TOPIC:
DOING GOD’S WORK DECEITFULLY
Read 1 Samuel 15:1-9
1 Samuel also said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the LORD.
2 Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt.
3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”
4 So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah.
5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley.
6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7 And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt.
8 He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
MEMORISE:
Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully (Jeremiah 48:10)
EXPOSITION
Paul urges believers to always give themselves fully to the work of the Lord. That is, believers are to be unrepentant devoted to God’s work (1 Cor. 15:58). In context of our memory scripture, the work of the Lord, is intended as the execution of the judgements of God according to His divine commandments. Therefore, the Lord’s work is done deceitfully when it is not done according to His divine commandments, or when it is done for another end than God prescribes.
In our Bible passage for this dose of the Living Water (1 Sam. 15:1-9), God commanded that the Amalekites be utterly blotted out because of their wickedness, cruelty, and continued rebellion (v. 3). Saul and his men did otherwise, sparing the best of sheep and oxen, and Agag the king of Amalek. This shows total disregard for God. What an effrontery! When we gloss over sin in order to protect what we have, or for material gain, we are not being shrewd, we are disobeying God’s law. Selective obedience is just another form of disobedience.
Peter admonished ministers of God to serve willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly, and not out of obligation (1 Pet. 5:2-4). Ministerial employment is the Lord’s work, but when a man aims principally at himself in it, then he does it deceitfully: for he converts God’s service to his own service; for he works for himself and yet pretends he works for God. They are deceitful workers, those that promise to God, but mean not to pay what they once intended; people that are confident in the day of ease, and fail in danger.
In every action of religion, God expects such warmth and holy fire to go along, that it may be able to rekindle the fire upon the altar, and consume the sacrifice; but God hates an indifferent spirit. Be persuaded, passionate, enthusiastic and zealous as you do God’s business.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Father, empower me through Your Holy Spirit to always give myself fully to Your work, and to do it according to Your divine commandments.
2. O Lord, endow all the ministers of the gospel with the spirit to serve willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly, and not out of obligation.
3. Lord Jesus, touch the hearts of our political, traditional and religious leaders to stop using service to humanity for personal aggrandizement.
EXTRA READING FOR TODAY:
Job 40:20 – 42:17; Psalms 1:1 – 2:1; Rom. 1:11 – 1:32
HAVE A PLEASANT SATURDAY…………..SHALOM