February 6

"What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears?" 1 Samuel 15:14

The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul because he did not follow out his explicit leading. Saul’s pious protestation to Samuel that he had fulfilled the command of God shows how he tried to deceive himself. The phrase “utterly destroy” comes seven times in this chapter in regard to Amalak. God had made his meaning clear as could be. Saul, however, illustrates how the deceitful heart can argue its way out of the challenge of full obedience.

He did this first by yielding to his own judgment as to what was good or bad, rather than subjecting it to God’s expressed verdict. Secondly, he did so in offering to put the matter right by making a sacrifice to God. For God is not to be bought off in that kind of way. There is no easy alternative to obedience to his expressed word—not even a sacrificial one. To obey is always better.