If there is one thing that I, you, and everybody would hate is when someone decides to put words into our mouths. What do you think happens when it’s so before God? The Bible will tell us.
God hates it, too; there is no doubt about that. This is what the devil did to cause a rebellion in heaven and earth, and as a result, he and God have been adversaries since.
3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
It’s not the action that frightens me, but the consequences that strike me the most. There is a story in the Bible of a man who did a similar thing, and here is what the Bible has to say.
1 Sam 15:1-3
15 Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you, king, over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. 2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'”
9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs — everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything despised and weak they destroyed. 10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I am grieved that I have made Saul king because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions. “NIV
Saul was given a direct order to kill every living being and creature but instead, he chose to keep some for himself as a booty and show off. The result is dreadful to say and I quote.
1 Sam 15:22-23
22 But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
28 Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbours — to one better than you. 29 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.” NIV
The most painful part of the story is that God let Saul remain king over Israel for almost 40 years but void of the Holy Spirit. In him was but a demon. Anybody looking at him would make obeisance unknowingly that he was void of the spirit of God but demon-possessed.
Another man also in the bible had his position taken away from him because he had not taken God’s instructions seriously.
1 Sam 3:1-5
3 The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel.
Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” 10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family — from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them. 14 Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.'” NIV
For some time God chose not to communicate with the priest because he did not like what was going on in his temple. Instead, he raised his replacement right in front of him. What a great tragedy. How many of us are like Saul and when God speaks we add our interpretation. How many of us ignore the truth ( two aged swords) but choose to listen to speakers who say things that we love to hear? How many of us for the love of family members chose to sacrifice principle like Elli did?
My dear friend if there is one thing we should do fearfully is how we interpret the word of God. Whatever word we teach or share with others and its application to our daily lives let us seek God’s help prayerfully first. We do not want to risk losing the Holy Ghost and ultimately our salvation because that’s what the enemy wants.
God help you as you ponder on this lesson and may he grant you divine guidance every time you read and share his word.