“Delayed obedience is disobedience.”

Dad has a lot of one-liners that are catchy, but meaningful. We heard a lot growing up.

“Cleanliness is next to godliness” (Clean your room!)

“Do your best and try to be the first!” (Dad’s mantra on the way to school)

“Stop coming and come!” (Get in the car. We are late for church!)

Short and sweet.
But packed with power!

The obedience one has me thinking lately…

As king, one of Saul’s assignments was to completely kill the Amelekites.

Here’s the assignment:

”Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭15‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The assignment:
-Totally destroy.
-Spare nothing.

The result:
-Spared their king
-Spared cattle
-Spared sheep

The consequences:
– God regrets making Saul king
– Samuel the prophet is angry

The next morning, Saul seems chipper when he sees Samuel.

Saul: “I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”

Samuel: ”What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”

Saul: “But I did obey the Lord…the soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.” 1 Samuel 15:20-21

There must be some misunderstanding here.

Saul believes he has been obedient.

Clearly, he missed the assignment.

Saul’s idea of sacrificing animals seemed like a better one than God’s, so he did what he wanted.

That, my friend, is called disobedience.

Plan B or Plan C may seem better, but if it’s not what God’s told you to do, it’s disobedience.

Don’t confuse your “better plan” with obedience.

”But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22

Complete obedience is putting trust in the one who gave the assignment. Sacrifice is doing things “my way”. It’s an action, like saying I can ACT with my own will.

But obedience is laying down your will for the other.

As a parent, I would rather my children obey than “do” things for me while being disobedient.

Samuel goes on to say that disobedience is essentially rebellion, arrogance, and rejection.

Has a person of authority asked you to do something?

Has God given you an assignment?

Be careful to follow through.

Completely.

It takes humility and bowing your will to His.

Adding or subtracting from it is disobedience.

God’s plans for you are bigger.

Trust and obey.

~Elizabeth/Betsy