The Danger of Rationalizing Disobedience

SYNOPSIS: William Barclay wrote, “The essence of Christianity is not the enthronement but the obliteration of self.” Self doesn’t ascend to the throne of our lives overnight, it inches closer each day over time when we fail to deal with our flaws, cut corners in our obedience, rationalize or spiritualize disobedience, and grow comfortable with our patterns of sin. Don’t do that! To ignore, justify, spiritualize, or minimize sin will lead you to a place that is far away from where you started with God. Thankfully, however, God stands ready to help you to obliterate self and offer a surrendered heart instead—if you ask. I don’t know about you, but I am going to do that ASAP!

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Samuel 18:6-9

When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes. As they danced, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?” And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David

In reality, you could substitute any other dysfunctional or destructive adjective for “jealous”: A bitter or critical or angry or abusive or addictive heart—anything works there. In this case, a jealous heart was simply the manifestation of Saul’s deeper issues.

So how did Saul get from being a humble, winsome, dynamic leader to this insanely jealous, paranoid, violate man? One thing we know for sure: it didn’t happen suddenly. Over time, Saul failed to deal with his flaws, and began to cut corners on the path to where God was leading him. And he ended up in a place far from where he started—far away from God.

There was not just one mistake he made, there were several patterns of sin he grew accustomed to. But one above all the others stands as a warning sign to the rest of us: Saul learned to tolerate subtle sin.

In the Saul narratives, there are two examples of this. One is in 1 Samuel 13:10-12 when he disobeys Samuel’s order to wait for his arrival so the pre-battle sacrifice could be offered. When Samuel’s arrival was delayed, and Saul’s men were deserting in droves, Saul himself offered the sacrifice.

Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

Rather than repentance, Saul offers excuses, blame, and justification. Then again, in 1 Samuel 15, Saul is at war, this time with the Amalekites. Samuel told him to destroy everything—beast and human, because of the Amalekite’s sin against the Israelites during their wilderness years. But again, Saul failed to obey the Lord’s command, and Samuel calls him on the carpet. In response to Samuel’s rebuke, Saul says,

The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.” (1 Samuel 15:15)

Samuel said, “Stop!” (1 Samuel 15:116,

Saul protested, “But I did obey the LORD. I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.” (1 Samuel 15:20)

Do you see what Saul’s doing? He’s rationalizing disobedience; spiritualizing his actions; blaming Samuel in the first instance and his soldiers in the second—making himself the victim. He’s minimizing his sin. Saul’s disobedience is subtle; it looked like a good thing spiritually and militarily. But in those instances Saul wasn’t trusting God, he was “using” God to give success in battle—and God will not be used!

So Samuel cuts through all the excuse-making with some of the most profound and penetrating words in all of Scripture: “To obey is better than sacrifice.”(1 Samuel 15:22) To have a heart that loves God and cares about what God cares about—that’s what God wants. And the best way that is demonstrated is through loving obedience. To do something that may look and sound spiritual but in reality, doesn’t come from a heart that’s tenderly surrendered and trustingly obedient to God is rebellion and arrogance, and in truth, it is no better than engaging in witchcraft and idolatry.

That is how strongly God feels when we learn to tolerate even subtle disobedience in our lives.

So what about you? Are there any areas of subtle disobedience in your life? My challenge is to call you to seriously think about it! Then surrender it to God. But don’t ignore or justify or spiritualize or minimize it. Don’t turn down that road like Saul—it will lead to a place that is far away from where you started with God.