THE PRECEPTS - Topic: PERSONAL OPINION VS DIVINE INSTRUCTIONS
Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 13:7-14.
Many times we recieve direct instructions from God, and instead for us to carry out the divine instructions, we turn ourselves to be the interpreter of it. Thus, we confuse ourselves on what to do with the divine instructions because we bringing our personal opinion into what God has said, while. We must learn that divine instructions are not to be interpreted, they are to be carried out. When God speaks to you, He expects you to do what He told you, He didn't expect you to start analyzing what He said. The mother of Jesus understood this principle in dealing with her son, whom she has nurtured for years that when he speaks his words were not to be analyzed, nor to be interpreted but to be obeyed. Mother of Jesus having this understanding, she said to the servants at the marriage of Canaan of Gallilee, "that whatever he tells you to do, just do it". Don't analyzed it, don't try to interpret it, No! But whatever he tells you to do, DO IT. This is the main error I observed in the life of Saul that caused his down fall, which put an end to his reign. His major problem was that any time God gave him an instruction, his personal opinion on what God said was his confusion. In the bible passage above, the instruction given to Saul was to wait for Samuel to come to offer the sacrifice unto The Lord. But Saul didn't obey that, he went ahead on the seventh day to do the sacrifice by himself, and as soon as he finished it, Samuel came. Meaning that Samuel still came on the seventh day, which was in the range of the days that Samuel promised to come. But I believe the error of Saul was his personal opinion to the instruction given to him. 1) Saul had the opinion that Samuel could have come in any of the seven days and sacrifice to God, but the man Samuel was the one that know exactly what God said and when He want the sacrifice to be presented. So when Samuel didn't show up until the seventh day Saul believed he might not come again, then he did it himself, and that is foolishness. 2) Second opinion that Saul had, that it is not really necessary that only Samuel has the sole right to present the sacrifice to God, that anybody should be able to do it, that the important thing was that the sacrifice be offered to God. But that also was foolishness. He should have stayed with the obedience of the instruction rather than becoming the interpreter of it. The instruction Samuel gave was wait for me for seven days, until the sacrifice is presented to The Lord, you cannot proceed to the battle. But, Saul's personal opinion moved him to disobey what God said, he forced himself to do what he should not have done, he said he saw his army begin to leave him, and the army of the enemy are drawing near to him, so he intrude into the office not assigned to him, he did the sacrifice which was solely appointed by God for the priest alone to do, not king nor leader. This is what we must learn as lesson, that Bible is God's instructive manual to our lives, there are clear cut instructions in it, we must not turn ourselves to interpret it to suit our life, rather where you lack clearity you ask the author of the book and he will explain what he meant. In the way God set up His church He never left it to the opinion of the public or government to tell how it should be run, if you want to know how it should be run then, consult the bible. Also institute of marriage was not subjected to anybody's custom or traditions neither your personal opinion on marriage. Your own duty is to know what are God's instructions about marriage, then obey it. So also it apply to every other things in your life your tithe and offering, healthy living, life of faith, work of grace, living holy life, etc. All God's instructions and commands either given you from the bible or the Holy Spirit put it in your spirit, they are not to be interpreted based on your personal opinion about life, but it must be carried out and obeyed, no matter how foolish it may look to men. It pays that men calls you foolish than for God to say, "thou has done foolishly", the consequence of it is always enormous. I pray for you, may you not commit the error of Saul.
Prayer Points: Pray that God will give you wisdom to understand how best to handle divine instructions per time, and God to baptized you with the spirit of obedience to God. And that spirit foolly will have no place in your life in Jesus name.
( Courtesy of THE PRECEPTS SEEKERS CHURCH INT'L. Email: pastoryomieniola@gmail.com, phone: +234 806 755 0234)
