Confront Insecurities Prevent Sinful Actions | 1 Samuel 15:17-23

Are you sacrificing your insecurities to the Lord, or are you only bringing sins of insecurity to him?

Welcome to the Daily Devo. I am Vince Miller.

This week, we are in 1 Samuel 15. I've titled this chapter "The Consequences of Disobedience."

Today, I am going to read a moment where Samuel is going to call King Saul out. Let's dive into 17-23:

And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” — 1 Samuel 15:17-21

Saul perceives his voice and leadership as small, but his role is not small. Saul was God's anointed and appointed, and his voice and leadership mattered. God wanted to use them to lead the kingdom.

Based on what we have learned about Saul, there are two internal forces within him—deep insecurity combined with opportunistic self-interest. Both come into play right here, and they are exposed when he is confronted by Samuel's "Why?" question.

We all struggle with this because we all have insecurities. We have insecurities in our relationships, leadership, marriage, and career. Yet these insecurities, when unrealized and left unaddressed, can awaken devious forms of opportunistic self-interest. They result in us taking advantage because we feel we need the advantage to satisfy our insecurities. But what we think no one sees discerning people in our lives do see.

In this situation, Samuel understands what Saul has done. Cattle are lowing and bleating that should have been slaughtered, but he has saved them for "sacrifice to the Lord." Then, when Saul is confronted with the "Why?" question, he does the same four things all insecure, guilty people do.

Rationalize.
Deflect.
Blame.
Explain.
Instead of admitting and owning up to their deep insecurities and devious selfishness, they rationalize, deflect, blame, and explain.

Here's some advice. It's something I have had to learn the hard way: Confess your insecurities before you have to confess your sin.

Everyone has some deep insecurity. Most of the time, we don't take the time to understand them. But it's far better to acknowledge, understand, confess, and lead them before they lead you into sin. And because Saul doesn't confess his insecurities but rather rationalizes, deflects, blames, and explains, here is how Samuel responds in verses 22-23:

And Samuel said,

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has also rejected you from being king.” — 1 Samuel 15:22-23

Now, with this context, you see the point of our key text in the chapter.

God does not care about Saul's sacrifices, mainly because they were selfish sacrifices contrived from insecurity, sin, and disobedience.

God doesn't want someone else's best. He wants your best, derived from wholehearted obedience, because you find your security in him. God wants your full obedience, not your empty rituals. Half-hearted attempts don't cut it with God. God doesn’t want what you think is best. He wants what he knows is best. This text calls you to examine your heart and to move beyond the rationalizing, deflecting, blaming, and explaining.

Today, challenge yourself to address your insecurities. Instead of bringing the best of your presumptions or assumptions, sacrifice your insecurities to God, and then you will know what is to be wholeheartedly submitted to Him.

#ObedienceOverSacrifice, #FaithfulLeadership, #ConfrontInsecurities