This month I am studying verses about obedience and righteousness and came across very familiar verses in 1 Samuel 15:22-23 “…Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.”
What are the “sin of divination” and the “evil of idolatry”? Are these just terms of the past? Are they relevant for us today, and if so how?
My trusty dictionary defines divination as “the act or practice of trying to foretell the future or the unknown by occult means; a successful or clever guess.” Idolatry is “the worship of any object or person with excessive devotion or admiration.”
There is an obsession with knowing the future. We want to know NOW so we can manipulate the future to conform to what we want and how we get it and when. This is not a new obsession but has taken on different forms throughout the ages. It is worldwide and has been practiced in both civilized and uncivilized societies. Séances, Ouija boards, fortune tellers, crystal balls, card readings, tea leaf readings, horoscopes, animal organs, and the list goes on. Thousands and millions of dollars are spent each year to…know….to control.
So what does this have to do with obedience? EVERYTHING! The burnt offerings/sacrifices are all events that can be seen by others. They are an outward; upright (self/ego) appearance that results in just giving lip service. Obedience is an inward, laying prostrate (surrender) appearance which is only seen by God. Unless our hearts are in a prostrate position where we allow God to work his plan (Jeremiah 29:11-14) in us, in his timing, we will not escape the manipulation trap that leads to rebellion. This trap starts not with major events or occurrences but rather the small subtle questions, doubts, disappointments and complacency. When we rebel and want to be the owner of our own destiny, arrogance and “self” will become the object of worship, the idol that must be feed to keep the deceit alive.
“You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’ Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away (Is 47:10-11)
God’s warning is the same for us today as it was to the Israelites when they didn’t want to listen to the Lord. “Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. (Isaiah 30:12-14). Likewise, his promise is for us today, “…..in repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and TRUST is your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15)
Oh that our ears would be bent to his voice and our hearts molded by his word, then obedience would be the path that leads to life, hope and a future.
What are the “sin of divination” and the “evil of idolatry”? Are these just terms of the past? Are they relevant for us today, and if so how?
My trusty dictionary defines divination as “the act or practice of trying to foretell the future or the unknown by occult means; a successful or clever guess.” Idolatry is “the worship of any object or person with excessive devotion or admiration.”
There is an obsession with knowing the future. We want to know NOW so we can manipulate the future to conform to what we want and how we get it and when. This is not a new obsession but has taken on different forms throughout the ages. It is worldwide and has been practiced in both civilized and uncivilized societies. Séances, Ouija boards, fortune tellers, crystal balls, card readings, tea leaf readings, horoscopes, animal organs, and the list goes on. Thousands and millions of dollars are spent each year to…know….to control.
So what does this have to do with obedience? EVERYTHING! The burnt offerings/sacrifices are all events that can be seen by others. They are an outward; upright (self/ego) appearance that results in just giving lip service. Obedience is an inward, laying prostrate (surrender) appearance which is only seen by God. Unless our hearts are in a prostrate position where we allow God to work his plan (Jeremiah 29:11-14) in us, in his timing, we will not escape the manipulation trap that leads to rebellion. This trap starts not with major events or occurrences but rather the small subtle questions, doubts, disappointments and complacency. When we rebel and want to be the owner of our own destiny, arrogance and “self” will become the object of worship, the idol that must be feed to keep the deceit alive.
“You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’ Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away (Is 47:10-11)
God’s warning is the same for us today as it was to the Israelites when they didn’t want to listen to the Lord. “Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. (Isaiah 30:12-14). Likewise, his promise is for us today, “…..in repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and TRUST is your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15)
Oh that our ears would be bent to his voice and our hearts molded by his word, then obedience would be the path that leads to life, hope and a future.
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"When we rebel and want to be the owner of our own destiny, arrogance and “self” will become the object of worship, the idol that must be feed to keep the deceit alive." So true, and so easy to fall into that trap. Thank you for these posts!!
ReplyDeleteThis is the second time today that I have heard that to "obey is better than sacrifice." To me, that always means that the Lord is trying to get my attention! He's got it now! Thank you for sharing and making it so clear....
ReplyDeleteAleta