Text: Proverbs 29:25, 1 Samuel 15:24-31
Memory Verse: “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe” (Proverbs 29:25).
God instructed King Saul to fight against the Amalekites and utterly destroy them – both man and woman, infant and nursing child, and all livestock (1 Samuel 15:3). However, King Saul and the people spared Agag, Amalek’s king; the best of the sheep; the oxen; the fatlings; the lambs; and all that was good. They only destroyed everything that was
despised and worthless (1 Samuel 15:9).
When he was confronted by Samuel for this wrong action, he gave an excuse on the premise that they spared them to sacrifice unto Samuel’s God and justified himself for having gone on the mission he was sent and carried out the
instruction given him. Samuel told him that obedience was better than sacrifice, and for this disobedience/rebellion, the Lord had rejected him as king.
Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice (I Samuel 15:24). It is a dangerous trap to let other people’s opinion of you; whether they will approve of you, determine what you do or hold you back from doing what you
know you should do. It is dangerous because, if you are afraid of people and live to please them, you can thereby disobey God and miss your destiny. So, heed the scriptural admonition that “Fearing people is a dangerous trap,
but trusting the LORD means safety” (Proverbs 29:25 NLT) and trust God instead.
Prayer Points:
1. Father, thank You that I do not have to look to someone else to tell me who I am or what I should do.
2. Father, please deliver me from the trap of the fear of men.
