The Woman doth protest too much!

If asked whom I resembled in the Bible, likely the least person I would mention would be Saul. But recently as the Holy Spirit has been dealing with me, I recognize that there is some of Saul in me. 1st Samuel 15 tells the story of God asking Saul to destroy the Amalekites. In 1^st Samuel 15:3 to go to attacks and destroy everything to that belongs to them,  do not spare them, put to death men, women, and children and cattle sheep, camels, and donkeys. However, Saul did not follow instructions; instead he captured, rather than destroyed God’s enemies. Instead of killing the terrorist king Agog, he spared his life and saved the best of the livestock to sacrifice to God.

 He believed that his ideas were somehow better than God’s. But God rebukes hi in verses 22, “Do I delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices in as much as obeying my voice. To obey is better than sacrifice and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” I have been guilty of this kind of misguidance, to say the least. Unfortunately, I have cared more about what people have thought, put a greater impact of being a people-pleaser. Now, I have followed instructions, I have been obedient; I have done what I was told, but in my heart of hearts, I am like Saul. These people that you gave me- they wanted- that was always Saul’s excuse for not following instructions. The people, the people, the people.  And, that’s me. What do people say? What do the people think? And God is saying, I am more concerned about what I think, what I say, what I required of you.  Hmm. If I am listening to God’s voice, He has made it clear that what He has asked for is obedience. He didn’t ask for my opinion. He asked me to live beyond whatever is rooted wound in me that makes people’s opinions for more inflated and valuable than his command to simply follow instructions. See, man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart, and that becomes particularly frightening because my  motivations are revealed for the crass, base things that they sometimes are- they need for man’s approval.

Abounding Like David

The Word of God says that the fear of man is a snare. We can trust in chariots and horses,  but if  we fail to put our trust in God., our trust is in vain. Men are unreliable, God states that He is not a man, thus He cannot lie. When  I don’t choose to rest in God, but put my trust in value and esteem and worth in the hands of men, I trust myself to marauders and killers. 

I have learned about the folly of Saul, of how he sought to please the people and in so doing displeased God, and in the end, his life was destroyed. His legacy was relinquished and what he thought that he could gain from people, he never got. But in the example of David, a man after God’s own heart, as he was purified, refined, and received wisdom, God caused him to ride upon the heights of the land. God gave him favor and an everlasting legacy as God’s king and the peoples’ king- the very things Saul wanted but failed to receive because of his disobedience and ultimately, he was destroyed because of His brokenness.

God promises that when our ways please Him, He will make even our enemies to be at peace with us. He gives us favor and causes us to be the head and not the tail. To be above and not beneath. He goes before us and behind us- hemming us in with His favor, and no good thing will He withhold from those who love and seek Him.  He only asks that we seek him and his kingdom first- that we love Him with our all heart, soul, and mind and love our neighbor as ourselves.

We must seek Him and his kingdom, not accolades and acceptance by people. We must realize that we are his servants, his obedient servants, and that is what He values obedience more than sacrifice, listening and obeying more than the blood of goats and rams, or whatever type of sacrifice we can create. We can do nothing without Him for it is in Him that we live, move, and have all our being. Through Christ, we shall do valiantly, for it is he shall tread down the enemy. We make progress of the mountains of our responsibilities as He enables our feet to go up like hind’s feet on the steeps. He goes before us and we speak grace to every mountain. He brings truth ad revelation so that we can go forward. He causes grace to abound to us so that at all  times, in all things, having all that we need, we can abound in every good work.

Seeking His approval most,
MJ