“Then Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have sinned, for I have violated the command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice.’” — 1 Samuel 15:24 (NASB)
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Saul was given a task by the Lord in 1 Samuel 15 to “totally destroy” the nation of Amalek. He was told to spare nothing, but he brought back their King Agag and the choicest spoils.
When he was first questioned about it, his excuse was that he did obey by destroying the people, he just brought back the king, and the soldiers took the cattle from the plunder to sacrifice to the Lord. So Samuel reminded Saul, “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams” (v. 22).
A few verses later in this passage, we see why Saul didn’t obey. Saul’s reasoning: “I feared the people and listened to their voice” (v. 24, NASB). Pleasing his men instead of obeying God resulted in Saul listening to their voice instead of God’s.
One of the coach’s responsibilities in each sport is the positioning of his or her players. There are designed spots where each person will need to be in order for the play to succeed. What if every player on the team decided to do his own thing and play where he wanted to play instead of where the coach placed him? Utter chaos!
The same is true in our spiritual lives with Jesus. When we do our own thing, chaos is inevitable in our lives. God has given us His Holy Spirit to empower us to live an obedient life. The more we know Him through His Word, the easier it will be to hear His voice and obey when He desires to move us.
— Mickey Weston, Chicago White Sox chaplain
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