SATURDAY March 16, 2019
Rightly Confronted
Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. And Samuel said, “What have you done?”
1 Samuel 13:10-11
As soon as Saul finished presenting the burnt offering to the Lord, Samuel came. The King of Israel went to greet the prophet Samuel; he was the one called to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. Samuel was a priest, a descendant of those belonging to the tribe of Levi (1 Chronicles 6:16-30). Only a Levite could offer sacrifices to the Lord.
On arrival, Samuel immediately confronted Saul with his sin: “What have you done?” Did Saul not realize the seriousness of his rebellious actions? In taking the position of a priest, Saul had placed himself in a position only reserved for those from the tribe of Levi. His disobedience disqualified him from serving the Lord as King of Israel.
In ministry, some people have the wrong idea that disqualification from service can happen only when a person falls into sexual sin––but no. There are other sins that can disqualify a person from serving the Lord. It could be flaws in their character: a bad temper, a grouchy attitude, a habit of lying, a tendency to disobey the Lord, or a life of utter rebellion. Seriously, there are so many reasons a person can be disqualified from service. In reality, these people have forgotten who God is, and they no longer have the fear of the Lord.
The Apostle Paul did not want his flesh––any carnal desires or his old nature’s tendency to sin––to disqualify himself from serving the Lord. He was self-disciplined. Paul kept his flesh in subjection: …I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. Do you keep your flesh under control?
We must have a spirit of power towards the enemy, a spirit of love towards men, and a spirit of self-control towards ourselves.
~Watchman Nee~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!