This week we are looking at Saul’s response to God’s command in 1 Samuel 15. Will Saul obey or disobey God?
Last week, in 1 Samuel 12, the tension in the passage came from the choice Israel had to make. Would they obey God and be faithful to the covenant between them and God?  Up to this point Israel has been very patchy in their obedience to God. In the book of Judges, we see this cycle:

1 Samuel seems to speed this cycle up to the speed of a theme park ride! In Samuel’s lifetime the people go from following the Lord to sinning, to following and back a number of times.
Samuel was exemplary in the way that he followed the Lord. He was obedient to God and lead the people with integrity. But now Israel has a new leader. Samuel has stepped aside and Saul is king. Saul’s faithfulness or unfaithfulness to God will have ramifications for the whole nation.
Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, we too are responsible to God for our obedience. Our obedience or disobedience can also have far reaching consequences. What do our children or grandchildren learn when we choose to forego reading our bibles? What does it say about the place of God’s instruction in our lives?
How will our co-workers interpret our beliefs about God when we are willing to compromise on the way Jesus calls us to behave? When we backstab or slander a co-worker, what does that say about the God we say we serve? Don’t mishear me – we are not saved by our obedience to God. We are saved by Jesus’ obedience. But we are called as Christians to live in obedience to God as a response to God’s grace in saving us. Not only does this please God, but as Titus 2:10 puts it, makes “the teaching about God our Saviour attractive.”

Yours in Christ,

Eric

St Phils Editorial