"Then Samuel said:
Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?
Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams."
1 Samuel 15:22
Saul sounds repentant after this exchange, but Samuel reports that the Lord has rejected him as king. The real problem isn't that Saul disobeyed one time. He's been doing this ever since he became king, and he's continued to test the Lord's judgement, like a petulant child testing his parents' will and pushing the boundaries as far as he can before they pop. After a certain point, the parents take away some of the blessings they've bestowed upon the child, in the hopes that he'll learn and truly change his behavior.
In the same way, the Lord has just taken away Saul's kingship. This doesn't mean He's completely rejecting Saul and kicking him out of the family. It just means He's taking away Saul's most prized possession as punishment in the hopes that he'll learn, change, and grow.
Question of the Day:
Can you remember a time in your past when your parents had to discipline you strongly and take away something that was dear to you in order for you to listen? Or maybe it was a teacher, grandparent, or some other form of mentor? The stronger your desire for what was taken away, the stronger the lesson holds for years to come.
Prayer of the Day:
Lord, You have taught me many lessons the hard way throughout my life. I pray that You would help me to follow Your Word more closely so that I don't have to learn very many more lessons this way. Help me to learn from Your Word, and help that learning to change me and grow within me so that I will not make the same mistake Saul made. Amen.
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