1 Saumel 15-17

I don’t blame you for being horrified at the thought of killing women, children, babies and animals.   But even more unthinkable that that, is what Saul did next.
 
God gave Saul a direct command through Samuel.  All of the Amalekites are to be destroyed.  And, He also gives His reason for this terrible judgment….they opposed His people when they wandered in the desert.   There are some lessons to be learned from this brief dialogue with God.  First we learn that time doesn’t affect God in the same way it affects us.   We have a saying “time heals all wounds”…but time doesn’t exist for God.  Therefore, what was done to the Hebrews while they wandered happened yesterday, even though it was hundreds of years ago.   
Consider the statute of limitations with me for a moment.  This statute says legal action cannot be brought against you after a certain period of time.  The original intent was to ensure that charges would be brought while the evidence was still in good condition.   Once the evidence has degraded, you can’t use it to prosecute.   There are some crimes for which we have no statute of limitations, first degree murder for instance, has no statute in all 50 states…but each state has different statutes of limitations.   What could be actionable in Wyoming is long forgotten in Ohio.
 
God has no statute of limitations.  If you rebel against Him, disobey Him, or even worse…fight against Him, you will be punished eventually.  And your punishment will be terrible beyond your imagination.   There is only one way to avoid it, and that is to be forgiven.
 
Now, Saul knows this, because he is God’s chosen instrument to punish the Amalekites for sins they committed long ago.  Saul knows that even the children will be punished for the sins of the fathers.   God isn’t fooling around here.   Disobedience is going to cost you dearly.
Why then, (please tell me WHY…) would Saul deliberately disobey God and save some of the things that God told him to destroy?    And for heaven’s sake, why would you save the wicked king and the animals while you put the innocent children to the sword?   Saul killed the children and saved the goats!    He’s not only wrong….he’s ignorant.    And, then he heads off to erect a monument in his own image.   What a moron.
I pray right now, and every day that I don’t fall prey to whatever ignorance befell Saul.  How anyone could be so blind, self centered or greedy as to defy God to His face and then create an idol that resembles themselves is simply beyond me.     “Lord, you know all things including the condition of my heart….please don’t ever let me become like this…may my heart always be seeking after you, and may my first thought and last impulse be to serve you wholeheartedly”.
 
In 16:14 we learn that the Spirit of the Lord left Saul, and that God also sent a spirit to torment him.   Sauls depression and fear weren’t caused by some chemical imbalance or improper upbringing.   God allowed something that caused depression and fear to inhabit Saul.   Perhaps it was part of his punishment.     This is good to remember:  God does this sort of thing.  We read about how God caused the enemies of Israel to become afraid and kill one another….if He can do it to them, then He can do it to us if we become His enemies.
 
Far better for us to be like David, who correctly sees that the battle will not be determined by who has the larger army, but by who has the presence of God.
 
(More on David and Goliath in the next post)
 
Faithfully,
 
PR

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