Obedience Unto The Lord

 

 

1 Samuel 8:1-10  

 

1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons judges over Israel.  2 The name of his first-born son was Joel, and his second son's name was Abijah; they sat as judges in Beer-sheba.  3 But his sons did not follow in his ways; they were bent on gain, they accepted bribes, and they subverted justice.  4 All the elders of Israel assembled and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and they said to him, "You have grown old, and your sons have not followed your ways. Therefore appoint a king for us, to govern us like all other nations."  6 Samuel was displeased that they said "Give us a king to govern us." Samuel prayed to the LORD, 7 and the LORD replied to Samuel, "Heed the demand of the people in everything they say to you. For it is not you that they have rejected; it is Me they have rejected as their king.  8 Like everything else they have done ever since I brought them out of Egypt to this day -- forsaking Me and worshiping other gods -- so they are doing to you.  9 Heed their demand; but warn them solemnly, and tell them about the practices of any king who will rule over them."  10 Samuel reported all the words of the LORD to the people, who were asking him for a king.

 

 

1 Samuel 12:13-25

 

13 "Well, the LORD has set a king over you! Here is the king that you have chosen, that you have asked for.  14 "If you will revere the LORD, worship Him, and obey Him, and will not flout the LORD's command, if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God, well and good.  15 But if you do not obey the LORD and you flout the LORD's command, the hand of the LORD will strike you as it did your fathers.  16 "Now stand by and see the marvelous thing that the LORD will do before your eyes.  17 It is the season of the wheat harvest. I will pray to the LORD and He will send thunder and rain; then you will take thought and realize what a wicked thing you did in the sight of the LORD when you asked for a king."  18 Samuel prayed to the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day, and the people stood in awe of the LORD and of Samuel.  19 The people all said to Samuel, "Intercede for your servants with the LORD your God that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins the wickedness of asking for a king."  20 But Samuel said to the people, "Have no fear. You have, indeed, done all those wicked things. Do not, however, turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.  21 Do not turn away to follow worthless things, which can neither profit nor save but are worthless.  22 For the sake of His great name, the LORD will never abandon His people, seeing that the LORD undertook to make you His people.  23 "As for me, far be it from me to sin against the LORD and refrain from praying for you; and I will continue to instruct you in the practice of what is good and right.  24 Above all, you must revere the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; and consider how grandly He has dealt with you.  25 For if you persist in your wrongdoing, both you and your king shall be swept away."

 

 

1 Samuel 13:2-14  

 

2 Saul picked 3000 Israelites, of whom 2000 were with Saul in Michmas and in the hill country of Bethel, and 1000 with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; the rest of the troops he sent back to their homes.  3 Jonathan struck down the Philistine prefect in Geba; and the Philistines heard about it. Saul had the ram's horn sounded throughout the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear."  4 When all Israel heard that Saul had struck down the Philistine prefect, and that Israel had incurred the wrath of the Philistines, all the people rallied to Saul at Gilgal.  5 The Philistines, in turn, gathered to attack Israel: 30000 chariots and 6000 horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sands of the seashore. They marched up and encamped at Michmas, east of Beth-aven.  6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble -- for the troops were hard pressed -- the people hid in caves, among thorns, among rocks, in tunnels, and in cisterns.  7 Some Hebrews crossed the Jordan, to the territory of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and the rest of the people rallied to him in alarm.  8 He waited seven days, the time that Samuel had set. But when Samuel failed to come to Gilgal, and the people began to scatter, 9 Saul said, "Bring me the burnt offering and the sacrifice of well-being"; and he presented the burnt offering.  10 He had just finished presenting the burnt offering when Samuel arrived; and Saul went out to meet him and welcome him.  11 But Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul replied, "I saw the people leaving me and scattering; you had not come at the appointed time, and the Philistines had gathered at Michmas.  12 I thought the Philistines would march down against me at Gilgal before I had entreated the LORD, so I forced myself to present the burnt offering."  13 Samuel answered Saul, "You acted foolishly in not keeping the commandments that the LORD your God laid upon you! Otherwise the LORD would have established your dynasty over Israel forever.  14 But now your dynasty will not endure. The LORD will seek out a man after His own heart, and the LORD will appoint him ruler over His people, because you did not abide by what the LORD had commanded you."

 

 

1 Samuel 15:1-35

  

1 Samuel said to Saul, "I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over His people Israel. Therefore, listen to the LORD's command!  2 "Thus said the LORD of Hosts: I am exacting the penalty for what Amalek did to Israel, for the assault he made upon them on the road, on their way up from Egypt.  3 Now go, attack Amalek, and proscribe all that belongs to him. Spare no one, but kill alike men and women, infants and sucklings, oxen and sheep, camels and asses!"  4 Saul mustered the troops and enrolled them at Telaim: 200000 men on foot, and 10000 men of Judah.  5 Then Saul advanced as far as the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the wadi.  6 Saul said to the Kenites, "Come, withdraw at once from among the Amalekites, that I may not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they left Egypt." So the Kenites withdrew from among the Amalekites.  7 Saul destroyed Amalek from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is close to Egypt, 8 and he captured King Agag of Amalek alive. He proscribed all the people, putting them to the sword; 9 but Saul and the troops spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the second-born, the lambs, and all else that was of value. They would not proscribe them; they proscribed only what was cheap and worthless.  10 The word of the LORD then came to Samuel:  11 "I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned away from Me and has not carried out My commands." Samuel was distressed and he entreated the LORD all night long.  12 Early in the morning Samuel went to meet Saul. Samuel was told, "Saul went to Carmel, where he erected a monument for himself; then he left and went on down to Gilgal."  13 When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, "Blessed are you of the LORD! I have fulfilled the LORD's command."  14 "Then what," demanded Samuel, "is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of oxen that I hear?"  15 Saul answered, "They were brought from the Amalekites, for the troops spared the choicest of the sheep and oxen for sacrificing to the LORD your God. And we proscribed the rest."  16 Samuel said to Saul, "Stop! Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night!" "Speak," he replied.  17 And Samuel said, "You may look small to yourself, but you are the head of the tribes of Israel. The LORD anointed you king over Israel,  18 and the LORD sent you on a mission, saying, 'Go and proscribe the sinful Amalekites; make war on them until you have exterminated them.'  19 Why did you disobey the LORD and swoop down on the spoil in defiance of the LORD's will?"  20 Saul said to Samuel, "But I did obey the LORD! I performed the mission on which the LORD sent me: I captured King Agag of Amalek, and I proscribed Amalek, 21 and the troops took from the spoil some sheep and oxen -- the best of what had been proscribed -- to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal."  22 But Samuel said: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As much as in obedience to the LORD's command? Surely, obedience is better than sacrifice, Compliance than the fat of rams.  23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, Defiance, like the iniquity of teraphim. Because you rejected the LORD's command, He has rejected you as king."  24 Saul said to Samuel, "I did wrong to transgress the LORD's command and your instructions; but I was afraid of the troops and I yielded to them.  25 Please, forgive my offense and come back with me, and I will bow low to the LORD."  26 But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not go back with you; for you have rejected the LORD's command, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel."  27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul seized the corner of his robe, and it tore.  28 And Samuel said to him, "The LORD has this day torn the kingship over Israel away from you and has given it to another who is worthier than you.  29 Moreover, the Glory of Israel does not deceive or change His mind, for He is not human that He should change His mind."  30 But Saul pleaded, "I did wrong. Please, honor me in the presence of the elders of my people and in the presence of Israel, and come back with me until I have bowed low to the LORD your God."  31 So Samuel followed Saul back, and Saul bowed low to the LORD.  32 Samuel said, "Bring forward to me King Agag of Amalek." Agag approached him with faltering steps; and Agag said, "Ah, bitter death is at hand!"  33 Samuel said: "As your sword has bereaved women, So shall your mother be bereaved among women." And Samuel cut Agag down before the LORD at Gilgal.  34 Samuel then departed for Ramah, and Saul went up to his home at Gibeah of Saul.  35 Samuel never saw Saul again to the day of his death. But Samuel grieved over Saul, because the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.[1] 


[1] All scriptures are taken from Jewish Publication Society, Tanakh: A New Translation of the Holy Scriptures According to the Traditional Hebrew Text, 1st ed. (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1985).