1 Sam. 14-16 Fearing God Means Obedience
The fear of man is a snare, so Proverbs 29:25 says. That truth emerges in spades in these chapters. God tells Samuel to tell Saul to go and exterminate ALL of the Amalekites because they failed to help the children of Israel as they left Egypt. However, Saul fails to carry out the mission and saves the king and the best of the flocks. Incomplete obedience is disobedience.
When Samuel arrives to see the result, he is appalled that Saul did not completely obey God’s command. When questioned by Samuel, he uses the phrase “your” God twice, showing how far he has fallen. No longer is God “his” God.
When Samuel questions him, he said, “I feared the people.” In reality, he was quoting Proverbs 29:25 by saying; I feared them more than God. Do we fear God or fear men? When God gives us a command do we completely obey or only partially. Incomplete obedience is disobedience. He says to go and make disciples, but have we been totally obedient or only partially obedient?