Today God shows us two examples. The first example is King Saul. He was given a directive from God: “Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation…men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels and donkeys”. (1 Sam 15:3). Saul allowed the Amalekite king to live, and he plundered the “good stuff” instead of destroying it all. Saul disobeyed God, and was rejected by God because of it. The Lord was sorry that He had ever made Saul. Did God make a mistake by making Saul? No, His expression was one of sorrow. An omniscient God cannot make a mistake, therefore He wasn’t changing his mind. But He did change His attitude toward Saul when Saul changed. Saul’s heart no longer belonged to God, but to his own interests.
Our second example comes on the scene as a young shepherd boy named David. As we read on, we will learn that David was a man after God’s own heart. (Acts 13:22). Was David perfect? Absolutely not. How could he be a “man after God’s own heart” when the bible tells us he is a liar, and adulterer, a betrayer and a murderer? Because David had an unchangeable belief in the faithful and forgiving nature of God. He sinned, yes, but he was quick to confess and repent. He did this from the heart and it was genuine. He never took God’s forgiveness lightly or his blessings for granted. David experienced the joy of forgiveness even when he had to suffer the consequences of his sins.
Lord, may we each be more like David today. We are sinners. We deserve consequences. May we recognize our sin; repent by changing our minds about how we think about our sin; and may we find peace in Your forgiveness and mercy. Let our hearts become like David’s….and in turn more like Your own. amen, and amen.
Morgen
His Gathering Place 
Morgen,This takes me back to when I started reading the bible a few years ago. When Samuel said that the Lord desires obedience more than sacrifice. It was one of the very first scriptures that really spoke to my heart and I thought about it for days. I grew up in a church that values work and sacrifice, so the thought that God would rather have me obey than offer my works to Him was very new to me. Your post also made something a lot clearer to me today: when we disobey, we think we know more than God. That hurts.