May 8, 2026 -God Looks at the Heart

Psalms 128:1-6

1 Samuel 15:1-35

1 Samuel 16:1-23

Bible in a Year Through Song - Day 128 of 365

1 Samuel 15:11-14 NIV

[11] “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night. [12] Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.” [13] When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.” [14] But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”

Saul has lost all humility. He disobeys God and then instead of giving God the glory for their victory he creates a monument in his own honor. And he doesn't even realize that he did anything wrong. No wonder God regrets that He made Saul king. When Samuel points out that they kept the animals instead of destroying everything like God told them to do, he states that the soldiers keep the animals. As though he had no say so in it, but he's king so they could not have done it without his knowledge and permission. It's like Adam saying the woman gave me the fruit. What do we say about our disobedience to God's law? Honor the sabbath and keep it holy. I can't help it that the kids soccer game is on Sunday? It's my only day to get the house cleaning/grass mowing/ shopping/ etc. done?

1 Samuel 15:17-19 NIV

[17] Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. [18] And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ [19] Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”

Samuel reminds Saul of his humble beginnings and how God is the one who made him king and gave him his orders. Orders that Saul picked and chose what to obey. What do we pick and choose to do? I will go to church on Sunday but on the way home I will go shopping and wash the laundry when I get home? I can't go to church because of this or that event or opportunity that conflicts, but I will do some bible reading when I get home?

1 Samuel 15:20-21 NIV

[20] “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. [21] The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”

Saul thinks that what he did was okay. He finds ways to justify it. He brought back their king which was common practice. This is what everyone does when they are victorious. But that is not a good enough reason to disobey God. He justifies the taking of the sheep and cattle saying that they will be for sacrifice. I wonder if that was really the reason they kept the animals. We do the same thing. We may say I enjoy mowing the grass, so it is a form of rest for me. To be a good parent I need to take my kids to their game. It's not my fault that it's on Sunday. Everyone misses church once in a while. When the bible would say that to be a good parent, we are to raise our children in the way they are to go in the fear and admonition of the Lord. We are to set the example for them. We should honor God above all things every day, but especially on Sunday. I wish I had done that better when my children were young. I wish that the handful of times that we skipped church for a sporting event we would have said no I am sorry you will not be attending that sporting event instead of justifying it as they are part of a team and can't let the team down. I wish we had made Sunday a time of rest where God was the primary focus all day.

1 Samuel 15:22-23 NIV

[22] But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. [23] For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”

We hear over and over throughout the bible that the Lord does not delight in offerings and sacrifices as much as in a heart surrendered to Him. If we are surrendered to Him, we obey Him. Saul became rebellious and arrogant, so the Lord rejects him as king. When confronted Saul tries to repent and asks for his sin to be forgiven. I believe that the reason God rejects him as king is because he knows Saul's heart. Saul was not asking for forgiveness because he regretted his disobedience to God he is asking for forgiveness because he doesn't want to lose his place as king. When we recognize our sin our words and our action is not what matters. God knows our motivations and our intentions. We can't hide behind our words and actions.

1 Samuel 16:6-7 NIV

[6] When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” [7] But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

When Samuel goes to the house of Jesse and meets his sons, he sees Eliab and judges him by the human standard of a king that Saul was chosen under. God sets him straight. When choosing a leader or a person to do something for Him, God does not look at what man looks at he looks at their heart. The heart is what matters for good and bad. Our heart is what matters when we repent. Our heart is what matters when we do something for God or someone else. Our heart is what matters in all things. So, going to church, mowing the grass, watching a football game or sleeping in on Sunday is not what matters. It is the heart. So, remember the first and greatest commandment, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind and all your strength and you will be okay.