Obey All The Way

God never ceases to fail to teach me right along with my girls during their Bible study time.

My girls are studying in the book of Esther still. Today during the lesson we were digging further into the life of Haman and his ancestry... we began with the review of 1 Samuel 15 which covers Saul's disobedience to God's command.

 Then Samuel said to Saul,

“The LORD sent me to anoint you

as king over His people, over Israel;

now therefore,
listen to the words of the LORD.

Thus says the LORD of hosts,

‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel,

how he set himself against him on the way

while he was coming up from Egypt. 

Now go and strike Amalek

and utterly destroy all that he has,

and do not spare him;

but put to death

both man and woman,

child and infant,

ox and sheep,

camel and donkey.’”  

1 Samuel 15:1-3

This was the Lord's command to King Saul.

It was rooted in Exodus 17:8-16.

Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim

Exodus 17:8

Now how did Saul follow this command,

this instruction,

this open door
given to him by the Lord?

But Saul and the people spared Agag

and the best of the sheep,

the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs,

and all that was good,

and were not willing to destroy them utterly;

but everything despised and worthless,

that they utterly destroyed.

1 Samuel 15:9

Yeh... Saul did not fully obey the word of the Lord.

Here God had opened the door for the people of Israel to take out this enemy. He had made the way for them to utterly destroy this evil among them... yet they decided to do what seemed right in their own eyes and despised the word of the Lord. They had blew their opportunity to utterly remove this enemy from their lives... because they saw profit and wealth in the possessions and power over the capture of the king.

So what were the consequences of this moment of disobedience?

"For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
He has also rejected you from being king.”

1 Samuel 15:23 

Saul then went after his rebuke to do the right thing... but the blessing was gone. The opportunity had passed, the right now would not fix the wrong back then.

The damage had been done.

The choice had been made.

The consequences for the actions would come.

Partial obedience is whole disobedience.

How long and how far would these consequences reach?

  Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus,

“There is a certain people scattered

and dispersed among the peoples

in all the provinces of your kingdom;

 their laws are different from those of all other people

and they do not observe the king’s laws,

so it is not in the king’s interest to let them remain. 

If it is pleasing to the king,

let it be decreed that they be destroyed,

and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver

into the hands of those who carry on the king’s business,

to put into the king’s treasuries.” 

Then the king took his signet ring from his hand

and gave it to Haman,

the son of Hammedatha

the Agagite,

the enemy of the Jews. 

The king said to Haman,

“The silver is yours,

and the people also,

to do with them as you please.” 

Esther 3:8-11 

600 years is how far in this case...

So let's bring this home.

As I was studying through all this with my girls what hit me was this...

How many of my current struggles are the result of my very own Saul moments?

Moments when God had opened the door...

made the way...

went before me...

and said now go and utterly destroy all of it.

Don't save any of it. 

Spare nothing.

I don't care how cute and harmless it appears or how valuable it appears to you.

Destroy it!

It will mean death and destruction and turmoil to you from now on if you do not do this complete now. This is your chance. Seize it. Go! I am with you. I will fight for you. You will have victory if you do it now and you do it My way...

I wish I could sit back and criticize Saul and shake my head at his rebellion and foolishness with a feeling of superiority because I would have never been so stupid and arrogant and rebellious... but I can't.

I shake my head, but I shake it because I can see myself in him...     

One of the reasons I rejoice so much in the words grace and mercy and forgiveness and redemption and hope and new...

And He who sits on the throne said,

“Behold, I am making all things new.”

And He said,

“Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

Revelation 21:5