When faced
with the trials and tribulations of our world, it is difficult for us as
Christians to sit back, wait, and watch to see what God will do to remedy the
situation. This puts us in the same emotional camp as King Saul as he waited
for the prophet Samuel to show up and be in charge.
1Sa
13:7b “Saul was still at Gilgal, and the people with him were trembling with
fear.
1Sa
13:8 He waited seven days for Samuel, as
Samuel had instructed him to do, but Samuel still had not come to Gilgal. The
people began to desert Saul,
1Sa
13:9 so he said to them, "Bring me
the burnt sacrifices and the fellowship sacrifices." He offered a burnt
sacrifice,
1Sa
13:10 and just as he was finishing,
Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet him and welcome him,
1Sa
13:11 but Samuel said, "What have you
done?" Saul answered, "The people were deserting me, and you had not
come when you said you would; besides that, the Philistines are gathering at
Michmash.
1Sa
13:12 So I thought, 'The Philistines are
going to attack me here in Gilgal, and I have not tried to win the LORD's
favor.' So I felt I had to offer a sacrifice."
1Sa 13:13 "That was a
foolish thing to do," Samuel answered. "You have not obeyed the
command the LORD your God gave you. If you had obeyed, he would have let you
and your descendants rule over Israel forever.”
This was the first time Saul got in hot water with God and Samuel. In
the fifteenth chapter, Samuel responds to Saul’s disobedience with these words,
1Sa
15:22 Samuel said, "Which does the
LORD prefer: obedience or offerings and sacrifices? It is better to obey him
than to sacrifice the best sheep to him.
1Sa 15:23 Rebellion against him
is as bad as witchcraft, and arrogance is as sinful as idolatry. Because you
rejected the LORD's command, he has rejected you as king."
The example
of Saul in the Old Testament is clear about what God values most. He wants
faithfulness to his will. Ultimately it is the choice of the Christian to
follow the ways of the world or the will of God. Obedience to the will of God
can come at a cost, and always it must come from the heart.
The
leadership of the Holy Spirit must be paramount as Christians confront and live
in the world. He will lead us into an understanding of our responsibilities before
God and in the midst of the world. Only his wisdom can lead us to see what is
right. Only his strength will allow us to serve God in a society that rejects
the idea of God’s rule.
When the
Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome, he was writing to believers who lived
in the heart of Roman law. They understood the rule and power of law. Paul’s
goal was to make sure they understood no matter how powerful the law or the
institutions that created it, law could not bring salvation. Only obedience to
God could bring man salvation. This was not in the power of a nation, but only
in the power of the Holy Spirit dealing in the heart of each individual.
Rom
3:19 Now we know that everything in the
Law applies to those who live under the Law, in order to stop all human excuses
and bring the whole world under God's judgment.
Rom
3:20 For no one is put right in God's
sight by doing what the Law requires; what the Law does is to make us know that
we have sinned.
Rom
3:21 But now God's way of putting people
right with himself has been revealed. It has nothing to do with law, even
though the Law of Moses and the prophets gave their witness to it.
Rom
3:22 God puts people right through their
faith in Jesus Christ. God does this to all who believe in Christ, because
there is no difference at all:
Rom 3:23 everyone has sinned
and is far away from God's saving presence.
All of this to say our relationship with God on a daily basis is the
most important thing we have. It is a relationship based on faith and obedience
to Him. We may pass all the laws we want, but those laws will not change the
hearts of people. They will not create a Christian society. Those laws will not
lead men to the path of salvation. Only the working of the Holy Spirit in each
life can change that life.
Can laws help us live at peace and in a safer society? Yes, they can.
Will sufficient laws lead us to a point of safety that denies all freedom to
witness to the saving power of God through Jesus Christ his Son? Yes, that is
true also.
The risk of living as a Christian can involve a free society or living
in a tyranny. Either way, the freedom in which a Christian lives is independent
of his material or legal circumstances. He is free in Christ.
