A King Rejected:
Obedience Is Better Than Sacrafice

BIBLE STUDY, OLD TESTAMENT, 1 SAMUEL

1 Samuel 15:22-23 (NIV)

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 head is better than the fat of rams.“

Grab your Bible and turn to 1 Samuel chapter 15. Make sure you’ve got some highlighters and pens at hand because this one is an absolute must-read.

This chapter is hectic – there is so much that we could do ten studies on different aspects. I will try not to go down too many roads and keep it straight to the point.

I am excited!! Let’s start by putting this verse into its context. So, God spoke to the prophet Samuel and commanded king Saul to attack the Amalekites. Samuel served Israel as a spiritual leader and Saul as a military leader during this time. Saul’s task was to destroy all Amalekites and everything that belonged to them (v. 3).

About 400 years before this, the Amalekites were the first to attack the Israelites after the Lord brought them out of slavery from Egypt (Ex. 17). When the nation of Israel was vulnerable, the strong attacked what was weak. In response, God had already declared more than 400 years prior that the Israelites would wipe out Amalek (Deut. 25:18).

 

So, King Saul attacked the Amalekites but spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites, and the best of their sheep, cattle, and ox (v. 9). Consequently, Samuel had to correct Saul. However, this guy excused his actions by saying he would offer the animals to the Lord (v. 21). Samuel responded that it would be better to obey than to bring religious offerings (v. 22).

 

Alright, let’s break this down and take a closer look at how this applies to us today.

 

 

 

1.   Partial obedience is still disobedience

King Saul started off well – he gathered the army, attacked Amalek, and destroyed the Amalekites – hang on, not exactly. He spared king Agag, and it turns out there were still more Amalekites he did not destroy. Years later, king David still dealt with the Amalekites. Even centuries later, Hamman, who attempted to kill the Jews, is believed to be a descendant of Agag.

 

In Samuel 2, we read that an Amalekite claimed to have given Saul the final death blow on the battlefield (2 Sam. 1:8-10).

 

Something God appointed long before to end there and then carried on because of Saul’s partial obedience. It had tragic consequences for Saul and many others.

 

LET’S FACE THE FACTS; PARTIAL OBEDIENCE IS STILL DISOBEDIENCE.

 

 

2.   Obedience doesn’t seek personal benefit

Scripture says Saul and his army were unwilling to destroy the best of the sheep and cattle (v. 9). Grab a marker and highlight this nasty word in your Bible. Unfortunately, it’s critical in this disaster.

It was a common practice in the ancient world for the soldiers to plunder their foes, as this was often how the army was paid. However, in this case, it was not right to do. King Saul was to carry out an appointed judgment by God and was explicitly instructed to destroy EVERYTHING. It was nothing to take pleasure in, as God does not take pleasure in judgment but delights in repentance.

 

They were willing to follow God’s instructions only to the extent that it was beneficial to them, if it cost them nothing. Are you willing to let your obedience cost you something?

 

The spared sheep, oxen and cattle are the equivalent of the areas in our lives that we are not willing to surrender to God. The gain of the best we could spare is nothing compared to the joy of having done the will of God and the freedom we may experience in Christ.

 

 

 

3.   Outer actions do not substitute for inner devotion

Romans 12:1

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.

As I was studying, this verse in Romans came to my mind. Paul urges the believers to offer themselves as living sacrifices. To clarify, he certainly does not mean we should present ourselves in physical form – precisely not! That’s his point. We no longer bring outer actions but inner devotion as a sacrifice to the Lord.

 

A HEART THAT LOVES JESUS AND SURRENDERS TO HIM IS A SACRIFICE THAT PLEASES THE LORD.

 

We mustn’t confuse the two. It’s impossible to substitute a surrendered heart with religious practice. We cannot replace time spent in God’s presence with being busy serving at church. Don’t get me wrong, serving at your local church is a beautiful thing that I believe we should all do, and I do. However, serving at church every Sunday and three nights during the week is not equivalent to submission to the Lordship of Christ.

 

After all, I will say Yes to whatever the Lord asks me to do because I am saying Yes to Him, the One I know and love.

Note that Saul committed to worship Samuel’s God (v. 30). He didn’t know the Lord intimately. Instead, he was more concerned about being honored before his people than Samuel’s God. Are we more concerned about being honored before our peers or the Lord?

 

 

 

4.   A tender heart towards the Lord does not hesitate to obey

King David, who succeeded king Saul, was said to be a man after God’s heart. King David was far from perfect; he also failed and sinned. But the difference between king Saul and king David was the posture of their hearts.

 

Even when Saul’s mistake was pointed out to him, he was so prejudiced against himself that he tried to excuse his disobedience. It took time for him to finally admit that he had missed the mark (v. 24). King Saul had become proud and self-centred, while David remained humble and meek towards the Lord.

 

Note that God regretted that He made Saul king after he failed to carry out His instructions (v. 10). But He rejected Saul as king after he had lied to Samuel (v. 23).

 

We are all not perfect, but our heart attitude is crucial. A heart that surrenders to God is receptive to His kindness that leads us to repentance, His guidance and His will.

 

 

 

The greatest example of obedience

Jesus is the greatest example of a fully surrendered heart in obedience to the Father. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus came face to face with His will and the Father’s. He chose God’s will (Lk. 22:42). Jesus was obedient to death, even the most painful and humiliating death on a cross (Phil. 2:8).

 

Our journey with Jesus begins with a yes to him. Yes, to his lordship. Yes, to his grace. Yes, to the forgiveness of our sins. But our journey of faith must continue, begin and end with a yes to Jesus.

 

I appeal to you, like Paul, not to confuse your inner devotion with outer actions. Keep your yes to Jesus.