1 Samuel 15:22, 23 - Obedience is better than Sacrifice.
1 Samuel 15:22, 23 (NLT) But Samuel replied,
What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt
offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his
voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice.
Listening to him is much better than offering the fat
of rams. Rebellion is as bad as the sin of
witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping
idols. So because you have rejected the word of the
LORD, he has rejected you from being king.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Active Obedience
In the Old Testament, we find the story
of Saul, a king whom God rejected because of
his constant wickedness. God instructed him to
go into battle and destroy his enemies
completely, along with their livestock. But after
defeating his enemies on the battlefield, Saul saw
some sheep and cattle and decided to keep them
for himself.
Afterward, when the prophet Samuel went
to meet him, Saul greeted the prophet and said,
Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the
commandment of the Lord (1 Samuel 15:13 NKJV).
Samuel replied, What then is this
bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of
the oxen which I hear? (verse 14 NKJV).
In effect, Saul told him, Thanks for
bringing that to my attention. I saved those for the
Lord. Im going to sacrifice them to God.
Samuel said, Has 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 heed than the fat of
rams (1 Samuel 15:22 NKJV).
Samuel was saying that foremost, God
wanted Sauls obedience. Our worship, praise,
giving, and service are fine, but obedience comes
first.
Lets say, for example, that a husband
is unfaithful to his wife, and she finds out.
So he goes out and buys her a nice gift. Then
hes unfaithful again, so he buys her a new car.
But his wife says, Youre missing the
point. I dont want all this stuff. I want your
faithfulness more than anything else. These things
cant take the place of what really matters.
A relationship with God, a friendship
with God, requires active obedience. Its more
than not doing bad things. Its also doing good
things, the things that are pleasing to Him. [Greg
Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
This is the first of numerous places in the
Bible where the theme "to obey is better than
sacrifice" is stated (Psalms 40:6-8; Psalms 51:16, 17;
Proverbs 21:3; Isaiah 1:11-17; Jeremiah 7:21-23;
Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 12:7; Mark 12:33;
Hebrews 10:8, 9). Was Samuel saying that sacrifice
is unimportant? No, he was urging Saul to look
at his reasons for making the sacrifice rather
than at the sacrifice itself. A sacrifice was a
ritual transaction between man and God that
physically demonstrated a relationship between them.
But if the person's heart was not truly
repentant or if he did not truly love God, the
sacrifice was a hollow ritual. Religious ceremonies or
rituals are empty unless they are performed with an
attitude of love and obedience. "Being religious"
(going to church, serving on a committee, giving to
charity) is not enough if we do not act out of
devotion and obedience to God. [Life Application SB]
Rebellion and arrogance are serious sins.
They involve far more than being independent and
strong-minded. Scripture equates them with divination
(witchcraft) and idolatry, sins worthy of death (Exodus
22:18; Leviticus 20:6; Deut. 13:12-15; Deut. 18:10;
Micah 5:10-14).
Saul became both rebellious and arrogant,
so it is little wonder that God finally
rejected him and took away his kingdom. Rebellion
against God is perhaps the most serious sin of all
because as long as a person rebels, he or she closes
the door to forgiveness and restoration with
God. [Life Application SB]
The sacrificial offerings were in
themselves of no value in the sight of God. They were
designed to express on the part of the offerer
penitence for sin and faith in Christ and to pledge
future obedience to the law of God. But without
penitence, faith, and an obedient heart, the offerings
were worthless. When, in direct violation of
God's command, Saul proposed to present a
sacrifice of that which God had devoted to
destruction, open contempt was shown for the divine
authority. The service would have been an insult to
Heaven. Yet with the sin of Saul and its result
before us, how many are pursuing a similar course.
While they refuse to believe and obey some
requirement of the Lord, they persevere in offering up
to God their formal services of religion. There
is no response of the Spirit of God to such
service. No matter how zealous men may be in their
observance of religious ceremonies, the Lord cannot
accept them if they persist in willful violation of
one of His commands.
"Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry."
Rebellion originated with Satan, and all rebellion
against God is directly due to satanic influence.
Those who set themselves against the government of
God have entered into an alliance with the
archapostate, and he will exercise his power and cunning
to captivate the senses and mislead the
understanding. He will cause everything to appear in a
false light. Like our first parents, those who are
under his bewitching spell see only the great
benefits to be received by transgression. PP634-5
ONE LINER
Christ is our hope and our refuge. His
righteousness is imputed only to the obedient. 6BC1072-3
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
1 Samuel 15:22, 23 - Obedience is better
than Sacrifice.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210311-0923.html
1 Samuel 15:22,23 - Obedience vs Sacrifice
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2004/20040402-1012.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
