What Meaneth then the Bleating of the Sheep?

“And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”

1 Samuel 15:14
 
Samuel had instructed Saul to go and utterly destroy the Amalekites.  This was because of how the Amalekites had treated Israel.  (! Samuel 15:1-3)  Saul obeyed, but he chose to obey on his terms.  He took God’s instructions, and reinterpreted them in his own mind.  The result was that he destroyed most of the Amalekites, some of their flocks, and all that he deemed as “vile and refuse.”  (1 Samuel 15:7-9)  Then, Samuel comes and rebukes him for not completely obeying the word of the Lord.  Samuel continues that if Saul would have obeyed completely, then what is the “bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”  Sadly, this is the story of many today.  People that set out to serve the Lord, but they set the parameters and decide how they will obey the Lord.  The Bible is not a book up for discussion.  It is the very words of God.  Someone has said, “They are the Ten Commandments, not the Ten Suggestions.”  We live in a time where people want to redefine and reinterpret what the Bible says.  It is a book of absolute truth.  The reality is you either choose to obey God’s word or you choose to disobey God’s word.  Samuel proclaimed there would be consequences for Saul’s disobedience.  “And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.”  (1 Samuel 15:26)  Just as their were consequences for Saul’s sin, there will be consequences for your sin as well.  Far too often there are some bleating sheep and lowing oxen in our lives.
 
This week’s biblical principle to consider:
God wants you to obey Him completely.  He wants you to obey the directions that He has given you in your life.  If we are not obeying Him completely, then we are disobeying Him. 
 

This week’s Bible reading schedule:

Monday – Acts 6

Tuesday – Acts 7

Wednesday – Acts 8

Thursday – Acts 9

Friday – Acts 10

Saturday – Acts 11

Sunday – Acts 12


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