Dearest Tab & Champ
Like to share with you my QT on 1 Samuel 15-16 which I shared with the ladies in the Sat cell.
God had rejected King Saul because he was disobedient to God on 2 major occasions:
1) unauthorized worship - Saul took over the duties of the Levite priest into his own hands (1Samuel 13:8-13). Only the Levite priests are authorized to carry out sacred worship before God.
2) failure to destroy Israel's enemy, the Amalek (1 Samuel 15:19-21). Saul failed the disobedience test when he spared the Amalek king, Agag, and kept the best of the livestock. Saul failed to obey God because he feared men more than God. In 1Samuel 15:24, Saul said to prophet Samuel - "I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them."
When I read the entire 1 Samuel 10 onwards, I realised the underlying character flaws for Saul's disobedience were pride, arrogance and rebelliousness.
The Consequence:
In 1Samuel 16:14, God withdrew from king Saul, His good spirit (which is the Spirit of God) & as a result, Saul lost the assistance of the good spirit - courage, wisdom, encouragement & discernment which Saul needed for his government and wars.
God took away his mercy and grace from Saul as well. God told Samuel in 2Samuel 7:15 "But my love will never be taken away from him (David), as I took it away from Saul whom I removed from before you."
When God's spirit departs from a person, all good goes even God's mercy. Through God's act, & by divine 'permission', an evil spirit came and terrified Saul. He became fretful, ill tempered, discontented and suspicious. When God & His grace do not rule over us, sin and satan will have us!
So what's my application & lesson?
1) I need to keep my heart pure & sincere in what I do for God, in spite of my mistakes.
2) A man after God's heart honours & enthrones God. It is always God's agenda in David's eyes but for Saul, it was always his own agenda.
3) A man who says he wants to follow God must have a soft, repentant heart. When Saul sinned, he gave excuses. When David sinned, he simply said, "I have sinned against the Lord." (2Samuel 12:13).
Children, the above is good for meditation and to develop a HEALTHY FEAR OF THE LORD in our lives.
Proverbs 1:7 "The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom & instruction."
With much Love
Mum
