1 Samuel 15:10-11 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
Disobedience and partial obedience to suit our own convenience is one of the greatest hindrances to increase, enlargement and progression. Having our own agenda over God’s plan and misuse of authority to achieve personal gains can be big hindrances to our growth. Partial obedience is also disobedience. The Lord blessed Saul who was a shepherd to his father’s donkeys and elevated him as the king of Israel. Once Saul sat on the throne he forgot that the Lord God is still the King of Israel. He made his own rules, executing his own plans and broke the commandments and the heart of God.
The Lord God gave Saul a simple command. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy[a] all that belongs to them. Do not spare them (1 Samuel 15:3a). Amalekites, the relentless enemies of Israel, were a formidable race who attacked the weak, children, aged, pregnant and vulnerable while Israel journeyed through the wilderness. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God (Deuteronomy 25:18). Israelites might have forgotten what the Amalekites did to them but the Lord did not forget their iniquities. Hence, Saul was given an assignment to completely annihilate the ruthless race after almost 300 years. However, Saul had his own agenda. But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good (1 Samuel 15:9). Saul’s rapacious pride wanted to drag Agag through the streets of Israel to display his potency and his greed grabbed everything that was attractive. Disobedience and misuse of power became a snare to his position and his posterity.
Disobedience, dissonance and dissension are hindrances:
1. Misuse: Misuse of rights, privileges and authorities that God has entrusted into our hands come with divine assignments. If God-given authority is misused to accomplish our agenda they will turn into snares and roadblocks.
2. Misinterpret: Misinterpreting scriptures to suit our convenience is lethal. Overemphasizing on excerpts that would judge others and ignoring the passages that would convict us will barricade our progress.
3. Mislead: Saul explained his ‘disobedience’ as ‘a goodly, godly and noble deed’. “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God” (vs 15). Shifting the blame on others for our misconduct and curdling the truth to mislead others into disobedience will result in a curse on the bloodline.
Disobedience not only hinders growth but can destroy the future.
1 John 1:9-10 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Prayer: Dear Holy Spirit, please show me if there is any known disobedience in me and give me the strength to confess and overcome it. Amen.
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