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BURNT OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES, AS IN OBEYING THE
VOICE OF THE LORD? BEHOLD, TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN
SACRIFICE, AND TO HEARKEN THAN THE FAT OF RAMS.
FOR REBELLION IS AS THE SIN OF WITCHCRAFT, AND
STUBBORNNESS IS AS INIQUITY AND IDOLATRY. BECAUSE
THOU HAST REJECTED THE WORD OF THE LORD, HE HATH
ALSO REJECTED THEE FROM BEING KING." I Samuel
15:22-23
________________
15:21 BUT THE PEOPLE TOOK OF THE
SPOIL, SHEEP AND OXEN, THE CHIEF OF
THE THINGS WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN
UTTERLY DESTROYED, TO SACRIFICE UNTO
THE LORD THY GOD IN GILGAL.
Natural ability can produce desired effect.
The church in this technological age of Ethics
competency has most definitely moved into
the realm of natural methods to achieve Electronic Evangelism
results and then claim those natural effects
as Divine. If Krogers or Panasonic achieves
results using the same methods, we call it
business psychology - if the super-evangelist Liberal Philosophy
does it, they say it's God. Technology is a
power, and power is always a good thing when
held by a good man. But when men use the Paralogism
power of technology (or any power) to promote
themselves, through highly trained men who
surround them, Divine contact lessens and the
biblical standards of qualification
(character) and approval (consensus) no
longer play a part in the vital area of
church leadership. Denominational leaders
and local church elders are no longer the
authorities of the church as God originally
ordained it to be. The modern church is
governed and most highly influenced by those
of celebrity status most of them self
promoted.
Spiritual results require the abasing of
I SAMUEL SALT GUIDE TO PRACTICAL HOLINESS ____________________________________________________________ self, while natural methods demand the Mercenaries exalting of personality (self). 2 Corinthi- ans 1:12 The first and most glaring of all command- Resources ments God has given is this; He does not approve of natural attempts (methods) to glorify Him - nor will He accept the fruit (results) of natural attempts to glorify Him that in any way conflict with the Word. All such "works" and ministries will be rejected in the judgment. See Matthew 7:21-23. God will not share His glory with another. Exodus 20:5; 34:14; Deuteronomy 4:24; 5:9; 6:15; Joshua 24:19 15:23 FOR REBELLION IS AS THE SIN OF WITCHCRAFT, AND STUBBORNNESS IS AS INIQUITY AND IDOLATRY. BECAUSE THOU HAST REJECTED THE WORD OF THE LORD, HE HATH ALSO REJECTED THEE FROM BEING KING. The Divine concept of sin is more extreme Precept/Promise than human reasoning will permit. The sparing of the sheep could correspond with Sin the new concepts of worship based on reasoning rather than a loving adherence to the Word of God. Where God's Word speaks, obedience supersedes our own super-spiritual ideas. Religion today advocates praise apart from precept. This was Saul's mistake. Sparing the sheep speaks of having a mushy sentimental philosophy about what pleases the Lord. It's all humanistic when obedience to the Word loses pre-eminence. 15:24 AND SAUL SAID UNTO SAMUEL, I Fear of Man HAVE SINNED: FOR I HAVE TRANSGRESS- ED THE COMMANDMENT OF THE LORD, AND Fear of God THY WORDS: BECAUSE I FEARED THE PEOPLE, AND OBEYED THEIR VOICE. What is commonly thought of as "the favor of man," may better be identified as "the fear of man" as Saul honestly declared. Exodus
I SAMUEL SALT GUIDE TO PRACTICAL HOLINESS ____________________________________________________________ 32:1,2; 32:22-23; Deuteronomy 25:17; Galatians 1:10 There is an emotional interplay between the fear of God and the favor of man. Too often ministers of the Gospel move from the former to the latter almost unconsciously. Saul was to rule the people in behalf of God, but became ineffective when he allowed the people to pressure him against the commandment. Saul was a big man physically, loaded with external pluses and possessed a lot of charisma, but was a coward when the crowd pressured him. I Samuel 10:23 16;7 BUT THE LORD SAID UNTO SAMUEL, LOOK NOT ON HIS COUNTENANCE, OR ON THE HEIGHT OF HIS STATURE; BECAUSE I HAVE REFUSED HIM: FOR THE LORD SEETH NOT AS MAN SEETH; FOR MAN LOOKETH ON THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE, BUT THE LORD LOOKETH ON THE HEART. IMPORTANCE OF APPEARANCE It is as necessary to impress man with Visible Purity visible righteousness and purity as it is to impress God with the sincerity of the inner man. Somewhere, sometime, someone repeated the Holiness External words spoken to Samuel when he was about to Internal anoint Eliab and said, "It's not what's on the outside that counts, but what's on the inside." Remember what God told Samuel? He said man looks on the outside, but God looks on the inside. This is too often quoted to imply that there Modesty is no merit to the visible virtues of modesty and chastity as it may affect our appearance as Christian men and women. It is also said to imply that there is an "inside" and "outside" holiness, and that one is of no consequence or of lesser consequence than the other. Both of these implications are wrong in principle, in practice, and in doctrine. 1. All of the inner spiritual qualities of
I SAMUEL SALT GUIDE TO PRACTICAL HOLINESS
____________________________________________________________
the fruit of the Spirit as described in
Galatians chapter five can be imitated, as
can any of the visible moral qualities of
the Christian life!
2. It is impossible to say that a man is more
holy in his spirit than in his flesh.
3. In this text there is nothing to support
an "inner holiness" doctrine.
When God mentioned the outside of Eliab, He
definitely did not make any reference to how
Eliab was dressed. He was probably dressed
as any other man of that day.
"Countenance" and "stature" are the words
used as the visible marks of Eliab's
appearance that deceived the prophet.
Literally, he was tall and handsome.
As Eliab appeared before Samuel, he kept Holiness External
himself in line and probably tried to impress Internal
Samuel with his pleasant mannerisms. The
inner graces can be imitated and are as
liable to sham as any of the graces that
regulate the visible appearance.
Eliab later showed his true character when
David visited the battlefield. He was nice
enough when he tried to impress the prophet,
but Eliab could be so nasty to the members of
his own family.
The test of true inner grace is not how one Impartial
acts to celebrities and superiors, but the Just
real test is how one reacts to subordinates
and inferiors.
Much error comes from overemphasizing a half-
truth. Proponents of "inside" or "outside"
holiness are both scripturally wrong! God's
holiness affects both parts of man equally.*1
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*1 BURKETT, Principles of Purity, p.39
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