As glorious and encouraging as these words are, the context is one which is both sad and unnecessary. Samuel has brought this pronouncement to the disgraced leader, Saul. These words over the formerly chosen, selected, and anointed man are sandwiched between the great words of "regret": "You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time... you have not kept the Lord's command." The severity of this divine decision is merited! Saul has not just selected between two options and exercised his federal prerogative. No! This is much higher! Saul establishes a pattern which he will again express in I Samuel 15. His tendency to modify the Lord's command under pressure and exert only partial obedience brings even more drastic results. This time the stakes are even higher because it is not a response to a request for divine assistance. No! This scenario is one in which Saul is "under assignment"; he is being called on duty to partner with God against the enemies of God. Under such terms of deployment, God does not risk the outcome to Saul's "selective obedience". Samuel arrives to complete the assignment... to follow through until the full intention of God is accomplished.

Following through is essential if we are going to be used of God and partner with Him. We are no longer in the playing field where we can select our response as per our convenience or comfort. To partner with God, we must move under different terms of reference! The word happily contains many examples of those who followed through. Joshua did (Joshua 6:6). David did (II Sam. 5:24). Joseph rose up to "do what the angel of the Lord commanded". (Matt. 1:24) What he heard in the night season, he obeys in the light of day! Ananias did! (Acts 9:17) Peter did! (Acts. 10:23) The common thread in each of these is that they were deployed in a divine assignment. That divine plan was not hijacked by partial obedience. On the other side of their complete obedience was a demonstration of the purpose of God! And, in each one, the stakes were high!

Samuel gives us a wonderful example of following through. If he had not put Agag (God's enemy) to death as the Lord commanded, many more people and even generations would have suffered. The name "Agag" means "flame". That flame had to be totally extinguished so that sparks would never again set off a firestorm against the Lord and His people. Saul was willing to risk it; Samuel was not! The Lord really is looking for a man or a woman who will align his/her heart with the things of God's heart. I want to join the crowd of Samuel, Joshua, David, Joseph, Ananias, Peter, and more who simply yet courageously follow through... even when I may never see what was averted or what was attained by that unflinching obedience! In this hour there is the necessity to do so. In this hour there is an empowering grace to make it happen! I will be a follower of Jesus who will follow through!

With rejoicing,

Rev. Peggy I. Kennedy
www.TwoSilverTrumpets.ca
"Sounding a prophetic voice to Canada and beyond..."

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In these Daily Delights from the Song of Songs you will be encouraged and refreshed by the reminder of His divine attentiveness and awareness of each detail of your life!