The Benefit of Sacrifice: 1 Samuel 9:22-26
Spiritual leadership is never a path to social elite status. God did not send Jesus to assert His superiority over us; God sent Jesus to us to serve us because we could not save ourselves. God’s model in Jesus is one of servant leadership. Those who follow Jesus should be like-minded.
Samuel invites Saul to come to the head of the table and eat the portion reserved for someone special. He then invites Saul to spend the night on his roof, because it is late and Saul has no place for him or his servant to stay. The next day, Samuel walks with them out of town. It all rings normally with respect to the hospitality code of the day, especially given Samuel’s position as leader and role model.
There is an easily missed small detail implied in these verses; missing the detail comes from focusing on Saul too quickly. There is plenty of time to talk about Saul over the coming chapters. Today is for paying attention to the small detail. People gathered for the feast at the sacrifice, waiting to eat.
A couple of days ago, God taught us – through Samuel – the difference between human kings and God as king. Human kings take. God receives our offerings. Human kings benefit and get rich off what they take from us. God, on the other hand, doesn’t get rich on our sacrifices. God doesn’t need our sacrifices to sustain Himself or accumulate wealth. God already owns everything. What need does He have for our offerings?
This story reveals a significant detail when read through this lens. When a sacrifice is made, the people benefit! The whole community gathered for the feast benefits from the sacrifice. This is the hallmark of a godly society. When a society is truly worshipping God, we find people sacrificing of themselves for the benefit of others.
Look at human leaders from across time. What chieftain, king, prince, governor, emperor, or dictator can you think of who didn’t become part of the elite because of the sacrifices – taxes – they demanded? There are some out there that exist, so this is not a completely rhetorical question. Most human leaders, though, get wealthy based on the taxes they collect from their subjects.
This is why we have stories of rebellions against human leadership. Robin Hood stood up to Prince John primarily because the tax burden imposed was benefitting the coffers of Prince John and his lawmen. One of the driving forces behind Martin Luther’s break from Catholicism was disgust at the church in Rome’s opulence derived from the offerings they squeezed out of the common worshipper.
True worship of God doesn’t lead to elitism. Samuel neither demanded a building nor commanded a high salary to worship God. Sacrifices were made, the people were fed, and everyone saw benefit. Samuel led because God called Him, equipped him, and provided for him. Samuel trusted God. Spiritual leadership is never a path to social elite status.
