YIELD TO CORRECTION
And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…(1 Samuel 15:22-23).
The words of Samuel to King Saul reveal a powerful insight into the danger of disobedience. Saul had received clear instructions from God through the Prophet Samuel, but he chose his own course of action. Then Samuel reproved him, saying, _*“…to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams”(1 Samuel 15:22).
Notice that obedience takes precedence over sacrifice. God is more interested in your living out His Word, doing the Word, than in any religious gesture. Then he goes further to equate not doing what the Lord says to witchcraft, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft….” That’s a remarkable comparison. Disobedience produces rebellion.
He continues by saying “…and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry….”*_ Rebellion, when sustained, becomes stubbornness. And what is stubbornness? It’s the refusal to accept correction. It’s an insistence on one’s own way in disregard of godly counsel and instructions. The Bible says this is equivalent to idolatry.
That’s because in such a state, the individual exalts and sees himself as his own authority. He esteems his own opinions above God’s Word. That is self-worship, and self-worship is idolatry. When someone disobeys and insists on their own way, they enter into rebellion. If they’re corrected and still will not change, they’re stubborn. And stubbornness, according to God’s Word, is iniquity and idolatry. So, never take the corrections of the Spirit or the instructions from the Word lightly. To reject correction is to make an idol of yourself. But to humbly yield to the Word is wisdom.
PRAYER
Dear Father, thank you for the clarity and power of your Word and the transformation it brings to my life. My heart is tender and yielded to your instructions and guidance always. I esteem your voice above every other opinion or preference, and I walk in submission to your will, and I live in the liberty and joy of righteousness, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY
Proverbs 29:1 NIV, James 1:22 KJV, Hebrews 12:9-11 KJV ,Proverbs 3:11 KJV
1-Year Bible Reading Plan 1 John 1-2:1-14 & Ezekiel 43-44
2-Year Bible Reading Plan: John 16:12-22 & 2 Chronicles 1-2
