By I have been doing a devotion from the book of Esther the last couple of weeks and I recently saw the long term effects of disobedience. So the question comes to mind, who was disobedient and what were the consequences.
First question is pretty easy when we are talking about the Old Testament, it is pretty certain that the one that is disobedient would be the nation of Israel. Let’s take a trip down memory lane shall we. The location is 1 Samuel 15:1-9….you can flip in your bible of you can just read it here.
1 Samuel also said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the LORD. 2 Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
4 So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley. 6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
They did not destroy everything, also remember that the women and children would not have been in battle, and it does not say that women and children were killed. Now the Israelites had some history with this nation and in fact Israel had been commanded to wipe them from the face if the earth (Deuteronomy 25:17). I know, Saul was always doing his own thing right? Well this one had dire consequences from him, after this he was rejected as King by the Lord. Saul ends up killing Agag later after he learns that the Lord has rejected him
That would seem to be the end of the story, right?
Not quite… Fast forward a few hundred years to the book of Esther. You all remember the story, right? Well lets take a closer look at Haman. Esther 3:1 described Haman as the Agagite. Wait a minute I thought that this group was supposed to have been wiped from the earth? Agagite as in decendent of Agag the Amalekite? Opps, I guess a couple of the, were missed. Wait, who was the one that recommended that all of the Israelites be killed on a certain day and offered to put money into the Kings treasury to do so? Oh ya Haman, the villain in the book of Esther. Long term consequence to not following directions the first time, God has to save you again.
Just imagine what would have happened if Saul had listened to directions…
