1 Samuel - Odessa, Missouri Community of Christ

58 Dr. Constable's Notes on 1 Samuel 2007 Editionas king he was responsible for the people's actions. Saul sometimes took too muchresponsibility on himself and at other times too little. He tried to justify his actions byclaiming that he did what he had done to honor God. He betrayed his lack of allegianceby referring to Yahweh as "your" God, not "our" God or "my" God, twice (cf. v. 30).Samuel spoke what the writer recorded in verses 22 and 23 in poetic form indicating toall that God had inspired what he was saying. God frequently communicated oraclesthrough the prophets in such exalted speech (cf. Gen. 49; Deut. 33; et al.). These classicverses prioritize total obedience and worship ritual for all time. God desires reality aboveritual. Sacrificing things to God is good, but obedience is "better" because it involvessacrificing ourselves to Him. The spared animals Saul offered to God were voluntarysacrifices."The issue here is not a question of either/or but of both/and. Practicallyspeaking, this means that sacrifice must be offered to the Lord on histerms, not ours." 169What is the difference between obedience and sacrifice? Sacrifice is one aspect ofobedience, but obedience involves more than just sacrifice. We should never think thatwe can compensate for our lack of obedience to some of God's will by making othersacrifices for Him. Suppose one Saturday morning a father asks his teenage son to mowthe lawn for him since he has to work that Saturday and cannot do it himself. Company iscoming and he wants it to look good. The son decides that his dad's car needs washingmore than the grass needs cutting. Besides the boy plans to use the car on a date thatnight. When the father comes home, he finds that his son has not cut the grass. "I decidedto wash your car instead," the boy explains. "Aren't you pleased with me?" His fatherreplies, "I appreciate your washing the car, but that's not what I asked you to do. I wouldhave preferred that you mow the lawn, as I told you."The failure of Israel's king to follow his commander-in-chief's orders was much moreserious than the son's disobedience in the illustration above. Departure from God's will(rebellion) presumes to control the future course of events, as divination does (v. 23).Failure to carry out God's will (insubordination) is wicked (iniquity) and puts theinsubordinate person in God's place. This is a form of idolatry. God would now begin toterminate Saul's rule as Israel's king (v. 23; cf. Exod. 34:7). Previously God had told himthat his kingdom (dynasty) would not endure (13:14)."Saul's loss of kingship and kingdom are irrevocable; the rest of 1 Samueldetails how in fact he does lose it all." 170Saul's confession was superficial. The Hebrew word translated "transgressed" (abarti)means "overlooked." Saul only admitted that he had overlooked some small andrelatively unimportant part of what God had commanded (v. 24). What God calledrebellion Saul called an oversight. Saul's greater sin was putting himself in God's place.169 Youngblood, p. 677.170 Peter D. Miscall, 1 Samuel: A Literary Reading, p. 98.