Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. I Samuel 15:22 (Chapters 14:24-15)
Saul made a petty proclamation; no one (his army) was to eat anything before he avenged himself. Israel won a great victory and the men were exhausted and hungry, but afraid to hydrate and nourish themselves. Jonathan, who feared the LORD, had not heard of his father’s threatened curse and ate honey, setting in motion a death sentence. God had already withdrawn His spirit from Saul, but Saul blamed God’s silence of Jonathan. (Jonathan’s life was spared when some men spoke in his defense.)
In another military engagement, Saul’s soldiers loot the Amalekites after a victory. His men were famished and ate meat with the blood still in it, something that was strictly forbidden in Jewish Law. Saul attempted to correct this wrong by building an altar to cook the meat. When Samuel came upon the scene, Saul played it off as a humble effort to worship God. God doesn’t want shallow motions and empty words. Samuel wasn’t fooled and God certainly knew the true heart of Saul.
The LORD grieved over Saul’s actions. He withheld Himself and Samuel’s presence for the rest of Saul’s reign. God will not dwell in the midst of sin, and He will not share space with man’s perverted sense of authority and self importance. Do not justify/spin your thoughts or actions. God knows all and any attempts to make lies into truth will be met with profound consequences. On a more restful note, Truth wins………all day, every day!
Love,
Gretchen