MONDAY 15TH JULY 2019 THEME: TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: MONDAY 15TH JULY 2019

THEME: TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE.

MEMORISE:

And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. 2 Corinthians 10:6

READ: 1 Samuel 15:17-22

17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?

18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.

19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

22 And Samuel said, Hath 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 hearken than the fat of rams.

MESSAGE

Disobedience has the evil tag of being the first sin man committed. The deadly mystery of this sin is that disobedient people more often than not never accept blame for their act. They tend to give excuses and blame other people or “factors beyond their control”. This is what Adam did when God questioned him concerning his disobedience. Genesis 3:12 says:

“And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”

Unfortunately, his excuse did not clear him of responsibility, nor did it deter God from punishing him. Another person who gave excuse for disobedience is King Saul. In today’s Bible reading, when he was confronted with his sin, he tried to justify himself by using the good act of sacrifice as an excuse for his disobedience. In response to his attempt at justifying himself, God’s prophet told him in 1 Samuel 15:22:

“……..Hath 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 hearken than the fat of rams.”

Let us take a closer look at King Saul’s excuse for disobeying God. 1 Samuel 15:21 says:

“But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.”

Saul’s excuse was that it was not him, but the people who took the spoil. This makes one wonder who was leading who in the battle against the Amalekites. He was just trying to pass the buck. He felt he could appease God or His prophet, Samuel, by presenting a big offering in the form of sacrifice:

Beloved, in what areas are you disobeying God? You better repent today and cultivate the habit of living by the dictates of the infallible word of God. No amount of service you render to God can take the place of obeying His word. No amount of money given as seed offerings, tithes or donations can justify indulging in fraudulent practices at your place of work. May the Lord give you the grace to obey His commandments to the letter in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, please help me to obey you willingly and completely as a show of my gratitude to You for Your goodness and mercy over me.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  Joshua 3-5
Ezekiel 17:7-21

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 3:  TRUST AND OBEY.

1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

o Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

4. But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

5. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.