You Are a King – Don’t Neglect That Responsibility!
From 1 Samuel 15, we read of God’s order through His servant Samuel, that King Saul was to “smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” (vs. 3) However, Saul took Agag, the king of the Amalekites, alive, and the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. (vs. 9) When Samuel came to Saul, Saul boldly said, “I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” (vs. 13) Samuel replied, “What meaneth them this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” Saul tried to blame the people and insist that he had obeyed God (vs. 15 – 21), to which Samuel says, “Hath 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 hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath rejected thee from being king.” (vs. 22-23)
Now, consider the statement John records at Revelation 1:5-6: “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.” Yes, as Christians, we are “kings.” Our “kingdom” is limited to our bodies, our rule is limited to the choices we make regarding the life in our bodies, and each of us are answerable to the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords! (Revelation 17:14; 2 Corinthians 5:10) Yet, just as Saul rejected the word of God, and subsequently, God rejected Saul from being king over Israel, God will reject us as “kings” if we reject Him! (John 12:48)
Some have called Saul’s sin arrogance, others say greed, and still others claim that he had “victor’s rights.” The fact is that his sin was DISOBEDIENCE! Specifically, Saul had rejected the word of God (1 Samuel 15:23. Though he vehemently argued that he had obeyed God’s commandment, defending his actions as he spoke with Samuel, the reality was that partial obedience was equal to no obedience: he rejected God’s commandment as if nothing mattered!
Think of this: God had chosen Saul to be the king of Israel (1 Samuel 9). All Saul needed to do was comply completely with God’s commandment to destroy the Amalekites utterly. God had His reasons for this annihilation (Deuteronomy 25:17-19). Regardless of how desperately Saul attempted to “justify” his choices, he could never defend his sin of disobedience. For that reason, God said, “It repenteth Me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following Me, and hath not performed My commandments.” (1 Samuel 15:11) Even after Saul recognized his sin (vs. 24), God rejected Saul from being king! So far from God had Saul gone that God had departed from him (1 Samuel 16:14). Indeed, Saul’s disobedience was so great that God refused to answer his pleas for help in any fashion (1 Samuel 28:15 – 20). Saul was no longer king over anything or anyone: he was completely rejected by the God he once adored!
It is the same with those who compromise God’s word in favor of indulging their selfish desires. All the attempts at justifying their deeds are futile and will not grant them favor in God’s sight! Even their admission of guilt will not suffice without repentance – genuine, honest, and sincere repentance from their willful sin! (Hebrews 10: 26 - 27; 2 Corinthians 7:10) God has a reason for commanding us to obey Him (1 John 3: 7 – 10). When we obey Him, we are made kings and priests for His name’s sake (Revelation 1: 5 – 6). Why would any soul, appointed king by the God of heaven, ever reject His word and ultimately reject Him simultaneously? Rejecting God’s word and rejecting God has only one eternal outcome – eternal hell! (2 Thessalonians 1: 7 – 9; Matthew 7:21 – 23; Matthew 25: 31 – 46; et al).
The apostle Paul wrote, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4) The lessons we can learn from Saul’s demise will profit us if we are studious enough to accept the lessons and obey God’s truth! Multiple times, we see God’s wrath administered to those who rejected His commandments. We dare not think God has changed His opinion regarding the practice of sin. He still has a severe nature when His and His word are rejected (Romans 11:22). As kings and priests for His name’s sake, let us never give occasion for God to reject us from being what He desires us to be!