The reading of 1 Samuel continues today as we approach where the Lord rejects Saul. Here's where Samuel is telling Saul what the Lord has revealed to Him.
Samuel Said "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.
23For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
he has also rejected you from being king."-1 Samuel 15:22-23
Saul was given a job and a plan from the Lord and Saul, as I have discussed in previous posts, had a different idea of what He thought should happen. He rejected God and His plan and as a result It's something so easy to do, to decide not to live for Him. In fact I'd argue that sometimes it can feel like following Christ is harder than not following Him, as following Him is a call to holiness. It requires whole-hearted abandon for His kingdom and His plan and complete surrender of your own plan and your whole life. As a christian I know that God is faithful. I know His word never fails. I know that He will make a way and that He knows all. I would be lying to you though if I said that knowing that made my life easier. However, this is what many would like you to believe and it is preached as something called the prosperity gospel. It's a gospel that is about the health and wealth claiming that Christ wants you to be without illness, pain, suffering, and worry.
Why is the prosperity gospel not biblical? Because it denies that Jesus went through pain. Jesus had worry in the garden. Jesus didn't have perfect relationships. If your view of the gospel excludes Jesus it isn't the gospel. Following Christ may not give you happiness and freedom from hardship. It will give you grace and joy. His plan might include pain but it's all for HIS glory NOT your happiness.--- I think St. Augustine said it best "If you believe what you like in the gospel and reject what you don't like it's not the gospel you believe but yourself." Make sure Jesus is the heart of what you believe and not you.
It is scary to me to see so many people sign up for Jesus to be Lord under this teaching and then when hard times ask "Lord where are you?" "Lord why are you punishing me?" I believe that if you have accepted Christ you have died to yourself so Christ can live with in you. You are not your own anymore, you have been reborn. If Christ lives in you then, God wouldn't punish you because that is punishing Christ and we've seen the cross-- Jesus is Lord. Thus-- it is not punishment as the prosperity gospel leaves you to think but the will of God. I think this is an important distinction because punishment is not about love and glory, its about wrath. Does God have wrath? ABSOLUTELY. But for His children whom He loves I would argue that it is not wrath He is giving us because we are covered by the blood of Jesus. The hard parts of our life are for his purpose and glory to make us more like Him.
If you are broken and hurting it is NOT punishment. You did NOT anger God. He loves you and has a plan and sometimes to get to where you need to be you have to go through trials. Just as any good teacher does, He tests us. We must remember that He promises that it will all work together for the good of those who love Him. We are told to be confident that He will continue this work and yet many times at the first sign of trouble people turn away. When you turn away you are no better than Saul. "Behold, it is better to obey than sacrifice." We are to honor Him and obey Him and not reject the word He has given us. We must be doing what He told us to do until He takes us home. We must finish strong.
I did not always believe this. I have always known about God but for a long time I did not understand that He was all I needed. I did not keep to his plan and his word but I tried to find my own happiness and chase after what I wanted. Where did that get me? Hurt. It took me to a place where I was absolutely broken from disappointment, discouragement, helplessness, bad relationships, and bad friendships. I couldn't understand how I could give so much and get so little back, but I didn't know I was giving to the world and not to God and the world will always disappoint you. always. God is the only good and solid thing and thus if it's not built on Him it will not last. I didn't get this. I missed the message though I claimed to be a christian. I lived for myself, my desires, and thus I am responsible for my own sin and my own pain that came from it. All the times I chose other people over Him, all the times I compromised over what God wanted to pursue the here and now, I regret them. I'm thankful for them as they taught me, but I regret them. Nothing good can come from evil but I didn't understand that. I didn't understand that the temporary satisfaction from a worldly success, a man, or anything that wasn't of Him would fade away and leave me feeling more empty than I was to start. I couldn't understand why I coudln't be happy in a relationship built on sin. I couldn't understand why my friends always disappointed. I couldn't understand why I didnt' get parents like everyone else. I didn't understand that my time, my body and my life were not my own but were His for His glory.
I now understand that I in fact will never understand Gods ways as they are higher than my own. I understand that this world has suffering. I understand that God doesn't hate me and hasn't left me when trials come. That He is right there holding my hand with a plan and leading me. Every tear He treasures. Every cry He will comfort if you will will let Him and when you don't it breaks His heart. I now understand all those things that I didn't understand were for His plan and He uses them all the time so I can minster to other people. How beautiful that He can use the times I rejected and questioned Him for His glory.
A few verses down in 15:25 " And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel." This reference to "regretted" is not that the Lord wished He had changed His plan but rather He regretted that Saul didn't follow His plan. He was grieved by it. This same idea that God grieved for Saul which I discussed in my last post again reveals Samuel's sensitivity to the spirit as He grieves as well. What broke the Lords heart broke Samuel's. May we be that sensitive to Him and know that if the bible references it twice it must have really hurt the Lord. In the same way we hurt Him and He grieves for us. I pray that as much as I can I do not make him grieve but bring him glory.
If you take anything away from todays post please hear this: God loves you and doesn't cause you to suffer, He just allows it and is sovereign enough to use it for His plan and He is broken hearted when you reject His word. Know also that HE IS A REDEEMER and that Jesus died for you that you might have life. All you have to do is live for Him. It won't be easier, but it won't be in vain and you won't be alone. Please don't think because I write this blog about God and his promises and prayers that my life is a cake walk. Please know that I spent a long time getting this very very wrong and that it's only with the help of Jesus that I get anything right. It's only the Jesus in me that is good and I pray that the Jesus of me grow and fill all of me. It's not what I do but what Christ does through me and I thank God every day that He opened my eyes and saved me.
As we pray for His presence let us pray that we obey as His word says that is better than sacrifice. Obey his spirit, his commands, his commission, his will. Just as God rejected Saul when He rejected God's word, so will He reject us if we do not live for Him. Let's pray for His spirit to guide us and strengthen us to live for Him.
It's about His glory. Period.
May we come to know the truth in the song At the foot of the Cross by Kathryn Scott. Which says:
yes You've Won My Heart
now I Can trade These Ashes In For Beauty
and Wear Forgiveness Like A Crown coming To Kiss The Feet Of Mercy
i Lay Every Burden Down at The Foot Of The Cross
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