Read: 1 Samuel 15-17
Marked: 1 Samuel 15:20-21, And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.”
God had given clear instructions to Saul to attack Amalek and utterly destroy all they had, and do not spare them (V3). Yet, Saul kept the king alive and the people spared the best and all that was good and were unwilling to utterly destroy them (V9).
When confronted by Samuel, Saul does what I do often do. I justify my actions. Saul says in verse 20 that he has obeyed the Lord even though it is clear that he has not, even admitting he has kept the king alive and then blames the people for disobedience.
It has been this way from the beginning. God instructed Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but they disobeyed. And when confronted Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent (Genesis 3:12-13).
It is in our nature to justify our disobedience rather than admitting our sin. Consequently, Saul suffered the loss of his throne and the loss of the kingdom. If we don’t obey God we will suffer loss.
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