Friday's Devo - Just Obey

We're back!!! We had a great family time. We love being together. It was not exactly as we had planned. Charm came sick and was feeling well enough to ski the first day. We all skied the first day. The second day, Daniel got a stomach virus, or altitude sickness and was in bed all day. That was the day Dave fell and hurt his knee. Josh also did something to his knee. The third day, only Caleb and I skied until Josh came and joined us for a few runs. The forth day I got the virus and Daniel, Josh, Caleb, and Charm skied. What a vacation! In spite of it all, it was a blast and we all came home glad we had gone. We played Charades at night, went to a movie, ate at some really unique restaurants, met some interesting people, and laughed a lot. What else can you ask for in a family vacation? It reminds me of the scripture: "How good and how pleasant is it for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Ps. 133:1

Now back to our study...
Read 1 Sam. 15
Saul has been king for a while and has shown himself to be impulsive, controlling, and egotistic. He meets Samuel who reminds him that he, Samuel, was the one that annointed him as king. Then he gives him an assignment, as if to say, let's see if you can do this right. He tells him to go and settle God's account with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came out of Egypt. The account is in Ex. 17. The children of Israel had just tempted God at the rock in Horeb. They had just come out of the wilderness and had no water. They blamed Moses, and Moses cried out to God. God told Moses to strike the rock and when he did, water came out. Their punishment for not trusting in God and blaming Moses came through the Amakekites. They came and attacked the children of Israel. Moses stood on the hill and watched. As long as he lifted his rod, the Israelites won. When he got tired and lowered it, the Israelites lost. It was so obvious that they took a stone and let Moses sit down and Aaron and Hur held his arms up. They overthrew the Amalekites and God said, 'write this down, one day, I will utterly blot out the name of the Amalekites from the earth.'
God has decided that this would be that day, so Saul gathers 210,000 men to fight them. When they came to the city of Amalek there are Kenites living with the Amalekites. The Kenites were Moses' father-in-law's people. They had helped the Israelites when they were in the wilderness. They even came and dwelt among the Israelites. Saul knows this and tells the Kenites his plan so they can leave and not get killed along with the Amalekites. The Kenites opt to leave. (Good choice.) Saul kills all the Amalekites except for the king, Agag. (Why can't Saul get this right?) He also spared the best of their sheep, oxen, lambs and all that he thought was good. All the detestable things, he destroyed.
So where's that mirror? This is a great picture of me compromising on what God has said. Me, thinking my wisdom is better than God's. Wait, God, I have a better way! When God tells us to get rid of something in our lives, he isn't kidding. He doesn't receive half-hearted attempts. We want the promises of God, but not the sacrifice of laying down our own wills. He sees the big picture and if we don't come up to the plate, he will find someone who will. Lord, help us to utterly destroy the things in our lives that you have told us to put away. We want to fight in your army and we want the victory to go to you!