The life Adam and Eve enjoyed in the Garden of Eden before their fall was completely dependent on God’s arrangement. The numerous trees produced plenty of food, and because Adam and Eve had free access to the tree of life, they never had to worry (Genesis 2:9). God’s gracious structure for their world made their lives possible. But when they rebelled by disobeying his only command, they forfeited their access to the tree of life. In a similar way, Saul has rejected the very authority structure that made his kingdom possible. By rejecting it, he lost the possibility of continuing as king. Sin is always a rejection of that which makes life possible. It is self-destructive behavior.
This text illustrates how we only make our situation worse by failing to learn the true nature of worship and confession. Church attendance and tithing are worthless unless they come from the heart, just as the Old Testament sacrifices made Yahweh nauseous unless they were genuine. In our various denominations, we have many different types of rituals in our services. For some, worship involves high liturgy with robed pastors and choirs singing Bach and Beethoven, while for others it is praise bands leading Bible choruses in jeans and T-shirts. Regardless of whether we are comfortable with high and formal services or informal, contemporary praise, ritual remains an integral part of any worship service. And in either case, it is possible simply to “go through the motions” while neglecting the internal realities of our tortured souls. Samuel reminds us with his word to Saul that obedience is better than sacrifice. If we miss the reality of internal worship and confession, no amount of attention to externals, such as church attendance or involvement in Christian causes, will atone for disobeying God’s Word.
This brings us again to the central theme of this chapter. Saul stands as a warning about the dangers of disregarding God’s Word and thereby rejecting the structures he has provided to make our lives or our ministries possible. Samuel’s opening salvo is a powerful wake-up call for all who have failed to obey God: “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears?” The old prophet of God vigorously stands before all who sin and raises the question that defies circumvention. The sheep are there, and anyone can hear them. The question itself presents the undeniable realities of sin. What remains is only our reaction: Will we react as Saul or as David?
- What does obedience to God look like for you?
- Remember, it is important to deal with our own sin (the log in our eye) before we deal with (read “judge”) the sins of others (the speck in other eyes). How difficult is this to live out?
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