To Obey is Better than Sacrifice

The prophet told the king

Heed the voice of the Lord

Punish Amalek for what he did to Israel

Destroy them all

Saul gathered soldiers 210,000 strong

He destroyed the Amalekites but…

Spared King Agag AND…

The best of sheep, oxen and their young

Everything despised and worthless

He destroyed

The Lord told the prophet

“I greatly regret that I made Saul king

He has turned back from following Me

He has not obeyed my commandments

Samuel the prophet prayed all night

King Saul set up a monument to himself

Saul blessed the Lord when he saw Samuel

“I have obeyed the commandment of the Lord”

Saul declared

“Why do I hear the voices of sheep and oxen?”

Asked Samuel

“The people spared the best for the Lord.”

Answered Saul

“The Lord sent you on a mission.”

Said Samuel

“Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord?

Why did you swoop down on the spoil?

Why did you do evil in the sight of the Lord?”

Samuel demanded

“I have obeyed the voice of the Lord

I accomplished the mission

That the Lord sent me to do

The people took the sheep and oxen

The people took the best of things

To sacrifice to the Lord your God”

Saul explained

So 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 heed than the fat of rams

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft

And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord

He also has rejected you from being king.”

Then Saul said to Samuel

“I have sinned,

I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord

I feared the people and obeyed their voice

Please pardon my sin

Return with me, that I may worship the Lord.”

But Samuel said to Saul,

“I will not return with you

You have rejected the word of the Lord

And the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”

Samuel turned around to go away

Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore.

Samuel said to him,

“The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today

He has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.”

Samuel mourned for Saul

The Lord regretted that He had made Saul king

With great authority

Comes great responsibility

To obey is better than sacrifice

First Samuel 15