February 25, 2014
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Why the Bleating?

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Father, Your love is constant and accepting, merciful and forgiving, grace-full and inspiring. How great You are.

Read 1 SAMUEL 15:1-31

[1] Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. [2] This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. [3] Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'” [4] So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim-two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand from Judah. [5] Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. [6] Then he said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites. [7] Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt. [8] He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. [9] But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs-everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed. [10] Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: [11] “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the LORD all that night. [12] Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.” [13] When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.” [14] But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” [15] Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.” [16] “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul replied. [17] Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. [18] And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ [19] Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?” [20] “But I did obey the LORD,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. [21] The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.” [22] But Samuel replied: “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. [23] 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.” [24] Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the LORD’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. [25] Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD.” [26] But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!” [27] As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. [28] Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors-to one better than you. [29] He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.” [30] Saul replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God.” [31] So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright &copy 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.&reg Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

“Trust and obey, For there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey. (John H. Sammis, 1846-1919). These are well known words with a timely message.

If Saul had had trouble deciding what to do in waiting to sacrifice in chapter 13, there is no ambivalence here. Samuel spells it out: God requires the complete annihilation of the Amalekites. We in the twenty-first century struggle with this. Although there aren’t as many of these instances in the Old Testament as is sometimes alleged (only here and when they were taking the land) we wish there were none. However, this was not random killing. The Amalekites were the worst of the worst in their ruthless treatment of the Hebrews. Rather, the instruction affirms God’s opposition to the ill-treatment of the weak people by the powerful and brings to mind Hitler and Stalin and others who had to be physically restrained. It encourages us to work for justice and security for all people.

Saul’s excuses (15,21,24b) when confronted with the evidence only make matters worse and God’s rejection of him is complete, though some years will pass before David becomes king in his place. Sometimes we characterize Old Testament worship as centering on sacrifices and other rituals while under the new covenant God is worshiped directly and from the heart. Samuel’s rebuke to erring Saul makes it clear this is false distinction. God is always looking for an obedient heart: in his relationship with Saul he asks for trust and obedience. When Saul fails to give it, he causes his own demise.

To obey is better than offering sacrifices; we know that too well. We like to think that people who experience God’s love don’t blatantly disobey him. In fact, though we often argue a point or pretend we are clarifying his instructions, we may well know in our heart when we are deliberately turning our back on God’s way. Then we, too, have no excuse, for our own hearts do the bleating.

Apply

Let the Spirit draw your attention to some attitude or action that needs to change. Obey, using the strength that he gives.

Closing prayer

Patient Father, forgive my willfulness and disobedience to Your call on my life. May today be a new day in my walk with You.

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