I Samuel 15:15 "And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed."
There are some people that never think about anyone else but themselves. The only thing worse than that type of person is the person who is always thinking of other people but only about what he can get from them! I suppose that none of us want to use people, but sometimes we are thinking about ourselves when we think about other people. How do you know if all your dealings with others are all about you?
Well, King Saul was a self-absorbed man that thought of others but only about how they could benefit him. In I Samuel 15, God told him to destroy the Amalekites and all that they had. Though the command was clear, Saul did not completely or honestly obey. When confronted by Samuel, Saul piously claimed, "I have performed the commandment of the LORD." (verse 13)
The truth is, Saul had not obeyed the Lord, and even the sheep and oxen admitted as much! He tried to shift the blame to the people. "They have brought . . . the people spared the best . . . the rest we have utterly destroyed." One way Saul used people was to buffer his responsibility. You know you are using people when you try to put them between you and your responsibility.
Saul also used people to enhance his reputation. He said, "I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people. . . ." (verse 30) Sometimes our dealings with other people are not so much about them, what they can teach us, or how we can serve them; instead we are interested in how much they can help us or enhance our standing.
If we are honest, we can be just as self-absorbed as Saul was. Even when we try our best to think of others, all we think of is how they can help us! Saul is a good lesson on what not to do by other people. Do you use people to blunt your responsibility? Do you use people to enhance your reputation?
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