Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Refusing To Take Responsibility

I Samuel 15:14-31

“And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine 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 of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.” (I Samuel 15:14-15)

Dead sheep don’t bleat, and dead cows don’t low.  Clearly they had not killed all of them.  Immediately, Saul started making excuses.  It wasn’t his fault, the people brought them. I Samuel 15:9 states, “But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.”  Saul was more guilty of choosing to save them than anyone.  Had he not allowed it, none would have been spared.

He then tried to justify their failure to obey.  “We were just doing it for sacrifice to God.”  King Agag was not an acceptable sacrifice, and had they killed them where they were supposed to, it would have been an offering to God.  How many times do people try to make their disobedience appear spiritual?  For example, “We won more people to Christ because we didn’t waste any time teaching them.”

He then tried misdirection, pointing to the part they had done, “…the rest we have utterly destroyed.”  After all they had done some of the command.  Surely God ought to appreciate that.  “Look how many we got saved,” in our previous example.

Unfortunately, people don’t just do this with the Great Commission, but with every command God gives, from attending church to witnessing.

“Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. 

And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?  And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.  Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?” (I Samuel 15:16-19) 

God chose Saul when he was a nobody, making him king over Israel.  Then he gave him a job to do, to destroy the Amalekites completely.  Why had he decided that God’s command didn’t matter and focused on getting what he wanted instead of obeying?  Had he forgotten what God had done for him, or didn’t he care?

“And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.  But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.” (I Samuel 15:20-21) 

Saul refused to acknowledge his own sin. “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me.”   He makes it sound like God had told him to bring Agag, but there is no such indication in scripture.  It was just Saul’s idea.

The sin was all the people’s fault, according to Saul.  “But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.”  He implies he had stood against them but they ignored him.    He’s not going to take the responsibility for the sin, any more than he took responsibility for impeding their victory against the Philistines.

I John I:8-10 states, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

By his refusal to admit his sin, and blaming the people, Saul was effectively calling God a liar.  Knowing how upset I get if someone calls me a liar, I can only imagine how it offends God, who cannot lie.

“And Samuel said, Hath 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 hearken than the fat of rams.  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” (I Samuel 15:22-23) 

God wants our obedience.  He’s not interested in our great accomplishments or religious activity.  Obedience is more pleasing than anything we could do for him.  Refusal to obey is as bad as dabbling with Satanism or other idolatry.  Being stubborn is deliberate sin.  Because Saul had counted god’s word as unimportant, even to the point of calling him a liar, and refused to repent, God has decided to remove Saul as king.

“And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.  Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.” (I Samuel 15:24-25) 

When he learned that it was going to cost him his kingdom, Saul suddenly changed his stance, admitting he had sinned.  Notice that he still doesn’t take responsibility for his sin but blames it on the people, “because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.”  He’s trying to make it sound like a confession without admitting he was wrong.  It’s kind of like saying “I’m sorry your feelings were hurt,” instead of saying “I shouldn’t have said that.”  Saul hoped it fool Samuel into thinking he had repented and would let him continue as king.  

“And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.” (I Samuel 15:26)

Neither God nor Samuel were fooled.  God’s decision to remove Saul was final and would not be changed.  I suspect that if he had been honest and confessed when first confronted, he would have been forgiven.

“And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.  And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.  And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.” (I Samuel 15:27-29) 

Determined to force Samuel to change his mind, Saul grabbed his jacket, tearing it.  Samuel used it as an illustration that god would tear the kingdom away in much the same way, and that nothing Saul could do would change God’s mind any more.

“Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.  So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.” (I Samuel 15:30-31)

Saul then begged Samuel to stay with him and maintain an appearance of unity so the others did not turn away from him and so that he could worship God.  Samuel agreed to do so, and Saul thanked God.


2 comments:

  1. Those verses in 1st John are so excellent; I often turn to that epistle just because it speaks so much to me.
    I have been right where Saul is now, between a rock and a hard place, and I know how it hurts to forfeit pride and admit when I've erred. But we are sinners; to try to maintain that we don't sin but it's always someone else's fault is absurd.
    It makes me think of the "sinless perfection" teachers who tell people that once you're saved you cannot sin! It may be harder to admit when we've gone astray, but it is better for us.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amen, Ian. Until we are willing to acknowledge it we can't get rid of it. After all you can't get rid of trash if you don't admit it's exists. Wonder how many of those who won't admit their guilt have never really admitted it so they could be saved?

    ReplyDelete