To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice
Samuel said, “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.”
1 Samuel 15:22
Obedience and sacrifice can be used synonymously in some contexts. Sacrificing animals was something expected of the people of Israel (see Leviticus 1-7). There were directions given concerning how to perform the sacrificial rituals and there were even feasts with sacrifices explicitly detailed by God (see Deuteronomy 16). In some way, animal sacrificing was a way to obey according to the Law.
Still, sacrificing can be one form of obedience, but, not all sacrificing is a form of obedience. This is demonstrated in the account of 1 Samuel 15. The first human king, Saul, neglected the purpose (v. 2), and therefore the execution (v. 3), of God’s directions for him and finds himself confronted by Samuel (v. 12ff) for his actions (vv. 8-9). Samuel says:
Samuel said, “Is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed you king over Israel, and the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.’ “Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD?”
vv. 17-19
The point Samuel makes is that he should have obeyed. But, Saul thinks he DID obey the Lord:
Then Saul said to Samuel, “I did obey the voice of the LORD, and went on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”
vv. 20-21
The implication he gives is that he did what he was supposed to and the intention to sacrifice should be seen as a worthy act. But,
Samuel said, “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.”
1 Samuel 15:22
Samuel concludes that Saul did NOT obey by seeking to sacrifice instead of executing the orders given to him in TOTALITY. It was expected that all aspects of the orders given would be executed. If your mom gives you a grocery list, would you replace the last item needed on the list with flowers? (Don’t answer that.) As much as giving flowers to your mother is a “good deed,” flowers do not substitute for the expected item. Likewise, it would have been better if Saul did what God told him to do rather than a so-called “Good deed,” and Saul finally admitted that he instead feared the people (vv. 24).
The passage does not teach that when the Israelites did something wrong, they were supposed to sacrifice. In this case, sacrifice was not the answer, obedience was. There was no reason to disobey in the first place.
Here are some lessons we see:
- Obedience is always a matter of first order (Obey the first time)
- Have a better plan than God? Think again
- Not following God’s orders in totality is not obedience
- Sacrifice animals is not a replacement for obedience
- If you know what God expects from you, nothing should deter you from obeying Him
Know that the obedient sacrifice of Christ provides atonement for the sins of those who believe Him. He is fully God, fully man, and died for sins and resurrected. Will you believe Him! Will you believe in His execution of the goal to save you from the wrath of God we deserve for sin toward Him?
eRRORRR!