To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice

Samuel appointed Saul as king over the people. Saul was exceptionally outstanding in appearance, talent, and character. He was taller, stronger, and handsomer than anyone else, and a mighty warrior. Before becoming king, he could consider the feelings of others. When Samuel sought him out to anoint him king, he humbly said, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?” He also possessed the gift of prophecy. After the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, he could speak like a prophet inspired by God (1 Samuel 10:6, 10).

This remarkably outstanding king, upon his initial ascension to the throne, gained the approval of most of the people, who even shouted, “Long live the king!” In his first year as king, he fought and won a battle against the Ammonites, gaining the support of the entire nation. But his smooth sailing ended there. After that, until the day he died, he never had good days again. Although no one would physically harm him, he was often fearful, and his inner demons haunted him until his death. What caused him to lose the peace he initially had with God?

1 Samuel chapter 15 records God’s command to Saul: “Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey” (1 Samuel 15:3). This was because the Amalekites were a sinful nation (1 Samuel 15:18); they had attacked the Israelites when they were weary and exhausted after leaving Egypt (Deuteronomy 25:17-18). However, Saul did not obey God’s command to utterly destroy the Amalekites and all their livestock. Instead, he spared Agag, the Amalekite king, and kept the best of the sheep, oxen, fatted calves, and lambs, and all that was good (1 Samuel 15:9). Even if he intended to offer these spoils as sacrifices to God, it was futile; God would not accept them, because that was not what He desired. 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 listen than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22).

We often feel very important because of our many services, believing that the more we do, the more we please God. But in reality, God does not need human help; our existence does not make Him greater, nor does our absence make Him smaller; He is unchanging from everlasting to everlasting. What God values is not what we do for Him, but whether we trust and obey Him. If our service lacks the reality of trust and obedience, no matter how busy or zealous we are, it has no spiritual value or meaning. The motivation must be from God, the method must rely on God, and the outcome must be for God’s glory (Romans 11:36). Let us learn to trust and obey before God, and His glory will surely illuminate our path ahead.