Obedience Is Better than Sacrifice

If you have been in church for quite a while, you may have come across the statement, “Obedience is better than sacrifice”. I actually heard it when I was a little boy in Sunday School. But I didn’t know it was written in scripture until I was about sixteen. If you are looking for where it is in the Bible, it’s in 1 Samuel 15:22. The prophet Samuel is the one who said it to Saul after he breached an instruction he had given him. Let’s delve deeper and understand why obeying God is of higher priority to Him than sacrifice.

Bad leadership shifts in Israel

King Saul was the first king of Israel. Before he was appointed king, priests ruled the nation. But Israel, upon settling in Canaan, started demanding a king because they saw that the other kingdoms surrounding them had kings as their rulers (see 1 Samuel 8:5). God clearly said to Samuel that their initiative was a significant turn away from Him as their King (see 1 Samuel 8:7-8). But He told Samuel to carry out that plea from them, and in the end, Saul was appointed as the first king of Israel. There are crucial leadership keys to learn from this.

1. Don’t compare what you have with what others have. Otherwise, it’ll breed comparison and rob you of your God-made uniqueness.
2. As a leader, labour very well in instilling the God-fearing values of what God called you to do to the next generation. So that, when you grow old, your children (not necessarily your biological children but your next generation of leaders) will not turn away from God and destroy what God has helped you labour for years to build.

Saul’s case as an example

Now, Saul was thirty years old when he became king of Israel (see 1 Samuel 13:1). God’s Spirit came upon him before he ascended the throne. So, he received the anointing to rule. Even though the Bible says he reigned for forty-two years, his reign was cut short because he disobeyed God.

One time, he went to war with the Amalekites, and God instructed Samuel to tell him that he and his troops should destroy everything in that land, including the livestock, whether good or bad. Guess what? Saul and his army went to the war and destroyed the Amalekites but spared the king (Agag), the best of the sheep, cattle and everything that was good (see 1 Samuel 15:9). He didn’t even get home, and God went to tell Samuel that He had regretted making Saul the king (see 1 Samuel 15:10-11).

When you are in leadership, you can’t afford to mess up and think God isn’t watching you. God rejected Saul as king the moment he disobeyed Him, and that was the beginning of his downfall. 

Be careful of the three things in the world – the lust of the eyes and flesh & the pride of life

In 1 John 2:16, scripture enumerates three things under which all the evil in this world is classified. They are the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. The lust of the eyes refers to the evils that people view and develop a craving for. That of the flesh has more to do with bodily sins, such as sexual immorality, masturbation, etc. But the pride of life has to do with the craving for material possessions, of which Saul was guilty. Anything a person will do or does to disobey God’s instructions will fall under at least one of these three categories. But as believers in Christ, we are cautioned against these (see 1 John 2:15).

Obey God even in discomfort.

Sometimes, honouring God’s instructions may be hard when you meet certain situations. In those times, when your conviction isn’t firm in doing what God has said, the devil can deceive you, usually by painting such sins as pleasurable in your mind. But to get over those things, don’t have a second look at the scene. If it’s sexual immorality, the Bible says flee (see 1 Corinthians 6:18). If it’s attractive offers that will make you disobey God, turn them down. Don’t be deceived. The things of the world look appealing at first sight, but behind them are harmful effects that many people are suffering from.

May the Lord help you obey Him well all the days of your life.