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MAY 19, 2011
WILL I SUCCEED? PART 5
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” (Joshua 1:8, NASB)
Let’s go right to work. What does it mean “be careful to do”?
Thirty-one centuries ago, a battle was about to commence that may shed light on this question.
Saul, the first King of Israel, had gathered an infantry of 210,000 troops in a valley southwest of the Dead Sea.
His mentor, Samuel, the spiritual leader of the nation, had given him a mandate from God: Their enemy, the Amalekites
must be utterly destroyed. All persons. Even livestock.
Saul attacked, slaughtered the Amalekites, but kept the best livestock and some valuables. After the battle Saul
returned to Gilgal, north of the Dead Sea near Jordan.
At the same time, God spoke to Samuel.
Samuel hurried to Gilgal to deliver another message to Saul.
Saul greeted him with joy. “I’ve carried out the Lord’s command,” he said.
“What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” Samuel asked.
Saul must have been taken aback. He pointed his finger at the soldiers. “The people spared the best of the sheep
and oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God… but the rest we have utterly destroyed.”
“Wait, and let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night,” Samuel said. “The Lord sent you on a
mission and said, ‘Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites… until they are exterminated.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but rushed upon the spoil and did
what was evil in the sight of the Lord?”
“I did obey the voice of the Lord … and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites,” he repeated,
“The people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen…”
Samuel stopped him.
“Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord?”
“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams... Because you have rejected the Word
of the Lord, He has rejected you from being King.”
Saul failed to be careful to do all the Lord had commanded.
Partial obedience to Saul was synonymous with precise obedience.
Not with God.
Partial obedience equates to disobedience.
Partial obedience cost Saul his throne.
Earlier this month I had the pleasure of spending a few days at The Tradition, one of the Champions Tour majors.
I watched, as I often do, the precise obedience these Tour pros have to the Rules of Golf.
I noticed the precision that each player takes to mark his ball on the green. He knows that placing a dime behind his
ball incorrectly, or setting a putter down behind a ball too quickly, can have severe consequences.
The Word of God, like the Rules of Golf, must be carefully followed. Too many people have learned the hard lesson that
inattention to detail can spell the difference between downfall and true success.
Dear God, is there some detail I need to give careful attention today?
--
Jim Hiskey
May 19, 2011
Copyright 2011 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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