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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Sons of the Kingdom, #14
Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath 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, and to hearken than the fat of rams. (I Samuel 15:19-22)
Samuel and Saul.
Samuel told Saul the will of God. Saul had a "better" idea. Saul was a typical tare. Notice that he would not confess that he had done wrong. Saul started out as God's chosen king. Soon his personal ambition took over and he no longer obeyed God. Saul led Israel and fought the Lord's battle. But he was filled with the tares we have mentioned. In desperation he sought counsel from a medium and then went down in defeat at the hands of the Philistines.
Samuel was a righteous man, a prophet. Samuel heard from God. The seed of the Kingdom resided in him.
An example of the perversity of man is found in the saying of the rabbis: "The prophet must have miracles to show he is from God. The elder, being greater, needs no miracles. He is an elder!"
The truth is, the elder performs no miracles because he does not hear from God as does a true prophet.
Notice who is greater.
And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? (I Samuel 16:4)
Does the greater tremble at the coming of the lesser? Let the reader judge.
David and Saul. David was a man after God's own heart. David heard from God. He readily admitted his sin. He had wonderful understanding of the ways of God. Though king he was humble of heart.
Saul, as we said, was filled with tares. God appointed Saul, and then departed from him and chose David. Saul because of his jealousy attempted to murder David. Saul could have repented when he saw that God had left him and was with David. Being a tare his personal ambition led him to envy David.
Saul was a truly wicked man. David was a truly righteous man. From these two men we can discover whom God approves. If we find ourselves to be filled with tares, let us humble ourselves and through the Spirit of God begin to seek the Lord and His ways.
Consider once again that the wickedness was not worldliness or the lusts of the flesh. The wickedness was that of not walking humbly with God, hearing His voice and performing His will carefully in every situation.
To be continued.