Saul and his army were to destroy the Amalekites, bring back their King Agag, and wipe out all the cattle and sheep. Saul only partially completed the task because while he did bring back Agag, he kept alive the best men, the best cattle and the best sheep. Samuel confronts Saul for disobeying the Lord. He said it was God who raised Saul up from his small position to be king and now Saul had sought out his own plans when God’s mission was clear. “To obey is better than sacrifice” is the key phrase Samuel delivers to Saul.

There are consequences to our sin and disobedience. The author of Hebrews tells us that God disciplines those He loves. We cannot go about disobeying the Lord and engaging in sin without thinking there won’t be consequences. In Saul’s case, Samuel told him that since he rejected the Word of the Lord, then the Lord had rejected him as king. As evidence of the Lord’s leaving Saul, verse 35 tells us that until the day he died, Samuel never went to see Saul again. Samuel was the Lord’s prophet who communicated God’s words to His people, and so we see here that the Lord has not changed His mind about his decision to remove His anointing from Saul’s life.

When God speaks to us, our proper response should be to listen and act. Has God given you clear instruction for His will in your life?