Whose Glory Are You After?

This morning as I read my Bible, a thought leaped from the pages and rooted itself in my brain. And it’s something so important that if we’re not getting this right, nothing else really matters. Let’s take a look at three Old Testament examples: Saul, Samuel, and David.

Whose Glory – King Saul’s Example

Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed.” ….  Samuel said, “Is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed you king over Israel, and the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them 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?”  Then Saul said to Samuel, “I did obey the voice of the Lord, and went on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.” Samuel said,

“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.

For rebellion is as the sin of divination,

And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,

He has also rejected you from being king.”

…. As Samuel turned to go, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. So Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you. Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.” (1 Samuel 15:13-29, NASB)

Saul had been given a job to do by God. He obeyed partially, but not completely. So in other words, Saul was disobedient.

Then when Samuel, the spiritual leader of Israel, shows up, Saul shows his weakness. First, he tries to sound spiritual to impress Samuel, and thus uses God’s name in vain for his own glory. Then in an attempt to cover up his sin, Saul uses deception and blaming his subordinates to rationalize his sin.

When we feel the need to lie or pass the buck to cover our sin, it’s obvious we’re after our own glory rather than God’s.

When we lie or blame others to cover our sin, we’re after our own glory rather than God’s.
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Because Saul was disobedient to God, and then tried to cover up his sin with lies, rationalization, and blaming others, Samuel tells him that his rejection of God has resulted in God rejecting him as king. In fact, God–the Glory of Israel who does not lie or change His mind–has already chosen the one to replace him.

Whose Glory – The Complete Obedience of Samuel

Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons.” But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you.” So Samuel did what the Lord said… (1 Samuel 16:1-4a, NASB)

In sharp contrast to the disobedience of Saul, in Samuel we see just the opposite. Verse 4 of this passage tells us simply that he “did what the Lord said.” Samuel obeyed completely, even when he feared for his life. Our obedience to God in spite of fear reveals whose glory we’re after.

Our obedience to God in spite of fear reveals whose glory we’re after.
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Getting This Right – Whose Glory Are You After?

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you… that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:45-47, NASB)

David’s example reveals the one thing we must absolutely all get right. Our job isn’t to make our name great, but to make great the name of the Holy God to whom we belong.

We must get this right: Whose glory are you after?
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