No Questions Asked

• Give an example of a sin and its consequence.

• Why does God give us commandments?

Your kingdom will not endure; the lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the lord’s command.
1 Samuel 13:14

Saul’s had an obedience problem. He knew God’s laws, and he was given a big responsibility: to be the king of Israel. As king, people looked to him to be a leader and to provide an example of the right way to do things. But Saul thought he could do things his own way.

When Saul was faced with an enemy army, he could have turned to God for help and guidance. He could have also turned to God’s messenger, Samuel. Instead, Saul took matters into his own hands and offered a sacrifice to God on his own.

It was a good thing to want to offer a sacrifice, but only the priests were allowed to do that. Saul had good intentions, but he disobeyed a rule that God had put in place.

God doesn’t want us to follow him and make up our own rules. God tells us to obey his commands. Period. Yes, God will forgive us, but once we disobey, the damage has been done. Disobedience always has consequences.

In Saul’s case, God removed his blessing from his life and told him that there would soon be a new king. Saul didn’t know this would happen, but he didn’t have to know. He should have just obeyed God. Even when we don’t understand why God commands what he does, we need to recognize that God knows what he’s doing. We need to trust in God’s commandments and obey them — no questions asked.

PRAYER
Dear God, thank you for your commandments. Please help us to trust you and to be obedient to your Word. Amen.