But Samuel was afraid. He said to the Lord, “If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” Saul was the king of Israel at the time, and Samuel was more afraid of King Saul than of God, because he knew that God was loving, merciful and kind. So, God said, “Okay, here’s what you’ll do: organise for a sacrifice and invite Jesse for the sacrifice, and if Saul hears about it, just tell him you came to sacrifice to the Lord.”
Can you imagine that? God already had His plan, but now, Samuel was going to influence God’s plan, because of fear. But guess what? God yielded! He found a way to make what He wanted Samuel to do easier for him. One would have expected that God would say, “What? I’m God! I’m telling you what to do; go do it boy; no one can kill you!” But no; God isn’t like that. When He gives you an instruction or a direction, He watches to see your response or reaction. He may even consider your excuses and make some adjustment for you, just as in the case of Samuel.
Satan uses fear and pressure to get people moving for him, but God's motivation is love, where there is fear there is no love. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear… (1 John 4:18). Love is God’s solution to man’s real problems. You may disobey God and go after your own agenda, or because of fear you may disobey Him and go in another direction. But the truth is, when you get to learn about his love, you will discover that he corrects his own with a gentle and a tender heart. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says; Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
