1 Samuel 15 and 16

In 1 Samuel 15, we see the beginning of the end of the reign of King Saul. Saul's insecurities have started to get the best of him. Instead of obeying God and killing EVERY one of the Amalekites and their livestock, he spares the King and Saul's men take the best of the livestock for themselves. And instead of acknowledging his wrongdoing, he blames his army and says that he was afraid of them. He was more afraid of people than of God. Not only does Saul try to use the excuse that they kept the livestock for sacrifices but he also doesn't seem to truly repent until Samuel says that he has been dethroned.

God desires true obedience more than sacrifice. God wants Saul's heart not just his outward religious expressions.We see this again in the next chapter. God doesn't pick the oldest or strongest or handsomest of Jesse's sons to take over the throne. He chooses the youngest and seemingly weakest: David the shepherd boy that seems to have been forgotten or not even seen as a likely candidate because Samuel has to ask Jesse if he has anymore sons before Jesse even mentions David. He is chosen because God cares more about his heart than his outward appearance. David is even called a man after God's own heart later.

The lesson I think we can glean from these chapters is to not be concerned about how religious we seem on the outside. The Pharisees were seen as the most religious but were the furthest from God. God wants us to care about what He cares about. He wants us to see our need for Him. He wants us to trust and obey Him. In our society that is so desperately concerned with appearances, let's be different and care more about what God cares about: Loving Him with everything that we have and loving others more than ourselves.