PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN ( 1 Samuel 15:22 ): You make it quite clear in this single verse that obedience to You is much more important than any sacrifices we make in this life to honor You. Obedience is definitely something I have struggled with throughout my faith. I keep giving into the world, into my own self, fleshly desires, and I keep giving into the enemy. Why do I struggle so much with giving into all of these things when You have proven to me personally so many times that obedience to You brings far greater happiness, joy, and rewards in my life than anything else can even come close to? Please forgive me for my disobedience, Father. Continue to send me reminders like this to realign my thinking so that I know when I am leaning towards disobedience or diving into obedience.
PROMISE ( 1 Samuel 15:23 ): After going through with speaking harshly to Saul about his disobedience and sin, Samuel decides to also lay out a promise for Saul from You. The promise is that You have rejected him as king because Saul has rejected Your word and Your commands. The promise is that Saul is no longer the God-sanctioned king that he once was and that his kingship will unravel and be destroyed all solely due to Saul’s own actions and inactions; his own disobedience; his own pride.
ATTITUDE ( 1 Samuel 15:13-16 ): Once again, Samuel shows how I must remain honest, truthful, and even sometimes extremely blunt and direct when it is Your truth backing my words. Even though Saul is king over all of Israel, Samuel has no fear of him because what he speaks here is Your truth. Saul could literally kill Samuel on the spot and because of his status there’s nothing anybody would likely do about it. This doesn’t prevent Samuel from being extremely direct with Saul’s sinful nature and disobedience. Help me with my comfort level in speaking Your truth to others, Father. Help me to be unafraid in speaking anything and everything You bring to Your Spirit which dwells inside of me.
COMMAND ( 1 Samuel 15:3 ): Your command here to Saul through Samuel as Your divine vessel is quite simple—go and completely slaughter the Amalekites and all that they are and own. You were quite clear about this, so I’m still not sure how Saul could think deviation from this in any way would be okay in his mind. The words were to “completely destroy everything they have” and if that wasn’t enough You also listed some very specific things to add to it as clarity, likely because You knew Saul would be disobedient. I need to listen better to Your words, so that I do not deviate as often as I have in the past and instead follow Your commands to me with obedience.
EXAMPLE ( 1 Samuel 15:22-23 ): I like the picture You lay out here for Saul through Samuel as Your divine vessel of communication to him. You say that obedience is far more important than burnt offerings and sacrifices. You say that paying attention to You is far better than the fat of rams. You say that “rebellion is like the sin of divination” and that “defiance is like wickedness and idolatry.” That last one really struck a chord in me—“defiance is like wickedness and idolatry.” Essentially, when I am being defiant to Your commands, that means I am placing something above You, which is wicked in Your eyes and shows that I am idolizing something more than You. Wow! Help me, Father!
*DAILY NOTE: Such a powerful message today, Father. “Defiance is like wickedness and idolatry!” WOW! That is resonating in my soul today and convicting me. Any disobedience I live in whatsoever is the same as wickedness and idolatry because I am placing whatever it is over You. Help me, Father. Help me to keep You as my number one priority in this life. Help me to no longer live in my disobedience, wickedness, and idolatry, Father. Help me to be more like Samuel and less like Saul. Thank You for such an amazing quiet time today, Father! I look forward to what tomorrow brings.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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