The Deep, Bitter Roots of Disobedience

There is a reason God delights greatly in obedience and hates disobedience.  First Samuel 15:22 says that the Lord delights or finds joy much more in obedience than in religious ritual where there is no obedience (or where there is "partial obedience.").  So, why is this the case?  I believe 1 Samuel 15 shows us that the acts of disobedience (in action and thought) have deep and bitter roots.  The roots of our disobedience are all anti-the-glory-of-God.  I see at least four "roots," and I think every disobedient act or thought can be found rooted in one of these.

Misplaced Glory

1 Samuel 15:12 “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.”

Disobedience finds root in a desire for my own glory instead of God's glory and praise. It strikes at the glory of God.  It seeks praise for self instead of God.  On the other hand, obedience, true obedience, seeks the glory of God and His name being made great.

Misplaced Pleasure or Desire
1 Samuel 15:19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?"

The word "pounce" appeared earlier in 14:32 where the people were starving and pounced on the spoil to satisfy their appetite.  Desires are not bad in and of themselves.  But, if I desire something God says is bad or I desire something that is good too strongly, I will let that desire rule me instead of God.  I seek my pleasure in things instead of God.  What an offense to the perfect and all-satisfying God of the universe.  I worship the gifts instead of the Giver. So, disobedience is so bitter because it raises pleasure in things above pleasure in God.


Misplaced Fear
1 Samuel 15:24 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..."

Disobedience is often rooted in a fear of human consequences more than a fear of the divine.  It fears men who can kill the body but after that do nothing instead of fearing God who can cast both body and soul into Hell.  It places the fear of the creature above the fear of God.  Obedience properly fears God.

Misplaced Trust
1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.

Divination is to seek insight and wisdom on what to do or how to live from some other source than God. It could be going to a palm reader.  But, we often do this in a much more domesticated way.  We often turn to our own wisdom or the world's wisdom.  We ignore God's Word and seek wisdom for how to live life from other sources.  We make other sources of "wisdom" our trust and confidence.  This leads to idolatry.  We put that new source above God.  It is our god.  And if we have made our feelings and thoughts higher than God's then we have made ourselves and idol- namely SELF.  So, disobedience is so serious because it places trust in something other than God and His Word.

Round-Up Won't Kill These Roots
All of these roots are an attack on the glory of God.  This is why all sin is ultimately an attempt to de-God God.  This is why disobedience is so serious and obedience so wonderful.

 These roots are deep.  They are too deep to be killed by a little Round-Up weed killer.  No, the depths of these roots prove that we need a redeemer who has killed the bitter root for us. This should call us to obedience, but more than that it calls us to recognize that we desperately need our redeemer.  A self-help book or 12 step program cannot sever the roots of disobedience.  They are too deep, too strongly rooted in our nature.  That is why God sent us a redeemer.  Jesus is our righteousness and He has given us new life so that we can continue to kill the already mortally wounded roots of disobedience in our lives.