How People Use God’s Word

How People Use God’s Word

“Samuel also said to Saul, ‘The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts; “I will punish what Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”’ 1 Sam. 15:1-3.

These were clear, precise orders that could not be misunderstood. They were accompanied by an admonition to obedience, so this could also not be misunderstood.

Saul went into battle and God gave him the victory, but he did not follow the Lord’s command. When he returned in due course, he met Samuel and said, “‘Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.’ But Samuel said, ‘What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?’” 1 Sam. 15:7, 9, 13-14.

There is no doubt that Saul heard what God had commanded. So how could he possibly have acted like this? And how could he say to Samuel, “I have performed the commandment of the Lord”? It was precisely what he had not done. When Samuel spoke to Saul, Saul excused himself in the most delicate way. It was the people who had done it, and their intention was to sacrifice it to the Lord. At the same time he maintained that he had obeyed the word of the Lord and had performed the mission on which the Lord had sent him. But God regretted that He had made Saul king, because he had turned away from God and had not kept His word. 1 Sam. 15:11, 15, 20.

What can this teach us? It teaches us that excuses and explanations mean nothing to God when we have not followed God’s word precisely. He knows everyone and is interested in what transpires in our innermost heart. God can only save man if he is perfectly obedient, and the person who does not want to submit to God’s commandment and be obedient to it, will have his in “the second death.” Rev. 20:6.

“When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? . . . Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?” 1 Sam. 15:17, 19. Why did he do that? It was because he had become important in his own eyes and used his human reasoning; and contrary to the Lord’s clear command, he acted according to what he thought was best.

You can divide all worshipers into two categories: those who are little in their own eyes and those who are great in their own eyes—or to put it differently: the humble, and the proud. God resists the proud—we notice that in Saul’s case; but He helps the humble, as we see in David’s case. 2 Sam. 6:22. We have opportunities with God as long as we are little in our own eyes, but if we are great in our own eyes, we have no opportunities with God; unless we are crushed first and repent. Those who are great in their own eyes are also unreliable in earthly things and can barely perform an order properly, because they inject their own view of the matter instead of keeping to the order they received.

The Lord has given His commands so that we should keep them diligently. Ps. 119:4. The humble person can bow completely before God and gladly do what He commands. The proud person can only bow half way, trying to find something better with his smart head than what the command says. This is a serious matter and ought to awaken us to godly fear, for our reward will be according to how we live our life, as we see in Saul’s case. The judgment that was pronounced on Paul also applies today to all those who act like Saul did.

When you have the Word before you, you must not question it or rely on your own understanding, but you must diligently perform the command the way it is given. You must not ask your reasoning whether it is correct. The law has a work to do which is done by breaking down the natural man and bringing him into the death of Christ. But if human reasoning is allowed to play a part, you are not broken down, nor do you die; the result is only an imaginary awareness of having kept God’s word. Your reasoning will save your life, but he who saves his life will lose it. You will lose out on what the Lord has promised.

We live in the time of grace, and now is the time to correct everything that is wrong, by the grace of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us make use of these end times so that God can have His way with as many as possible.