King Saul
was given specific instructions from God regarding the spoils from the
Amalekites. The King was supposed to
destroy everything, but instead he chose to keep the best of the sheep and oxen, and
then furthered his sin by making excuses, saying he had done as God told him. He’d gone on the mission as directed, but it
was the people who chose to bring back animals to be used as sacrifices to God.
He deliberately disobeyed God
because he thought God’s instructions were faulty. It wasn’t that he
misunderstood. He knew better. Because of this disobedience God had to
punish him like any loving father would do.
Samuel, who
was the bearer of the news from God to Saul, was deeply saddened by Saul’s behavior and
grieved that God needed to punish him.
Saul was meant to be king and now God was going to withhold that honor.
Because Samuel was so saddened by the whole situation he petitioned God on
Saul’s behalf in prayer that this punishment might be spared.
Again, no one is
equal to God. We are all sinful. What will the punishment be for my daughter’s
friend for her arrogance? I can’t know
that, but I am certain God will deal with it. My job, at this point is to
petition God, on this person’s behalf that she repents of this belief and that
God’s judgment is not greater than she can bear.
Our world
is turning further and further from God.
Our political field leaves many of us frightened about what will happen
after the Presidential election in November.
Clearly there are issues on both sides of the ticket. God has a plan. He is sovereign and knows even now just how
the election will turn out. It’s up to
us to vote and be ready for whatever our role will be in the upcoming months, as
we follow the will of the Lord in our individual lives.
Each of us
are responsible for listening to God’s directive’s just as Saul was thousands
of years ago. We are accountable for the
decisions we make. That is why it is
critical we remain in His Word, on our knees in prayers and in contact with
fellow believers.
God loves us more than we could
ever imagine. Yet God’s tolerance toward
his people is limited to what is written in his Word. He’s given us the rules. It’s up to us not to cross over the line.
This was true when His Word was written and no less true today.
So I encourage and challenge you to
search the scriptures, your heart and mind as you make decisions regarding the
upcoming political event. It is going to
be the beginning of something different than any of us has ever known. Keep
your focus on God as you make decisions, not only in the political arena, but in every area of your life.
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