Saturday, January 10, 2015 Text: “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.” - 1 Samuel 15:22, 23. Comment: When Samuel queried Saul for not obeying the voice of God in utterly destroying the Amalekites, he first of all justified his action by saying he had done as the Lord instructed by keeping their king alive. Then he said it was the people who brought the animals as spoil so that they could make sacrifices to God. It was then Samuel told him in that what he had done was as abominable as witchcraft and idolatry, both of which attract capital punishment. One could see the danger in deliberately breaking the laws of God persistently in order to please people and secure ones position. Those who have been given the benefit of acquiring the knowledge of God must be diligent in obeying His commandments. “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 1:19, 20) The Bible says that “the fear of man bringeth a snare”. (Proverbs 29:25) It is instructive that the elders at Bethlehem trembled when they saw Samuel the Prophet. They asked “comest thou peaceably?” This was an indication of the high regard they had for the man of God and what God was using him to do. Samuel told them to sanctify themselves for the sacrifice. Here again, the importance of keeping ones self pure in the service of God is highlighted. Christians must cleanse themselves of all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit in order to perfect holiness in the fear of God. - 2 Corinthians 7:1.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 04:39:16 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015