my friend is easier if I can listen to her vent (ie gossip) and that has to be worth the compromise. There are just some laws that are inconvenient for me, like the speed limit; surely God doesn't mind if I bend His command to obey authority when I'm running late. I could go on and on with the places in my life I can justify disobedience - just like Saul did. At the end of the day though, it isn't about convenience, or benefit, or expedience. It's about obedience.
God had the last word on Saul's choice to build monuments to himself by modifying God's commands. 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.”
I don't want the Lord to ever regret entrusting me with a responsibility. I grieve to think that in the past He probably has had to replace me with someone "after His own heart" because I was building monuments to my own cleverness by trying to improve God's plan. I can't change what's past, but I can listen closely in the future and offer God my obedience no matter what I face.
Day 124 of 365
1 Samuel 15
1 Samuel 16
John 8:1-20
Psalm 110:1-7
Proverbs 15:8-10
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