Rituals

“...Saul realized his troops were rapidly slipping away. So he demanded, "Bring me the burnt offerings and the peace offerings!" And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet him and welcomed him, but Samuel said, "What is this you have done?"..."  I Samuel 13:8-11

1-2-3, spin the ball, shoot. Turn the cap inside out. One practice swing then hit. We see it all the time in sports. Rituals. Attempts by players to get in the zone or by fans to send some magical positive energy to their team through the flatscreen. In the context of sports, it's harmless fun. However, this ritual for outcomes isn't always a harmless proposition.

In our verses for today, we see King Saul in trouble. He had been told to wait for Samuel the prophet and priest, but he was overwhelmed with fear. In his panic, he made the decision to make the offerings Samuel was supposed to make. His logic was simple. Do the rituals, get the blessing. This action revealed Saul's fatal flaw. His faith was in the rituals instead of God and his word.

It's tough to admit, but I've done the same thing: "If we get enough people to pray, then God will give us what we want." "I've been following all the rules. Certainly, God will step in and fix this mess." Rituals are attractive because they appeal to our pride, to the "captain of my own soul" in all of us. Until our faith matures to the point where God alone is all that we want, we'll continue to trip over these vain attempts to force our will.

Grace and Peace,
 
Tom Wiles
tom@fallcreekchristian.org

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