To Obey is Better than Sacrifice

Has the LORD as much 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)

Let’s admit it. Obedience is hard. It is difficult to submit your will to the will of another. We don’t naturally desire to be obedient. We expect obedience from our children, but are we demonstrating what obedience looks like? Do we show them that we are living in obedience to Christ?

Obedience and humility

Obedience, by virtue of what it is, is an act that requires humility if done properly. None of us is naturally humble. Each of us has some form of pride that we struggle with, and this reality makes it difficult to obey. We say to ourselves, “I don’t understand why I should do this,” or “I don’t think this is necessary,” or “if it were up to me, I would do things differently.” Stop and think about what is behind each of those statements. Behind the first statement is the assumption that I deserve to understand all of the details before I follow through. Behind the second and third statements is the haughty presumption that we know better than the one who gave us the instruction in the first place. This is problematic enough in human relationships, but when it comes to our relationship with our Creator, this kind of prideful thinking and living is downright dangerous.

Dangers of partial obedience

Consider the account of Saul’s disobedience that is recorded in 1 Samuel 15. God had given clear instructions to Saul on how he was to deal with the wicked Amalekites. Saul decided that he was going to handle things differently. He “mostly” obeyed God, but as this account makes clear, partial obedience is the same as disobedience. When he is confronted, Saul also tries to cast the blame. He accuses the people of the violation, and he claims that he himself was faithful.

These games only made things worse for Saul. God was not oblivious to Saul’s sin, and Samuel pronounces severe judgment on Saul, which begins with these words: “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.” Let those words ring out in your mind! To obey is better than sacrifice. This truth is repeated multiple times in the Word of God. David famously utters something very similar in Psalm 51:16-17: “For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.” Humble obedience is better than empty ritual.

Obedience is better than sacrifice

Consider why this is true. First, obedience is one way that we show our love for God. Listen to the words of 1 John 5:2-3: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” Furthermore, Christ Himself said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)

Second, obedience demonstrates our relationship with God. As we obey, we show the world that we are not our own masters, and we are given assurance of our right standing before God. Consider 1 John 2:3-6: “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”

Third, our obedience will bring future glory to God. Peter says, “having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” You may never know how powerful your witness for the Lord was, but God knows, and He uses faithful people to bring glory to Himself in incredible ways.

Finally, God blesses obedience. John 13:17: “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” This is not our primary motivation for obedience, but we can rejoice in this reality. When we obey the Lord, we can live a life of true joy, without shame, rooted in the Lord and confident in our eternal hope. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). How many people can truly lay claim to this immense blessing?

Conclusion

Obedience is hard, but obedience is best. Thankfully, God has given us every resource we need in order to live a life of obedience. We have the truth of His Word, the example of His Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Those whom you are responsible for leading need to see obedience exemplified. They need you to demonstrate the traits of obedience, even as you expect them to follow your leadership. We cannot expect what we do not model. We should not be surprised by the fact that Saul’s leadership was a failure because Saul himself did not live in true obedience to God. By God’s grace, let’s commit to living a life of submission to Christ.