”But Samuel replied: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
1 Samuel 15:22New International Version (NIV)
1 Samuel 15:22 Devotional (Daily Bible Verse)
To obey is better than sacrifice
In 1 Samuel 15:22, the Prophet Samuel stated, “To obey is better than sacrifice“. And this was in response to King Saul’s partial obedience to God’s instruction (command) regarding the destruction of the Amalekites. For God through Samuel had instructed (commanded) Saul to attack and destroy Amalek as His punishment for their waylaying of Israel as they came out of Egypt (1 Samuel 15:1-3, Exodus 17, and Deuteronomy 25:17-19).
Saul didn’t follow God’s instruction
But Saul and his 210,000 soldiers didn’t follow God’s instruction (1 Samuel 15:4-7). He spared the king and Amalek’s good things but destroyed the despised and weak things (1 Samuel 15:8-9).
God responded to Saul’s disobedience
God, therefore, informed Samuel that Saul had not carried out His instruction. And Samuel became angry and cried out to God that night (1 Samuel 15:10-11).
Samuel, consequently, got up early in the morning and went to meet with Saul but he didn’t find him. Rather, he was informed that Saul had gone to Carmel, where he had set up a monument in his honor, and thereafter, proceeded to Gilgal (1 Samuel 15:12).
Saul lied to Samuel
When Samuel caught up with Saul, he lied to him that he had carried out God’s instruction (1 Samuel 15:13). But Samuel could hear the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of cattle (1 Samuel 15:14).
Saul, therefore, told Samuel that his soldiers had spared the sheep and cattle so that they could sacrifice the same to God (1 Samuel 15:15). And Samuel rebutted with what God had told him at night (1 Samuel 15:16). That although He had made Saul king, Saul hadn’t obeyed His instructions (1 Samuel 15:17-19).
However, Saul insisted that he had obeyed God, that his soldiers had saved the best of the plunder to sacrifice to God (1 Samuel 15:20-21). Therefore, Samuel rhetorically told Saul that “to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed better than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22).
He also added that “rebellion is like the sin of divination and arrogance like the evil of idolatry” (1 Samuel 15:23a). Then Samuel finished by informing Saul that “God had rejected him as king because of his disobedience” (1 Samuel 15:23b).
7 Lessons from Saul’s Disobedience
- Blaming someone else for your disobedience will not absolve you from God’s judgment of your disobedient action(s)
Saul had the power, authority, and means to fully obey God. For heaven’s sake, he was the king of Israel. He, therefore, had power and authority over his soldiers. They couldn’t disobey if he didn’t allow them to.
You too have the power and authority over your actions. Therefore, when you disobey God, you need to take responsibility for your disobedient actions. Don’t make excuses for your actions as Adam did.
- Partial obedience is disobedience
When you obey God’s word partially, it is as good as disobeying God fully. God desires those who are fully obedient to His word so that He can work with them.
- Have a personal relationship with God
Saul didn’t have a personal relationship with God. This is why he referred to God as Samuel’s God (1 Samuel 15:21).
You are therefore likely to disobey God’s word when you don’t have a personal relationship with him.
- Obedience is better than sacrifice
Obedience is better than sacrifice because this is what God delights in more (Isaiah 1:11).
- Your sacrifice cannot cover up for your disobedience
When you disobey God, you make your sacrifices to be vain, an abomination, and a burden to God (Isaiah 1:12-14).
- Disobedience is rebellion and a function of pride (arrogance)
When you become proud, God is bound to humble you, because He hates pride (James 4:6).
- God judges disobedience
Finally, God judges disobedience by rejection. God will therefore reject you when you become disobedient to His word.
This is because disobedience is the rejection of God. Therefore, when you disobey, you reject God and His word.
Prayer/Blessing
Lord God, help me to obey You and Your word. Help me to overcome the rebellion that lurks in my fallen nature.
This is my prayer of urgency in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Daily Bible Reading
Psalms 67-71 (see How to Read the Bible in One Year or How to Read the Bible (for Beginners))
