To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice

"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. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king." (1 Samuel 15:22, 23)

The life of Saul is very instructive for us as leaders. As we read the story of his service as king of Israel in 1 Samuel, we begin to see a picture of a man who did not listen and obey the voice of the Lord. In chapter 15, God tells Saul through the prophet Samuel, to utterly destroy the Amalekites. Saul destroyed what he thought was "despised and worthless," and kept the best of the sheep and oxen. Anytime we follow our own agenda, what God calls presuming and rebelling in the above passage, instead of obeying his word, we sin.

Saul tried to justify his rebellion by saying that the sheep and oxen they kept were meant to sacrifice to the Lord, and yet when Samuel arrived, the animals were still alive. There are times in ministry, due to the sin of self-pity, that I feel justified in cutting corners or not killing sin I'm aware of. "But God, I sacrifice so much for you, surely I can hang on to this idol in my life." God says to me, as he said to Saul, "To obey is better than sacrifice." I am thankful that in my presumption and rebellion, God has been long-suffering with me. I am thankful that when I confess my sin, He is faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).