Contemplative Bible Reading

1 Samuel 15:20-21 (New Living Translation)

20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul insisted. “I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. 21 Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”

Saul the King just returned from yet another victorious battle. The prophet Samuel meets and chastises him for disobeying God’s instructions.

“But, but, but…” replies King Saul. “I killed everyone, except for one person. And look at all the livestock I brought back to give God.”

Poor Saul. He was just the way most of us are most of the time today. We know what God wants of us, except we think we can do a little more of this, a little less of that, make up for something here, bend something there, equal it all out, mix it up a bit…

And we go on and on thinking like the child that we can fool our grandparents with our slight of hand. Except we aren’t cute grandkids and God isn’t a doting grandparent hiding a grin while we masquerade about in folly.

God is gracious. God is forgiving. Let’s not try to sneak around. Simple, yet seemingly impossible.