Tag: Obedience and Sacrifice

Me, God and Obedience

I’ve been reading through the book of 1 Samuel over the last few days and I thought I should share some of my thoughts with you today.

As I am reading through, I realise that one of the biggest themes running through this book is Obedience. We first encountered this through the prophet Eli and his sons. Eli’s sons lived a very immoral life and did not follow the commandments of God. They disobeyed God in how they treated the sacrifices of the people. Eli was judged, because he did not caution his children. He shared in their disobedience by not disciplining them and by eating out of the portion of the sacrifice that was not meant for the priest. The consequence was that the priesthood was taken away from Eli and his descendants and death and suffering was introduced into the family. There was a generational curse that would limit the descendants of Eli, even though they had nothing to do with the initial disobedience. (1 Samuel 2:27-36)

Additionally, his disobedience caused the glory to be temporarily taken away from Israel. (1 Samuel 4:11, 21)

The disobedience continues with Saul after he became king. In his heart, he desired the approval and praise of men rather than the approval of God. His reign was so much about keeping appearances that he broke the protocol and made the sacrifice that was not his place to make. (1 Samuel 15:1-10 ;15:20-26)

He gives three reasons for his disobedience: (1 Samuel 13:8-11)

  1. The Philistines (his enemies) were closing in on him.
  2. The people were afraid and scattering away from him.
  3. Samuel had not arrived at the time that he said he would.

To be very honest and frank these are the reason that I also sometimes feel inclined or tempted to disobey God. We often go off and do things in our own understanding because God is taking too long. We are convinced that God is late – that he cannot tell time or that he doesn’t understand the pressure that we are facing. What is very interesting in that story is that Saul had already waited for 7 days. 7 days was the exact number of days he was instructed to wait (vs.8). It was on the 7th day when the appointed hour had come that he gave up the wait and made the sacrifice. The full instructions was that he should wait for the 7 days at which time Samuel would make the sacrifice on behalf of the people. To him it was a small thing but to God it was a big deal. Partial obedience is still total disobedience.

“Waiting reveals the content of the heart. The longer you are left to wait the more of you will be revealed. You cannot outsmart time.”
ACMorgan

Here are the three things that we need to remember when we find ourselves being tempted to disobey.

  1. God is Bigger that our problems and greater than our adversities.
  2. God’s approval is more than a thousand confident votes of people.
  3. God is never late – He is the creator and the controller of time and space.

If we remember these three truths we will make our decisions based on what God wants and thinks and not what our situation is telling us to feel and do.
We need to understand God’s heart in order to understand why he would tell us to wait and why he would give us the instructions and commandments he does. I find that it is much easier to follow him when we do. God cares for us. He loves us and feels what we are feeling. He never wants us to be afraid or intimidated by our problems and challenges. His thoughts and plans for us are good, to prosper and not to harm us (Jeremiah 9:11). When problems do come our way God’s commitment is to make them turn into situations that will prosper and profit us. But he needs our cooperation to do this.

God is a god of process and principles. He lays them down for us in order for us to measure and test our hearts against. Anytime you find yourself in conflict with what He has said, we can step back and check our hearts for wrong motives and hidden agendas. It’s important to check and correct ourselves instead of forcing it, because we not only make mistakes, but we also miss out on the opportunity to grow in our character. God wants to change us as He is changing our circumstances. He can’t have old you in the middle of the new thing He is doing (Mattew 9:17). So, He needs change in the inside of you too.

My Prayer for you today, is that you hear God in a new way and that you will have the grace and the contrite heart to obey His word and will for your life. I pray that you receive clear instructions today from above about what you should and should’t do, in Jesus name.

Christian’s and their Resolutions

With the year coming  to an end it’s quite natural to reflect on the year, all the achievements and make new plans for the coming year. You are probably already planning your vacations for next year, thinking about destinations or thinking about going back to school, writing exams starting a business or whatever else you have planned. This time of the year can also be a little nerve wrecking, particularly when you have had some prayer request that don’t seem to have been answered, and with only less and less time left in the year it doesn’t seem likely that the current year will birth a miracle for you.  With the world shouting out about goal setting and writing resolutions that will result in success, we might feel that we should have taken matters into our own hands instead of relying on God to make changes. With all this in mind how can we prepare in a godly way, so as to be inspired with fresh faith for the year ahead?

If you’ve had a few years now that have not ended in the way that you expected, in spite of making smart goals and well thought out plans, the question that might be playing on your heart might be whether goal setting is a godly practice. Maybe we should  trust God in prayers and see what he will do?

Proverbs 3: 5 and 6 admonishes us to,

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (New Living Translation)

The obvious meaning we take away from this scripture is that we need to totally depend on and trust in God for direction and instruction. This is very true, but it also means that we need to have plans, an idea of what it is we want to do. You can’t trust God for the goals you want to achieve if you don’t have any! Smart Goals are God given goals and should therefore always be in line with our God given potential and purpose. For instance, becoming a Pastor of a new church plant aimed at reaching the unchurched is a godly vision. However, if your potential is to start a local business or perhaps it is to become an influential politician, you will quickly find that you are executing the wrong goals with the wrong tools.

King David desired to build God a temple, a place where God could dwell. The ark of the covenant had been the only physical place that represented the presence of God since the days of Joshua. This ark had been moved from place to place and never had a designated resting place apart from the large tent project commissioned by Moses. David’s passion for God inspired him to build a place for God. A glorious temple in honor of God. His idea was great and God approved of the idea, however as he sought God and acknowledged Him, in regards to this idea, He found out that God did not quite approve of his execution. It would not be David that would build the temple instead David’s son the one who would be made King after him would be the one to build the temple.

Sometimes acknowledging God means making adjustments to our plans, changing and postponing our goals, and sometimes scrapping them all together. In the case of David it meant that he only had the opportunity of financially contributing towards the goal, but He missed out on being part of the building project, he did not have the opportunity to see the building or attend the opening service. Whilst this seems like a loss, he would have certainly been more disappointment if he had gone to build the temple against God’s will. He would have attracted the disapproval and anger of God instead of the blessing and favour he received.

When your plans and goals are completely in line with God’s will for your life, you will  always attract God’s favour and grace.

But why didn’t God allow David to build the temple as he desired? It was his idea, so why was the burden of execution put upon the shoulders of his son Solomon?

The answer is found in verses 11-13 of 2 Samuel 7, which says,

11… . Also the Lord tells you that He will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (New King James Version)

God’s purpose for David was to be a man of war. David was a fighter with the heart of a worshiper –  a warring worshiper. David was a destroyer and killer and a protector of Israel. Although he had a good heart with godly intentions, he still had to do things God’s way.  He was just part of the beginning of what God was planing not just in Israel but in the entire world. Even though, what we do is very important to God, he is even more particular in how we do it. Saul, David’s predecessor and mentor, did not take this into account and suffered worst possible punishment for his sin. “Obedience is better than Sacrifice”, were the words of Samuel to Saul after he made a sacrifice to God, which he as a King, had no business making (1 Samuel 15: 22). Seeking God’s face for our own goals has a huge impact on not just our own lives but on the lives of our descendants. Saul’s disobedience attracted a pattern of generational mishap and curses for his family, not only did the presence of God depart from him, but His sons to the third generation experienced misfortune and made wrong choices themselves.

You are more likely to continue down the path of wrong, if you are disconnected from the one who has the right direction. 

David’s one good choice to follow after God’s heart rather than his own carnal desires, led to him having a throne that is established forever. God is interested in legacy and not just that one goal you are looking to achieve. It is important to ask God for clear directions about what he wants you to do and how he wants you to do it. Let God fit your goals into the godly legacy he is trying to build through you.

set goals