Slightly Off?

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1 Samuel 1:1
But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after
His own heart. The Lord has already appointed him . . . because you
have not kept the Lord’s command (v.14).

Argh . . . I’m no longer perfect.” I groaned inwardly.
The realization struck me when we replaced our
home television with a 42-inch set. The color
was good, the sound perfect, but what happened to the
subtitles? Why were they so blurry? I had lost my 20-20
vision! My doctor informed me that my left-eye vision is
slightly off by a few degrees.

It dawned on me that when something is off the mark
by a teeny-weeny bit, we usually let it slide. For it’s more
convenient to simply leave it alone than to deal with it.
This attitude, however, can be fatal when carried over to
the way we deal with sin. Saul is a perfect example.
If we’re truly honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that
Saul’s actions didn’t seem to be all that bad (1 Samuel
10:8, 13:9). On the surface, it appeared that Samuel
was late, and that the survival of Saul and the nation
was doubtful unless someone acted quickly (v.8). Saul
certainly seemed to be the man to do it.

Why was it so wrong for him to sacrifice a burnt
offering? (vv.10-11). Saul had assumed a role that wasn’t
his. He offered the sacrifice in direct disobedience to God
(v.13). Instead of waiting on God’s timing, he essentially
infringed on the function of a priest (Leviticus 6:8-13).
This situation reveals a flaw in Saul’s perspective.
His sight was not fully set on obeying God. Did he do
anything about it? No. In 1 Samuel 15, we read of
another battle and another act of disobedience. Once again, he used piety as a
cover-up (v.20). But Samuel, God’s spokesman, said, “Since you have rejected
the Lord’s command, He has rejected you” (v.26).

There’s no so such thing as being slightly imperfect in following God’s
commands. Let’s pursue His holiness today.

—Poh Fang Chia

more›
Read Psalms 119:9 to see how to develop perfect vision for pleasing God.

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What areas in your life need to be aligned to God’s perfect standard? How can you maintain a
clear vision of Him?