Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 15; Psalm 50

“Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.” – 1 Samuel 15:22

God made it clear in His word that He wants more than just token sacrifices from us. He wants us more than just a minimum requirement or going through the motions. He wants a relationship with us in which we are wholeheartedly committed to following Him. That is what He wanted from the Israelites and that is what He wants from us today.

In order to fully understand the reign of King Saul, let’s look back at the second chapter of Judges for some context. When the tribes of Israel went to conquer the land and defeat the Canaanites, they did not fully obey the Lord’s command. They chose to let some of the people live, even though God’s command was to completely destroy them. Because of their disobedience, God declared He would no longer drive out the people living there, but He would allow them to stay and be thorns in the sides of the Israelites — a constant temptation with their false gods (Judges 2:2-3). Their presence would test whether His people loved Him enough to obey His commands.

Then in 1 Samuel chapter 8, God’s people demanded He give them a king, just as the foreign nations around them had kings. They had disobeyed God’s commands over and over again, and now they were rejecting Him as their king because of the influence of the culture surrounding them. So God gave them a king, just as they demanded, but He warned them what their new lifestyle was going to look like.

“This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use. He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the Lord will not help you.” – 1 Samuel 8:11-18

And just as God proclaimed, the Israelites fought constantly against their enemies throughout the reign of King Saul (14:52). And just as they had done before, the Israelites disobeyed God’s orders to completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation. With an army of 210,000 men, Saul led the Israelites in battle against the Amalekites, but he spared the life of their king and kept the best of the animals. In fact, they kept everything that appealed to them and destroyed only what seemed worthless (15:9).

Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. So let us celebrate the festival, not with the old bread of wickedness and evil, but with the new bread of sincerity and truth. – 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8

Saul had been appointed by God, and God had blessed his reign as king. But Saul chose to do what he saw as beneficial to himself rather than keeping His eyes on God. Saul went from timidly hiding in the baggage to seeing himself as the hero, and he even went as far as to set up a monument in his own honor. He even had the nerve to lie to Samuel, telling him that he had obeyed the Lord’s command. When Samuel pointed out to him the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the cattle, Saul replied:

“But I did obey the Lord,” Saul insisted. “I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” – 1 Samuel 15:20-21

Yes, I did this bad thing, but I also did these good things. Yes, I have sinned against God, but look at all the ways in which I have obeyed God. I may not have done things exactly like God told me to do, but my intentions were good and I believe something good can come out of my disobedience. If you look at my actions, you will see more good than bad. Does this sound familiar? Do we offer the same excuses for our disobedience today?

“What is more pleasing to the Lord:
your burnt offerings and sacrifices
or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.
So because you have rejected the command of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.” – 1 Samuel 15:22-23

Father God, show us the areas of our lives where we are not in full submission to your holy commands. May your Spirit move in us with a desire to give you 100%, never holding back or offering excuses for our disobedience. May you be glorified in all that we say or do; may sincerity and truth be evidenced in our lives.

“You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” – Psalm 51:16-17

I have no complaint about your sacrifices
or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.
But I do not need the bulls from your barns
or the goats from your pens.
For all the animals of the forest are mine,
and I own the cattle on a thousand hills…
Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
Then call on me when you are in trouble,
and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”
But God says to the wicked: “Why bother reciting my decrees
and pretending to obey my covenant?” – Psalm 50:8-10,14-16