Scripture
1 Samuel 15:10 “Then the Lord said to Samuel, I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has again refused to obey me. Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the Lord all night.”
Observation
1) It is an incredible statement that God was sorry that He did something. How can an all knowing God be sorry for a decision he made? Didn’t he know that Saul would fail ahead of time? I am not sure there are answers to these types of questions. God is a mystery. What is interesting is what made God sorry. Saul was not loyal and he disobeyed. Of all the things I can do for God, what God wants the most is my loyalty and obedience. This is pretty simple, but also pretty profound.
2) I love Samuel’s response. When he heard that God was going to remove Saul as king, he did not rejoice or have a secret perverted pleasure. Samuel mourned for Saul. Saul was a bad king. Saul had many hang-ups. Saul disobeyed God. Most people probably rejoiced that Saul was being removed. Samuel was a different kind of man. He was deeply moved. He cried out to God all night. What a friend Samuel was to Saul. Unfortunately Saul never realized it.
Application
I have to be loyal and obedient to God. Later in this chapter God said he loved obedience more than sacrifice. Man loves sacrifice. We love to prove our love for God by what we give up or surrender. It makes us look good in our own eyes and to others. God simply wants us to obey. He does not need us to go beyond that. Just do what God says. Then he wants me to be loyal. This is a matter of the heart. Faithfulness is more important than outward acts. God wants me to love him enough that I want to please Him, so I obey Him. Again, that is really simple but also profound. Obedience and loyalty is the pathway of pleasing God.
2) I want to have the right spirit when others fail or go through difficult times. I do not want to have that perverse pleasure of rejoicing the downfall of someone else. I want to mourn and pray for those who fail. I want to lift them out of their sin. I have to admit there have been times when I have been secretly glad that someone failed. What is there inside of me that makes me feel that way? Does it make me look better? Do I have unforgiveness in my heart? I desire a pure heart that responds correctly when others fall. I want to be a Samuel. I want to be an intercessor.
Prayer
Father purify my heart. Enable me to rejoice when others rejoice and to mourn when others mourn. Remove the perversion from me. Mold me into an intercessor that lifts others up and not tears them down. I also ask that you develop loyalty and obedience in me. Holy Spirit increase my love for the Father. Enable me to experience all of God’s love for me. I want to love enough that I will obey at all times. I do not want to be a Saul. I want to be a Samuel. I want to please you. I want to bring you pleasure. I want to cause you to smile.
