It’s easy to find yourself caught within the snare of gossip, lured by the grip of an enticing story, clinging to the empty promise that knowing more will somehow serve you more. In those instances I know, deep down, it is wrong to participate and that I should divert the topic or remove myself from the conversation. But oftentimes I compromise, offering neutral comments, yet nonetheless getting my fill of the latest drama. It’s a bargain with God, arguing “If I just keep quiet and don’t say anything mean, then it’s just another fun conversation.” 

Over two thousand years ago, the same inner rationalization happened to Saul. The Lord entrusted him with the complete destruction of the Amalekites in order to punish them for refusing the Isrealites to pass through as they escaped Egypt (Exodus 7). God stressed that every living thing should be destroyed, both young and old, human and animal. Saul was to be the vessel for God’s ultimate judgment on the Amalekites, which God promised throughout Numbers and Deuteronomy to the Israelites. 

But that didn’t happen. Yes, Saul attacked the Amalekites, but he kept their king Agag alive and the best of the spoils. Instead of fully carrying out God’s command, Saul did what he thought was best: saving the desirable possessions of Israel’s enemies for a sacrifice to the Lord. Even when confronted by Samuel, Saul denied, blamed, and refused to repent, claiming that he did obey God — just on his own terms (v. 20). This is how I’ve justified gossip in the past: by doing a not-completely-wrong thing, rather than the right thing. 

What God wanted from Saul was his obedience and pure heart, not his burnt offering. God doesn’t want partial obedience; He wants it all: “man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7b). Jesus says that “To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mark 12:33). 

This is not merely a command, or “because God says so.” In truth, Jesus is the only one capable of true obedience and he was the perfect sacrifice. Not even David, a man after God’s own heart, could have measured up to the impossible standard Jesus fulfilled through his blamelessness. But by abiding in Christ—denying our flesh and yielding to the Holy Spirit—we can learn to seek love, mercy, and purity, mirroring our desires with God’s. 

Christ demonstrated perfect obedience while he was on Earth: despite the immense physical and mental pain he foreknew in the days and weeks leading up to his crucifixion, he maintained a kingdom mindset and humbly gave himself up to fulfill God’s perfect plan of salvation for us (Matthew 16:21-27). Saul (and we), on the other hand, maintained a worldly kingdom mindset fixed in the immediate gratification of wealth, power and status, ephemeral idols that distract from the bigger picture God has created for us.  

From Saul’s disobedience we learn what not to do—not to prioritize convenience or reputation over God’s perfect plan for us, not to be satisfied with complacency—so that in Christ we recognize the power that lies in submission. Ask yourself: have you ever done a not-completely-wrong thing instead of the right thing? What would Jesus want you to do in that situation?