EXTERNAL DUTIES CANNOT COMPENSATE FOR INTERNAL DESIRES.

King Saul of Israel was a man of sheer externals. He was bigger and handsomer than anyone in his day. He also had religion down pretty well. He knew what he needed to do to make a show of acceptability before God. In 1 Samuel 13 we have the sad story of Saul disobeying God and as a result being stripped of his kingdom. The irony in all this is that Saul was punished not for adultery or some grotesque sin of the flesh, but for doing something very religious. He offered a sacrifice. The Bible records, ‘So Saul said, '“Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering.’ A few moments later the prophet of God, Samuel, shows up on the scene. Instead of praising Saul for offering up a sacrifice to seek God’s support before a major battle, he denounces the king and says, ‘You have done foolishly, You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue.’ Wow! Those are stiff words for a man who merely tried to offer up a sacrifice to God. Don’t you think? If we fast forward a thousand years, we find another group, who like Saul, performed very praiseworthy religious acts. They were called Pharisees. Their devotion to ritual would put a strict Muslim to shame. But they too fell short of God]s favor. Jesus said this about the Pharisees. ‘Woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone’ (Luke 11:42). In most religions of the world Saul and the Pharisees would be considered part of the religious elite; those who take their religion seriously putting other lukewarm adherents to shame. But not in Christianity. The religion of the true Creator God begins not with the hands and feet but in the heart. The person who is accepted by God must first love God and then, and only then, may he serve God. In other words one must be right with God internally before one can serve God externally. To get this order reversed is ensure divine judgment. Nature bears witness to the fact that external deeds alone do not honor a relationship. Here is a man who always brings flowers to his wife, fixes her vehicle, takes out the garbage and supports her financially. Yet he has no marriage. Why? Because he has never studied his wife, communed with his wife, probed the beauty of his wife’s character, or esteemed her virtues. He does all the right external things but there is no internal devotion; no love. Such it was with King Saul and the Pharisees. They saw God not as a person to love, but an object to manipulate. He was a Master whose favor could be garnered by doing things. It was a loveless relationship, indeed, no relationship at all. Many today who identify as Christians act just like Saul. They perform all the externals to a tee but lack any internal devotion to God. Their faith consists of doing things that they think make God happy. Nothing could make Him more unhappy. What God does yearn for are men and women who study Him, think upon His glorious nature, consider His attributes, study His ways - His likes and dislikes- and yearn to converse with Him. That a person will light a candle or make a sacrifice or give away millions or feed the poor is not of paramount importance to God. After all, God could raise up stones to do those things. Ritualistic offerings mean very little to the One who owns everything. But a heart that yearns for God and seeks relationship with God, now that is a precious thing in His sight. Saul was replaced by David, a rather roughly hewn man, but one who was after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). And the Pharisees? Well they did many good things which included their participation in the crucifixion of God’s Son. Like so many who do things to please their masters, they killed the very person they served. That should tell you everything. External duties don’t save, they kill. And no amount of ‘doing’ can replace one whimsical ‘longing’ for God. Religionists hate that equation. Christians love it. Which person are you?