Readings for today: 1 Samuel 13-16
When we left off yesterday, Samuel tells the people to “fear God and worship Him honestly and heartily.” (1 Samuel 12:24 MSG) Essentially, give God your whole heart. King or no king. Judge or no judge. Ruler or no ruler. Give God the worship He deserves and the worship He demands and things will go well with you. Samuel was speaking as much to the new king, Saul, as he was to everyone else. But Saul was a half-hearted man. He refused to take God seriously. He didn’t fear the Lord or worship Him honestly from the heart. He compromised. He let the king of Amalek and the best of the livestock live rather than devote them to destruction as God commanded. He acted out of fear rather than faith. He refused to wait on God at Gilgal and, as a result, placed his kingdom in jeopardy. He was rash rather than wise. He took a vow to not eat rather than sustain his men with food after a hard day of fighting.
Saul never did grasp the key to holy living. It’s found in 1 Samuel 15:22-23 MSG. “Do you think all God wants are sacrifices - empty rituals just for show? He wants you to listen to Him! Plain listening is the thing, not staging a lavish religious production. Not doing what God tells you is far worse than fooling around in the occult. Getting self-important around God is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors. Because you said “no” to God’s command, He says “no” to your kingship.” We would do well to learn from Saul’s poor example.
I can’t tell you the number of Christians I know who worship him only occasionally. Usually when they have nothing “better” to do. I can’t tell you the number of Christians I know who go through the motions in worship. They’ve told me they don’t really believe but attend worship out of some kind of feeling of existential guilt. I can’t tell you the number of Christians who merge pagan or occult or cultural religious traditions with their worship, creating a syncretized religion that is sub-Christian at best. And then there are the many Christians I know who have merged their faith with their politics or social leanings. I don’t say these things in judgment but simply as data points collected over almost thirty years of ministry. And the truly tragic part is that so many of these people that I love have to eventually face the consequences of their unfaithfulness and it is costly. Sometimes it costs them their marriages. Sometimes it’s their family. Sometimes it’s their friendships or community. In almost every case it costs them their integrity. It’s heartbreaking.
What about us? In what ways have we broken faith with God? Remember, He doesn’t just look on the outward appearance. He looks to the heart. What does He see when He looks into your heart?
Readings for tomorrow: 1 Samuel 17-20, Psalms 59