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Obey God Completely

 I Samuel 15:1-3 - “Samuel also said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

            In verse 1 the Prophet Samuel encouraged King Saul to “heed the voice of the words of the Lord. This is a tragic story of disobedience. Saul partially obeyed the Lord. Partial obedience is disobedience. I Samuel 15:9 says, “But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.” 


            Samuel came to visit Saul in I Samuel 15:13. Note Saul’s greeting to the prophet, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.”  Samuel responds in verses 14-15, ““What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.” Saul’s offer this excuse, “we kept the best to offer as a sacrifice to the Lord.” Disobedience is costly. It cost Saul the kingdom of Israel. 


Our love for God motivates us to obey His Word. John 14:15 says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Obedience is faith in action. God measures obedience by surrender, not convenience. I Samuel 15:22 says, “So Samuel said: ‘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, And to heed than the fat of rams.’” 


I love the words of the old hymn, Trust and Obey by John H. Sammis. The chorus is as follows:

“Trust and obey, for there's no other way 

to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

When we trust God completely, we will obey Him completely.

 

 

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