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“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”
1 Samuel 15:22-23
There is a never-ending struggle in the human soul to obey. Like so many before us who wrestle with God, we are grasping and searching for answers to things that we cannot control. The struggle is as old as time itself, and as insidious as the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve. These haunting verses from 1 Samuel bring to light the darkness of what disobedience means. Reminiscent of Paul in Romans Chapter 7 the echos of “I just cannot do this right” rings through our heads as we try to live the Christian life.
King Saul stepped out of obedience to do a good thing in the totally wrong way. His impatience with God’s process and his lack of trust and faith in God in that moment revealed the deeper issue. Saul, being in a hurry for justification, wanted control. How are we any different?
God has called each of us to a measure of obedience, trust and faith in Christ. We have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling inside, calling, begging and pleading with love to simply “trust and obey”. We see this play out in our lives in work, relationships and leadership every single day. Our fear of man outweighs our fear of God and obedience is abandoned for what we believe is “right”. Saul had the actions and activities down. He knew mechanically what to do and what God required in theory. He was not wrong in his understanding of what God required, he was just completely and utterly disobedient to how God wanted him to trust. The consequence of such a distrust and disobedience came at a devastating cost to Saul.
A few questions for reflection:
- In what way am I right in my thoughts, but missing the mark in my execution of God’s commands?
- In what ways is God calling me to trust Him to let Him get the Glory in my circumstances?
- What is God calling me to let go of control and wait for His answer by faith?
- What circumstance are you facing that tempts you to fear man more than you fear God?
Obedience is better than sacrifice. God desires us to entrust our lives and well-being to His care. (Matthew 6:28) The law illuminates God’s heart of love and grace. He wants us to see Him do the work and get the Glory. He will bring justice. He will not relent on holiness. His will be done. Our obedience is in relinquishing control and rest in His providence.
Jesus, help us to love obedience more than we love our desires. We need your help to do that. – Amen.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]