Day 109: A Heart of Obedience

 Today's readings: 1 Samuel 15-16 and Psalm 61.

I. In 1 Samuel 15, Saul defeats the Amalekites, but spares Agag, their defeated king, as well as kept some of the spoils. On the surface, I can sort of understand this, as we would not want to engage in the genocide of an entire people. Yet, total destruction was commanded by God for Amalek, and though we don't fully understand it today, Saul did disobey what He told him to do. Actually, keeping some of the spoils contrary to what God commanded seems like greed to me, and I have to wonder if he spared Agag for similar reasons (i.e., hoping he could get something of value from him). Regardless, God told Samuel of His displeasure with Saul and that He rejected him as king. Saul tries to explain that he kept some of the spoils to make sacrifices to God, but Samuel tells him that obedience is better than burnt offerings. Samuel has Agag brought and executes him as the chapter ends.

The next chapter sees David, the youngest son of Jesse, anointed by Samuel as the next king of Israel. The "Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul," and he was tormented by this. So, upon the suggestion of his servants, David is brought to him to play the lyre and soothe away what afflicted him.

The BIY Companion, Vol I, has some good commentary on this:

Recall that Saul's weakness is his inordinate preoccupation with how others view him. This is the sin of vanity, which is more than simply an obsession with one's physical appearance. While we should care to some degree about what others think of us, we cannot let this become our primary motive for how we act. We cannot let this become vanity... Obedience to the will of God is the heart of holiness... Remember that God does not judge by appearance but by our hearts. The Lord desires an obedient heart, a heart that wants what he wants. This is what it means to have "a heart after God's heart." It can be difficult. To listen to him and understand what he wants us to do, particularly when we would rather be doing other things, we need the help of his grace. (p. 234)

II. Psalm 61 is, as the Ignatius Bible notes:

A lament psalm. Facing various struggles, the speaker declares God to be his "refuge" and "tower" of defense and seeks the "shelter" of his sanctuary. It is debated whether or not the Psalmist is a king and whether he is close to death, living in exile, or simply far away from Jerusalem. He shows concern not only for his personal well-being but for God's people and their anointed Davidic ruler. The psalm ends with a vow to praise the Lord in response to answered prayer. (p. 880)

That's all for today!