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The Bible Study – Our readings for Tuesday, July 30 are 1st Samuel 15:10-35 & Acts 24:24 – 25:12. The primary sin of the Amalekites, and other pagan peoples, is that they put their trust and faith into false demonic ‘gods’ and evil rituals. The Lord gave King Saul an order to completely destroy the Amalekites, who had persecuted Israel, and to destroy their livestock. Saul disobeys. He holds the Amalekite King captive and allows the Israelites to take the best livestock. Disobedient Saul tries to deflect blame, saying the livestock will be sacrificed to the Lord, and that he feared his people who wanted to keep them. This doesn’t work with God. The prophet Samuel responds: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.” (vs. 22-23) Martin Luther wrote, “In Scripture faith is called obedience.” (AE 30:30) Faith in the Lord and His Word is what’s at stake here. Saul’s sin is a violation of the 1st & 2nd Commandments. His authority from God was conditional on the King’s faithfulness to the Almighty. Divination, foretelling the future by the stars or consulting with mediums, is used as examples by Samuel of failing to trust solely in God, and instead seek sinful, occult knowledge and power. Today we see widespread interest in astrology, ‘new-age mysticism,’ the patronizing of mediums, parents tragically introducing their children to the occult through books like Harry Potter. All this is a violation of the 1st & 2nd Commandments and God’s express prohibition against occult practices in the Bible. (Isaiah 47:13; Lev. 20:6; Deut. 18:10-11) Such involvement jeopardizes our relationship with the Lord, and leads people away from Christ, and their eternal salvation. Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto http://christlutherantoronto.org/beliefs