And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night. 12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.”
Traditional marriage vows have this phrase included. “…to love, cherish, and obey, till death us do part, according to God’s holy law.” Now they say, “for as long as you meet my needs.” To obey was once a sign of love but now has become a sign of weakness or oppression. God’s holy law was to be obeyed by the Israelites. They did not. Here, Saul was to obey the Lord’s instructions. He did not. What’s worse, he propped himself up at Carmel, letting the power of the throne go right to his head so he ignored the Lord and his desires, pursuing his own. What follows is my favorite example of sarcasm in all of Scripture. “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?”
When we stand before the Lord, will we dare to say we have obeyed him? If you do, expect to hear some sarcasm. “What then are you looking at on the internet?” “Who then are you spending time with instead of me?” “Who is most important in your life, you or me?” When we think we are doing good, we are propping ourself up against the perfect holy God. That will be a rude awakening when we are standing before his throne. To God…
To obey is better then sacrifice.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church