SAMUEL: The Easy Way

Trusting God might sounds simple but it is not easy. Saul foolishly chose to trust his own understanding, disobeyed God, and started down the easier way of destruction. One year into Saul’s reign, Jonathon kicks off a war with their enemies the Philistines. Saul calls the nation to face an overwhelmingly larger army, and the people are filled with fear and hopelessness. Many hide and flee, and the army begins to dwindle. Samuel seems late, and Saul doesn’t wait; choosing to offer an unauthorized sacrifice to the Lord instead of trusting God. Samuel confronts Saul who offers excuses and blames others. The consequence of Saul’s foolishness is that his kingdom will not last because of his disobedience. We are reminded of Jesus words in Mt 7:13-14, that the way to destruction is easy, and that trusting God is hard. Small compromises with sin lead to enslavement and destruction. Conversely, trusting God is rarely easy or simple. Saul thought he was doing the right thing, but his compromise was actually foolishly disobedient. His “small” sin began his gradual descent down the easy road to destruction, rather than trusting God regardless of circumstance, timing, or outcome - like Jesus did. Our faith and trust can only be in Jesus, who took the hardest road of obedience for our sake.