Partial Obedience

As we have seen, “spiritual pride can show up in many forms, whether it was Solomon’s attitude that because he Had been blessed of God, he could do whatever he wanted, or Hezekiah’s Simple pride in what God had given him that resulted in his showing off everything he had, Or Josiah’s efforts to force the Egyptians to turn to God.  Proverbs 16:5 states, “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.”  Pride leads us to act without considering God or what he wants, inevitably leading to problems. 

“Spritiual pride is especially dangerous when it results in partial obedience.  Israel’s first king, Saul provides an excellent example of this kind of pride.  In I Samuel 15:1-3, God gave Saul specific instructions.  “Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.  Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”

Because of the Amalekites efforts to destroy Israel, God directed Saul to annihilate them, destroying every thing they had including their livestock.  Nothing was to be saved.  Saul set out to do what God had commanded, as described in I Samuel 15:4-7.  “And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.  And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.  And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.  And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.”

Saul had no problem destroying their enemies, but there were some really fine breeding stock that would help to improve Israel’s herds.   They decided to save some of them, according to I Samuel 15:8-9.  “And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.  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.”  After all, the livestock had had nothing to do with the efforts to destroy Israel, and it surely wouldn’t hurt to improve their herds as much as possible, and keeping The Amalekite king as a slave could only enhance Saul’s reputation as a ruler to be respected. 

God was not pleased by their disobedience, as I Samuel 15:10-11 tells us.  “Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,  It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.”

Samuel went out to confront Saul about his sin, in I Samuel 15:12-15.  “ And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.  And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.

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.” 

Saul was very proud that they had destroyed the Amalekites, when he met Samuel, stating that they had cone as God commanded.  When Samuel pointed out that they were also to kill all the livestock, Saul blamed the people and attempted to excuse it because they were going to use them for a sacrifice to God.  Samuel pointed out that partial obedience was still disobedience in I Samuel 15:16-19. 

“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?” 

Even then, Saul’s pride would not allow him to admit he had sinned.  He insisted he had obeyed God and it was the people’s fault that sin had been committed,   I Samuel 15:20-21 describes this.  “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.”  After all, God would get the glory from their sacrifices. 

As Samuel explained, God wanted their obedience rather than their religious activities.  Their refusal to obey was really no different than practicing witchcraft or worshipping other gods, because they were putting something else ahead of what God said, in effect making it more important than God, as I Samuel 15:22-23 states.  “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.”   

Unfortunately, like Saul, many people justify disobeying some of the things God has commanded on the grounds that they are doing it for the Lord and he will get the glory, and after all, they have obeyed him in other areas.  Surely that should be good enough.    God rejected Saul as king of Israel taking away the rewards he could have had.  Matthew 5:19 warns, “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”  It is our responsibility to obey God completely, even in areas that seem irrelevant or unimportant.  Failure to do so may cost us any rewards or blessings we may have received otherwise.