The Bible is the living Word of God. He speaks to us through it, teaches us, guides us, encourages us. And one of the really cool things that I like about the Bible is that it is also a book of history. It has recorded the lives of powerful kings and leaders, as well as the actions and results for entire nations. You can zoom in on one particular event or taken in the scope of an entire lifetime, or even that of many generations.
For the past couple of months, the teen class has been going through the life of king Saul, as recorded in 1 Samuel, and concluded by looking at his entire life on the whole. And it’s been a really great study because there is a lot to learn from Saul’s mistakes.
Saul starts off as a tall handsome fellow who is doing his father’s bidding when he is chosen to be king. At first, he does well. He inquires of the Lord, he wins his first battle, and he unites Israel. But not long after that, he starts thinking that he can do whatever he wants. He makes a sacrifice that only Samuel was allowed to make and when he was ordered by God to completely wipe out the Amalekites, he kept alive the best of the flocks and herds as well as their king. Add to this that all the while he becomes ever-increasingly envious of David because the people praise David more than they do him.
On the surface, these may sound like small things. So he didn’t follow God’s instructions exactly. And who hasn’t been envious at some point? But all of these ‘little things’ set him on a path that led to his destruction. His mental state deteriorated throughout the rest of his life and he eventually consulted a medium to talk to the dead Samuel (a big violation of Levitical law) before dying in battle the next day.
One of the major lessons we can learn from the life of Saul is summed up by Samuel:
“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 listen than the fat of rams.” (1 Sam 15:22)
Saul thought that he could do or live or act however he wanted rather than the way God instructed him. The deterioration of his life was a direct result of the pride and envy he allowed himself to dwell on. God’s instructions for us (about humility, forgiveness, detachment from the world, etc.) are for our benefit so that we can live the best life possible. But when we think that we can do whatever we want, we invite natural consequences that rob us of God’s blessings.
Today, make a commitment to obey God’s Word even in the little things.