Resistance is Futile
“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
When working as a police officer, I’d often hear other officers say, "we can do this the easy way or the hard way" before taking an uncooperative offender into custody. Some offenders would resist and choose the hard way and others were smart enough to know that resistance was futile.
Sadly, many today do not see the folly of resisting God. While confronting King Saul for failing to follow the Lord’s instructions, the prophet Samuel said, “for rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Samuel 15:23a). According to Samuel, resistance to God’s will is not only rebellion against our Maker, but is akin to the sin of divination. Divination is the practice of seeking knowledge of the future through some supernatural means other than God. In the case of Saul, he already knew God’s will, but chose to do things his way.
Although Saul would later consult an actual witch, (1 Samuel 28), the source of the counsel that led to his rebellion in 1 Samuel 15 was himself (1 Samuel 15:19). Therefore, Saul’s rebellion was as the sin of divination because he turned a deaf ear to God and instead chose to rely on his own understanding. As John Piper noted, “Disobedience of God’s word puts my own wisdom in the place of God’s and thus insults God as the only sure and reliable source of wisdom.”
In light of this, notice also that Samuel referred to his actions not only as presumption, but as idolatry (1 Samuel 15:23a). Idolatry is more than bowing before a physical icon. It’s exalting anything or anyone in our hearts above God. When we exalt our own understanding above God’s good will for our lives, we put ourselves in God’s place, thus committing idolatry. When we place more value on the lust of the flesh rather than on the leading of the Spirit, we dethrone God by giving allegiance to the idol of our human will and desires.
Now, because Saul rejected the word of God, Samuel pronounced, “the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king” (1 Samuel 15:23). He got what he wanted, but he lost what he had. In the same way, if we reject God’s word, we exchange His purpose for our lives for our own plans. We forfeit God’s good will to satisfy our immediate desires.
Why did Saul reject the word of the Lord? Remember, Saul put his own wisdom in the place of God’s wisdom. He resisted God’s will because he relied on himself more than God. And he did so because he did not know and fear God, which is the beginning of wisdom. As the book of Proverbs explains, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10). To know God is to love Him. To love Him is to trust Him. To trust Him is to obey Him (Psalm 9:10).
When the Almighty calls us to surrender to His will, do we resist Him or do we rely on Him? “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 16:25). Are you learning the easy way or the hard way that resisting God does not pay? People say, “It’s hard to live the Christian life.” It’s hard not to.
Obeying Christ, who was obedient unto death, will not always be easy, but it will always be worth it. Christ is worthy of our trust. How can we not give our all to the One who gave His all for us? “If Christ has died for me, I cannot trifle with the evil that killed my best Friend” (Spurgeon).
Samuel admonished Saul saying, “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). Saul thought that modified obedience would be acceptable to God. He offered sacrifices from the spoils of war that God commanded to be destroyed. But the best way that Saul could have showed his love and gratitude for the military victory was to obey all that God commanded.
Similarly, the best way that we can show our love for the victory that we have in Jesus is to be totally abandoned to His will. May the love of Christ compel us to no longer live for ourselves, but for him, who for our sake, died and was raised (2 Corinthians 5:15). “Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” Resistance is futile.
Blessings,
Pastor Marco
When working as a police officer, I’d often hear other officers say, "we can do this the easy way or the hard way" before taking an uncooperative offender into custody. Some offenders would resist and choose the hard way and others were smart enough to know that resistance was futile.
Sadly, many today do not see the folly of resisting God. While confronting King Saul for failing to follow the Lord’s instructions, the prophet Samuel said, “for rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Samuel 15:23a). According to Samuel, resistance to God’s will is not only rebellion against our Maker, but is akin to the sin of divination. Divination is the practice of seeking knowledge of the future through some supernatural means other than God. In the case of Saul, he already knew God’s will, but chose to do things his way.
Although Saul would later consult an actual witch, (1 Samuel 28), the source of the counsel that led to his rebellion in 1 Samuel 15 was himself (1 Samuel 15:19). Therefore, Saul’s rebellion was as the sin of divination because he turned a deaf ear to God and instead chose to rely on his own understanding. As John Piper noted, “Disobedience of God’s word puts my own wisdom in the place of God’s and thus insults God as the only sure and reliable source of wisdom.”
In light of this, notice also that Samuel referred to his actions not only as presumption, but as idolatry (1 Samuel 15:23a). Idolatry is more than bowing before a physical icon. It’s exalting anything or anyone in our hearts above God. When we exalt our own understanding above God’s good will for our lives, we put ourselves in God’s place, thus committing idolatry. When we place more value on the lust of the flesh rather than on the leading of the Spirit, we dethrone God by giving allegiance to the idol of our human will and desires.
Now, because Saul rejected the word of God, Samuel pronounced, “the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king” (1 Samuel 15:23). He got what he wanted, but he lost what he had. In the same way, if we reject God’s word, we exchange His purpose for our lives for our own plans. We forfeit God’s good will to satisfy our immediate desires.
Why did Saul reject the word of the Lord? Remember, Saul put his own wisdom in the place of God’s wisdom. He resisted God’s will because he relied on himself more than God. And he did so because he did not know and fear God, which is the beginning of wisdom. As the book of Proverbs explains, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10). To know God is to love Him. To love Him is to trust Him. To trust Him is to obey Him (Psalm 9:10).
When the Almighty calls us to surrender to His will, do we resist Him or do we rely on Him? “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 16:25). Are you learning the easy way or the hard way that resisting God does not pay? People say, “It’s hard to live the Christian life.” It’s hard not to.
Obeying Christ, who was obedient unto death, will not always be easy, but it will always be worth it. Christ is worthy of our trust. How can we not give our all to the One who gave His all for us? “If Christ has died for me, I cannot trifle with the evil that killed my best Friend” (Spurgeon).
Samuel admonished Saul saying, “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). Saul thought that modified obedience would be acceptable to God. He offered sacrifices from the spoils of war that God commanded to be destroyed. But the best way that Saul could have showed his love and gratitude for the military victory was to obey all that God commanded.
Similarly, the best way that we can show our love for the victory that we have in Jesus is to be totally abandoned to His will. May the love of Christ compel us to no longer live for ourselves, but for him, who for our sake, died and was raised (2 Corinthians 5:15). “Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” Resistance is futile.
Blessings,
Pastor Marco