Benefits of obedience
1 Samuel 15
“Has The LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of The LORD, HE also has rejected you as king”1 Samuel 15:22-23
These words were uttered by none less than Prophet Samuel, a known and renowned servant of The MOST HIGH, very well respected and loved. If you don’t love him, I love him. He has chapters in the Bible attributed to him and they are long but packed with information. In addition, he is mentioned in other books especially in the book of Ezekiel where he is counted as a person whom The MOST HIGH did not esteem lightly. Let us look at what is happening here.
These words were spoken to Saul as part of a conversation. The chapter starts with Samuel explaining to Saul why he was anointed king over the people of GOD, Samuel then specifies who these people are, Israel, just in case Saul has forgotten. Samuel then delivers the explicit and clear instruction to Saul after delivering the reason behind the instruction.
For those who say The MOST HIGH forgets, think again. The only thing HE forgets is the sin you have confessed and repented from. Amalek had mistreated Israel when they left Egypt and here we are many, many, many years later and it is judgment time. The MOST HIGH will never get Alzheimers, HE will never suffer from loss of memory. Their punishment for ambushing people who had a testimony and a purpose in the mind of The MOST HIGH, total annihilation. Instrument of the punishment, King Saul and the army of Israel.
Permit me to digress and remind you and your generations that you will not get away with sin, do not be deceived by all these humanistic new age teachers. Be wise, identify your sins, confess them, repent from them and follow The MOST HIGH wholeheartedly. You are the beneficiary.
Permit me to digress further and state that if you are planning to cause trouble for the followers of The MOST HIGH, the children of JESUS CHRIST, like Amalek, you will never get away with it. YAHWEH is eternal and HE is just and justice will be served, most probably in this case, not cold, hot and I mean burning hot!
Back to where we broke off from, heartbreakingly, Saul starts well, reaches somewhere and starts following the dictates of his heart, resulting in:
i.) The enemies of Israel living longer than necessary
ii.) The enemies of Israel rearing up their ugly head again later in history
iii.) Prolonging judgment for wickedness whose time had come
iv.) his total rejection by The LORD
v.) a fallout between Saul and the servant of GOD and his final conversation with Samuel in the physical realm
The chapter closes with The MOST HIGH in regret about Saul and HIS failure to carry out instructions. The chapter also closes with the servant of The MOST HIGH Samuel in sorrow, distress and tears over Saul.
I must mention the eerie words in Chapter 1 v 35 at the beginning “…And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death…”. True enough, the next time Samuel saw Saul was on the day of his death.
I guess by now you are desperate to obey The LORD, so I will just go ahead and list the benefits of obeying The LORD to the tee and carrying out HIS instructions as HE said especially if HE anointed you for a specific purpose or to a particular office.
Nowadays, people label the instructions of The LORD and decide based on human knowledge which instruction they will follow and which one they will not. We even decide how we will follow these instructions. Well, The MOST HIGH has not changed and save for HIS legendary mercy, kindness and The Blood of JESUS, HE will probably deal with you like HE did with Saul and we will be left in tears like Samuel. If he deals with you like HE did with Moses, well, blessed are you among men.
So, Beloved, here are some of the benefits of obedience:
i. You will feel good about it.
ii. It makes you a stronger person
iii. It destroys and removes the limits and the boundaries that are around your service. I’m reminded here about another great servant of The MOST HIGH, Beloved Pastor Moses and his MASTER, The MOST HIGH. Before The MOST HIGH and Moses got to parting the sea of Reeds and having one on one discussions and dictations on projects dear to The MOST HIGH, the first instruction which was obeyed without question was, “Take off your shoes, you are standing on holy ground”. Beloved, Moses could have refused and/or run away. Later on we see Moses encountering a difficulty in following the instructions of The MOST HIGH to a tee and The MOST HIGH dealt with that situation accordingly. Beloved, this is Moses, the one and only Moses who stood with Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. And you? Enough said, if you want to remove boundaries and limitations around your service, I suggest you practice total and unconditional obedience.
iv. You will eat the good of the land. Disobedience cost Saul and his generations the kingship over Israel, his relationship with The MOST HIGH and with Samuel and in the end, it cost him his life, some will even speculate and add his eternal life.
v. Obedience brings glory to The MOST HIGH
vi. Makes it easier to obey next time.
vii. Strengthens our confidence in The LORD and additionally in our kingdom service
viii. Strengthens and encourages others to obey. Please note that your disobedience will also make others think twice about emulating your bad example.
ix. The LORD will delight in you, wow! What else do you want? What else could you possible desire?
x. The MOST HIGH will not reject you from the office or position HE has given you in HIS Kingdom
Beloved, co –worker in the vineyard of The MOST HIGH, keep your name in The LAMB’s Book of Life.
Do you want to know JESUS as your personal Lord and Savior? Your eternity is at stake! JESUS has opened the door of salvation to every person. But there is coming a day when the door will be closed. Today is the day of salvation. Choose to be in the family of GOD. JESUS died so that we can spend eternity in Heaven with HIM. Don't delay! And if you want to begin a relationship with GOD or resume a broken one, say this: O GOD, I come to YOU today. I know I am a sinner. I believe that JESUS died on the cross to save me and HE resurrected on the third day. I repent of my sins and forsake them. I confess JESUS as my LORD and SAVIOR . I invite JESUS into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank YOU JESUS for saving me and making me a child of GOD. Amen
