FAITH CAPSULE: Before God, incomplete obedience is a full complete disobedience.
1 Samuel 15
Obedience demands commitment but denies convenience. Obedience is often demands agreement or submission. Think of it, obedience is sacrifice. The word of God demands full obedience without any excuse or compromise. Rising in response to the word of God is not enough without rising and moving in direct of the word of God.
King Saul was an example of rising in obedience to the word of God but could not answer fully in direction of the word of God.
God sent Samuel to Saul, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” (1 Samuel 15:2-3) King Saul rose up in obedience but failed to fully answer to the word of direction. Saul spared some and destroyed as decided on his own against the word of God. Saul failed and was rejected by God.
Rising in obedience to the word of God is not enough without rising and going in the direction of the word of God. Many are failing to fully answer in the direction of God’s word. Jonah answered but failed to fully answer. It is written, “Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 ’Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.’ 3 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” (Jonah 1:1-3) Jonah responded by hearing but followed the dictates of his heart.
Disobedience of Jonah led him in the belly of a fish. It was a dark place; an unfamiliar ground for Jonah. An act of disobedience is to be disoriented just as it was like Jonah’s incomplete obedience. So many have started in the calling of God but failed as incomplete before God.
Jonah knew he entered self-affliction; He called on God. Jonah 2:1-2, “Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish’s belly. And he said: ‘I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, and He answered me. “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice.”” God answered Jonah and his repentance to God delivered him from incomplete obedience. Full obedience is all that counts before God. Excuse for disobedience could not deliver King Saul. Before God, incomplete obedience is a full complete disobedience.
Prayer for today: Ask God to help you and not be a failure.