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Posted by
Dion Todd June 10, 2016 -
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Devotional
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Saul said to Samuel, 'I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of Yahweh, and your words, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. 1 Samuel 15:24 WEB
The Lord sent Saul on a quest, but he failed because of his fear of man. The Lord told Saul through the prophet Samuel to completely wipe out the Amalekites, but for a short-term gain, Saul 'overlooked' the commands of the Lord and kept the best cattle, the sheep, and the enemy king as plunder.
The Lord wanted them all destroyed as they were probably demon-infested just like the swine in Gerasenes (Mark 5:13). Saul wanted to please the people, more so than God and allowed them to keep the live stock as plunder, so they brought the demons home with them. When they killed the live stock and the demons lost their current house, they just wandered around until they could enter the people around them. (Luke 11:24).
When Samuel told Saul 'Because you have rejected Yahweh's word, he has also rejected you from being king', Saul pleaded with him to stay so that he would not be embarrassed in front of the people. What the people would think was on the forefront of his mind, not that he has just lost the kingship. After this, God moved on and anointed David. Where Saul was fearful and failed, David had a strong faith in God and even faced Goliath as a youth when Saul would not.
A mentor of mine worked at an electronics repair shop when he was a young man. One day his boss told him to be sure and replace a certain part on every radio that came through, whether it needed it or not, simply because the part had a good markup. He silently ignored the request and after a couple of weeks, the boss came back and asked him why he was not doing what he had told him.
My friend was married with young children, so really need the job, but he explained to them that he was a Christian and could not do that. He told them that he would understand if they needed to let him go, but that he could not compromise on this because it was against his faith. They became angry at first, and he thought that he was on his way out. Instead, they promoted him and gave him a key to the shop because they knew that he could be trusted.
If you are given the chance to obey God or man, always choose God. It will work out for your good regardless of what may happen to you for He has your back when you are obedient to His word. The fear of man is always a short-term gain, where Gods plan is for eternity.
Prayer: Father, please guide me today and help me make the right decisions. Let Your voice ring through in such a way that I cannot miss it, and give me the grace and wisdom to do what is right. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray.
Amen!!!