First Things First

Then Samuel said: “Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?” Looking 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

Many times I have asked the question of people, “If you were standing before God and He asked you, ‘Why should I let you into heaven?’ what would be your reply?” The usual reply is, “I go to church sometimes and I try to be a good person and treat others fairly.” Many people think their good works will qualify them for heaven. But the Bible is very clear that it is not by our works but by our faith in Jesus Christ that our sins are forgiven (Ephesians 2:8-9) and that we are made perfect in God’s eyes by the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross.

Samuel makes it clear that God desires our obedience over sacrifice. Rebellion against God’s plan and direction is as sinful as witchcraft and the occult. Our stubbornness is as bad as worshipping idols. Our disobedience is like turning our backs on God and telling Him that we know what is best and we don’t need His help. Saul dishonored God by his disobedience, which ultimately resulted in Saul being replaced as king.

Challenge: No one can be good enough to gain entrance to heaven. It is only through Jesus Christ that you can be made right with God. Do not be rebellious and stubborn; instead be obedient to God’s plan.

Early in the morning Samuel got up to go confront Saul, but it was reported to Samuel, “Saul went to Carmel where he set up a monument for himself. Then he turned around and went down to Gilgal.” 1 Samuel 15:12 HCSB

One of the most impressive monuments I have seen is the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. It is a large statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting in a chair. The monument honors his leadership as president of the United States during the Civil War. It would have been considered arrogant if Lincoln had set up the monument to himself.

Saul set up a monument to himself. This was an indication of how Saul’s heart had turned toward himself and his own glorification rather than trying to glorify God. Saul had become great in his own eyes when he needed to realize that his power and ability to defeat his enemies came from the Lord. He should have built a monument to God instead of himself. He should have been praising God for all He had done for him and the Israelites.

Challenge: Is your greatest desire to glorify God or yourself? Praise God for the many blessings He has provided in your life. Look for ways to bring honor and glory to God today. Be humble and do not seek the praises of other people.

Early in the morning Samuel got up to go confront Saul, but it was reported to Samuel, “Saul went to Carmel where he set up a monument for himself. Then he turned around and went down to Gilgal.” 1 Samuel 15:12HCSB

One of the most impressive monuments I have seen is the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. It is a large statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting in a chair. The monument honors his leadership as president of the United States during the Civil War. It would have been considered arrogant if Lincoln had set up the monument to himself.

Saul set up a monument to himself. This was an indication of how Saul’s heart had turned toward himself and his own glorification rather than trying to glorify God. Saul had become great in his own eyes when he needed to realize that his power and ability to defeat his enemies came from the Lord. He should have built a monument to God instead of himself. He should have been praising God for all He had done for him and the Israelites.

Challenge: Is your greatest desire to glorify God or yourself? Praise God for the many blessings He has provided in your life. Look for ways to bring honor and glory to God today. Be humble and do not seek the praises of other people.

Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel. “I regret that I made Saul king, for heq has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions. So Samuel became angry and cried out to the Lord all night. 1Samuel 15:11 HCSB

In my forty years I ministry there have been some times when I have regretted enlisting someone to teach or to lead a group. I though they would be a good leader but they di not live up to my expectations. Either they did not have leadership skills or they lead people in the wrong way. It was not easy, but a few times I have had to ask someone to step down from a leadership position because of their inability to lead correctly.

The Lord regretted that He had made Saul king because he was not following God and His commands. He was doing want he thought was best rather than trusting God and His directions. Samuel also regretted anointing Saul as king and cried out to the Lord all night.

Challenge: Have you disappointed someone? Have you disappointed your parents or a family member by your actions? Have you disappointed God? Ask god to help you trust Him and His directions so you can be pleasing in His sight.

Then Saul struck down the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is next to Egypt. He captured Agag king of Amelek alive, but he completely destroyed all the rest of the people with the sword. Saul and the troops spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, cattle and choice animals, as well as the young rams and the best of everything else. They were not willing to destroy them, but they did destroy all the worthless and unwanted things. 1 Samuel 15:7-9 HCSB

What if we obeyed the traffic signal lights just part of the time? There would be mass chaos and accidents. What if our children only obeyed our direction to not touch the hot stove part of the time? They would get burned.

Saul did not completely obey God’s commands. In 1 Samuel 15:1-3, God commanded Saul to completely destroy everyone and everything. Saul destroyed everyone but the king because he wanted to take him and parade him in front of the Israelites to show how powerful he was as king. He also wanted to keep the best of the goods and livestock. Saul’s partial obedience was disobedience.

Challenge: God expects complete obedience. We cannot choose which commands we are going to follow and which we are going to reject. When we do so, we are taking God’s place and telling Him what we will do. Pray that you will completely obey God and follow His commands in every area of your life.

The Lord will not abandon His people, because of His great name and because He has determined to make you His own people. 1 Samuel 12:20-21

The movie Drop Box is about a man who had a great compassion for children who were being abandoned by their parents. He built a “Drop Box” where parents could leave their child in a safe place, knowing the child would be cared for. If the parents did not want the child or could not care for him properly, they would place the child in the drop box and close it. The box would lock and a bell would ring to alert the man that a child had been placed in the box. He and his family would retrieve the child from the box and begin to care for him. They would then seek to find adoptive parents for the child.

This verse reminds us that God will never abandon His children. If one is a child of God he can be assured that God will always protect him and take care of him. God may discipline His children because of their disobedience in a effort to bring them back to Him, but He will never stop loving them or abandon them. God loves and desires to have a relationship with all of His children, even those who are disobedient.

Challenge: The Bible tells us that those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord become children of God. Are you a child of God? If not, pray and ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life and begin to live for Him. Know that God loves you and will never abandon you. He will always be there for you, in both the good and bad of life. God’s love is never-ending, regardless of what you might do. For more information on the move Drop Box go to http://www.thedropboxfilm.com

Samuel replied, “Don’t be afraid. Even though you have committed all this evil, don’t turn away from following the Lord. Instead, worship the Lord with all your heart. Don’t turn away to follow worthless things that can’t profit or deliver you; they are worthless. 1 Samuel 12:20-21

My wife and I enjoy antiquing. Some of the items we find are beautiful, old, rare, and perhaps quite valuable. One of the things I enjoy the most is finding something of great value at a low price. To me it is like finding a diamond in the rough. On the other hand, there are many items in antique stores that can be classified as worthless. I have heard it said that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure, but some of these items are valueless, and should be thrown on the junk pile.

Samuel reminded the people that they needed to follow the Lord and worship Him with all their hearts. God is a great treasure. He owns everything in the world and has great power but too many times the Israelites rejected the one true God and sought false gods that were worthless. These false gods were of no value; they did not profit the people or deliver them from their enemies.

Challenge: God is your treasure and great find! Put your trust in Him. Seek Him with all your heart. Worship and follow Him. Are you putting your trust in the worthless things of the world rather than in God? Thank God that He is your God and put your life in His hands. He will take care of you.

Now, therefore, present yourselves and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. Isn’t the wheat harvest today? I will call on the Lord and He will send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what a great evil you committed in the Lord’s sight by requesting a king for yourselves. 1 Samuel 12:16-17

In the Atlantic ocean hurricanes usually occur during the months of June and November peaking in late August through September. January 14, 2016 hurricane Alex formed in the Atlantic Ocean west of the Canary Islands. Alex became the first named storm of 2016 as well as the first hurricane to form in the Atlantic in January since 1038. This was a rare occurrence.

The wheat season usually came in the summer when it was dry and rain was unusual. Samuel told the people that he was going to call on God to bring rain and thunder. The rare occurrence of rain during this time would be an indication to the people of God’s displeasure with Israel’s demand for a king and show the great power and authority that God had over every element of life, including the weather.

Challenge: God is in control. There is nothing that God cannot do. He can bring about a miracle in any situation. Seek Him and His ways and see what great things God can do. Listen to the song, “How Great Thou Art” as sung by George Beverly Shea at the Billy Graham Crusade in New York, New York in 1969 on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsrEscUUNMA

If you fear the Lord, worship and obey Him, and if you don’t rebel against the Lord’s command, then both you and the king who rules over you will follow the Lord your God. However, if you disobey the Lord and rebel against His command, the Lord’s hand will be against you and against your ancestors. 1 Samuel 12:14-15

We all desire for our children to obey and do what we say. We want only the best for them and provide direction to protect them. When our children are obedient, we are proud parents and want others to know that they are our children. On the other hand if they disobey, we may be reluctant to proclaim they belong to us. Regardless of their behavior, our children are still our children and we should love them unconditionally and continue to do what is best for them.

God loves all of His children and desires only the best for each one. If we follow His commands and directions we will find the abundant life that Jesus describes in John 10:10. God blesses the good and the bad, but I firmly believe that He watches over and protects those who obey Him and strive to follow His commands. When we rebel and disobey God’s laws, we usually suffer the consequences of our poor choices.

Challenge: Fear the Lord. The word “fear” carries the connotation that we are to treat God with reverence, honor, and respect. Worship the Lord. The word worship actually means to serve the Lord. Obey God. Follow His laws and the direction you find in the Bible. Regardless of your behavior, God still loves you and wants only the best for you.

But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was coming against you, you said to me, “No, we must have a king rule over us” – even though the Lord your God is your king. 1 Samuel 12:12

As parents our goal is to bring our children up to become adults who will make all of their own decisions. As children, we guide them and tell them what they should and should not do. But as they mature, they become more independent and make more of their own decisions. Even though all of my children are now grown, I am still their parent and expect them to respect me as their father. There is no greater joy than when my children call me and ask for my advice and direction.

Samuel reminded the Israelites that they now had what they had requested – a king that would rule over them and protect them. He went on to say that the Lord God was their true King. Even though they had an earthly king to rule over them, they still needed to make God the real King of their lives and look to Him for direction and protection.

Challenge: God is the King of everything and we are subject to His laws. No one is exempt from God’s laws. We must recognize God as King and pattern our lives according to His laws and principles. God is pleased when we look to Him for direction and protection.