1 Samuel 15:22
And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
Why is obedience BETTER than sacrifice, beloveds? I’m sure there are many reasons, but here’s one. And this reason is informed by King Saul’s experience as recorded in 1 Samuel 15 (which I recommend highly for further personal review and reflection). Sacrificing things is easier than surrendering your will.
Observe that it would cost Saul nothing to “sacrifice” the livestock looted from the war. But, as you and I know, to obey is quite costly. Obedience demands humility. It demands submission to someone else’s will. Sacrifice in Saul’s case actually meant handing over other people’s stuff.
In actual fact, it wasn’t sacrifice at all. It was a blue lie. Saul was trying to justify his rebellion by means of the claim of his intention to sacrifice unto the Lord. What I find striking in the whole story is Saul’s insistence that he had obeyed and that he intended to use the looted beasts to worship the Lord!
He was trying very hard to convert the transgression to truth. He was doing his utmost to sanitise his disobedience. Put differently, he attempted to redefine his sin before the Lord. Obviously, the prophet of God wasn’t fooled, and above all, neither was God deceived. It was bad enough that Saul had disobeyed the Lord’s command. But it was totally unconscionable that he tried so hard to defend, justify and redefine his iniquity!
Dear friends, today let’s honestly reflect on Saul’s atrocious behaviour. Do we find ourselves disobeying the plain instructions of God in His Scriptures? Do we find ourselves trying to outwit God? Think about those arguments you present in your own mind about why you’re justified to feel or behave the way you do. Think about how you defend your bitterness towards those who wronged you. Remember, to obey is better than sacrifice. Enough said.
Pastor Josh