THURSDAY April 25, 2019
When to Be Quiet
And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”
Then Samuel said to Saul, “Be quiet! And I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak on.”
1 Samuel 15:15-16
Samuel had confronted Saul’s disobedience. He was supposed to destroy everything belonging to the Amalekites. In answer to Samuel’s comments, Saul gave what he thought to be a good excuse. He laid the blame for his disobedience directly on the people because they were the ones who wanted to offer the meat as a sacrifice to the Lord! Yet who was in charge? King Saul! He not only blamed them but excused the actions; after all, they were doing it to sacrifice to the Lord.
Notice the marked change in Saul’s words to Samuel, instead of saying, “My God,” Saul had said, “Your God.” King Saul’s words revealed his heart. He was no longer serving God. He was backslidden.
Now came the strong rebuke from Samuel to Saul, “Be quiet!” Samuel was telling Saul to shut–up! God had given Saul so many opportunities to get his life right. Remember God had spoken to Samuel the night before about Saul’s disobedience. King Saul still had a space of time to repent before Samuel’s arrival but he did not do it! Now Samuel would have none of his excuses. God had spoken and it was Saul turn to listen.
The next time you are placed in charge of something and it goes wrong, do not blame other people––learn to be a man or woman of God––do not blame others for your mistakes. Be humble and just take the blame. You need to be open to hear God’s voice and His leading. What has God spoken to you? Could it be your heart is not right with Him?
You can blame circumstances, but backsliding always begins in the heart.
~A.W. Tozer~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!