“The Silence Of The Lambs” is a tough movie about the search for a terribly twisted serial killer. Jodie Foster plays the part of the FBI agent who eventually tracks and captures him before he kills his latest victim. The title is somewhat misleading because it doesn’t seem to have any connection to the movie, but as the story unfolds it becomes clear. By saving the victim of the serial killer Foster hopes to silence the lambs that haunt her dreams from a traumatic event as a child hearing lambs crying out as they were being slaughtered on a ranch. In the end she realizes it just means they’re dead.

Wednesday we saw how Samuel was heartbroken over the disobedience of Saul that ended all hope for his kingdom. We also saw that it broke God’s heart even more. Until we understand that we cannot appreciate the serious offense of our own sin.

The command to Saul was tough, but very clear: destroy every man, woman, child and animal from Amalek. Yes, you heard correctly. God ordered Saul to slaughter them all (1 Samuel 15:1-3). Even reading about it makes me flinch. And please, no lectures from atheists, life is meaningless if you’re right, or any pro-choice proponents, since you support the slaughter of unborn children. But, it was what God had ordered, and who are we to question God? If you have questions about God’s moral authority to give such an order get a copy of Doy Moyer’s sermon on Slaughter of the Innocents delivered at the 2015 Florida College Lectures in Temple Terrace Florida. He did an excellent job of putting it in perspective.

The description of Saul’s preparation and attack in 1 Samuel 15:4-7 reads like everything proceeded as God planned. But, verses 8 & 9 reveal a problem. Saul “spared King Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to destroy them utterly.”

Saul’s boast when Samuel approached was a classic denial of reality. His statement was a jubilant “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.” (1 Samuel 15:13). Samuel’s answer cut through the lie and brought Saul crashing down to earth: “What then is all this bleating of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” (15:14). Instead of being met with the silence of the lambs he was met with a large healthy noisy herd of sheep and cattle.

Saul immediately began to blame others for his failure to obey God, and then made the ultimate, unbeatable excuse – it was all done so they could worship God (v15). We’re no better than Saul in today’s world. Anything and everything man can conceive is “justified” as worship. In reality it isn’t worship of God, but of our own sensual desires. Just like Saul and Israel “were not willing”, people today are not willing to do the will of God. Of course when we disobey God we create all kinds of reasons to justify our disobedience, and silence our own conscience, but God is never fooled, and he always has the last word. What will that word be to us?