Listen Up People!

Just making my way through 1 Samuel 15 and came to the story of Saul.  The Lord rejects Saul as king because Saul disobeyed God when he went out to fight the Amalekites.  God told him to destroy all people and animals but Saul had other ideas.  After defeating them Saul brought back Agag their king and the best of the sheep, oxen, lambs, and fattened calves.  He only brought back the good stuff.  Anything despised and worthless he killed.  The problem came when he did not obey God.

Well God told Samuel and when he approached Saul, he quickly toldly Samuel how he had obey the commandment of the Lord.  I just love the next line.  Samuel says, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?”  Samuel had him in a lie.  Saul then makes excuses.

We always have an excuse don’t we?  I’ve heard plenty being a pastor and well I’ve given a few myself to justify my own sin.  I’ve always said that when people say, “I’m just human” or they say, “Nobody is perfect” then they are getting ready to sin or they just got finished sinning.  Those are no excuses for us who are Christians.  We are no longer under the bondage and slavery of sin.  Jesus Christ has died so that we can obey.  We don’t have to sin.

This is what Samuel told Saul:  “ And 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.” {1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV)) 

God delights in our obedience.  That is the first thing that I see in this verse.  Also notice that little word “great”.  He takes great delight in our obedience.  But the phrase that hit me this morning that I don’t think I’ve ever seen is the end of that verse where it says,”to listen than the fat of rams.”  Listening is better than sacrifice too. 

Last night I was watching the reality show Top Chef.  I’m so glad that bleep out most of the ugly words.  This chef got sent home last night because he didn’t listen to the instructions given in the competition.  Because he didn’t listen he didn’t perform.  Listening kept the final product from being what the Judges were asking for.

You and I need to listen to the Lord’s instructions.  You say, “But God doesn’t speak to me.”  Sure he does in his Word but we need to meditate on the Word.  To meditate means “to chew on.”  We need to chew on the Word and get it into our minds and hearts.  Listening to God takes some effort.  All of us have a sinful nature still inside of us that causes us to fight taking in the Word.  Listening takes discipline.  Believe me I know.  I’m a husband with a one track mind.  To listen to my wife I’ve got to stop listening to something else.  I need to listen to her but greater still I need to listen to the Lord.  Listening leads to obeying.  God delights in obedience.  So let us stop making excuses for our sinfulness and start listening to Him.

Any dead fish can float down stream.  It takes a live one to go up stream.  Just keep swimming!