Waiting at the airport again - what went wrong with Saul

Jane and I have had a wonderful week in Yuma and San Diego. We are at least two hours from taking off in San Diego. The scriptural readings this week had been quick and "done it" type which is strange given that I was on vacation and have had plenty of time to do just about anything. But that's the way it goes.

Today's scripture was from 1 Samuel 22-24; Luke 12:1-31. The troubling reading this entire week had been about Saul - what went wrong with this man, or this very first king of Israel? He had a great start. He was "as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else". (1 Samuei 9:2). He seemed like a responsible young man as demonstrated by his obedience to his father Kish to find the lost donkey. Although he was from the tribe of Benjamin - the smallest tribe in Israel, he was chosen by God to become the first king (1 Samuel 9:16). He was to deliver Israel from the oppressive Philistines. God manifested his presence by gifting Saul his sign of prophesying (1 Samuel 10:10). He had a passion for God's people and was able to inspire the tribes to come together as one to fight against their enemies (1 Samuel 11:1-11). He was thirty years old when he became king and ruled over Israel for forty two years.

But Saul made some mistakes, the worst of which involved him offering the burnt offering in Gilgal. It showed that he was inpatient. Instead of waiting for Samuel the priest to do the offering, he took matters into his own hands. He despised the whole religious institution established by God. He didn't trust God. Instead of waiting for God to deliver the victory, he had to do it himself.

Another serious mistake Saul made happened during the war against the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15). He was disobedient in following God's instruction to completely destroy the Amalekites. He just didn't see God's logic of destroying the animals which he thought he could use to offer sacrifices to the Lord. 

Samuel told him this famous verse:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices    
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,    
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is like the sin of divination,    
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,    
he has rejected you as king.”
(1 Samuel 15:22-23)

So this is the lesson I learned:
Obedience is far more important than sacrifice. In fact, obedience is the way we show our love to God. God has already made the ultimate and the last sacrifice by sending his own son to die on the cross for us. Also be aware of arrogance. I can create my own understanding of what is and what isn't God's plan for my life. There will be God's people like Samuel in my life. I would do well to listen to him.