A Daily Purpose

Bible Study & Devotional Day 134

Written By: Torrie Slaughter

Guiding Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:22 ‘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.

🔴 People Pleasing

Have you ever thought you knew better than God? I know I have. It is a sin not to complete a mission and leave something undone. In today’s reading, Saul told the prophet, Samuel, that he kept the best of the cattle and King Agag to sacrifice to the Lord (1 Samuel 15:15). As students of the Bible, we knew Saul’s response wasn’t accurate. In 1 Samuel 15:9, Saul and his army were unwilling to destroy the ‘best’ of the Amalekite things because they had ‘value.’

It is challenging to eliminate something we think will benefit us later.

We create massive inner turmoil when we place the opinions of others before God’s command. After all, we are to love humans, develop unity and harmony, right?! But that’s the intersection and the training we undergo to die to self and obey Christ. We can not declare that God is the all-knowing Director of our lives if we reject His clear instructions.

Saul wavered between two opinions (1 Kings 18:21), those of the people and God’s absolute command. (1 Samuel 15:24) Saul feared his army over the Hand of God.

I have sinned in this way and straddled the fence to maintain my image and arrogantly thought I knew better. In the end, the wavering opinion destroyed relationships. As funny as it seems, people like consistency. Trusting God and following His command leaving nothing undone, may not win us congeniality awards. However, the light of Christ will shine brighter, which testifies to His sovereignty.