Elder Ko Swee Chay

 

To obey is better than sacrifice

Introduction

In chapter 15 of 1 Samuel, we learn that Saul the first king of Israel was commanded by the LORD via Samuel to go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have. Instead of simply obeying the commandment of the LORD, he chose to spare Agag the king of Amalekites and allowed his people to take the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings and the lambs. When Samuel confronted Saul, he boldly and confidently declared that he had obeyed the voice of the LORD in carrying out the task, and that the keeping of the best of the animals by his people was meant to sacrifice them to the LORD. Samuel replied at once with a very strong rebuke that such sacrifices and offerings were no excuse to justify or "cover up" his sin of not obeying the word of the LORD. For that, the LORD rejected him from being king of Israel: "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burn offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king". (1 Sam 15:22-23).

 

Most of us have heard this profound statement made by Samuel "to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." This portion of Scripture aptly teaches us the importance of obeying God’s Word; obedience is more important than rituals, sacrifices and offerings; and no amount of "sacrifices" can appease God for the sin of disobedience. Sadly many professing Christians are not paying much attention or struggle to obey God and His Word. Many choose to do what is right in their own eyes. Things that can satisfy the desires of our heart, we do, not caring whether we are obeying God’s Word. Some of us may even think that we are "good and obedient" Christians because we have given our "sacrifice" to God in regularly attending worship service and fellowship meeting, giving tithes and offerings, taking part in church activities and events; but avoiding to reflect and examine our life honestly and sincerely by asking ourselves the question "Am I obeying all of God’s Word in all that I act and do?"

 

Let us take a closer look with spiritual discernment at this precious verse proclaimed by Samuel "to obey is better than sacrifice", to seek a better understanding on the importance of obedience and why obedience is better than sacrifice.

 

Understanding Obedience and Sacrifice

The meaning of "obey" given in dictionaries is: 1) to do what someone in a position of authority tells you to do, or to do what a law or rule says you must do; 2) to do what is commanded by a person, law, or instinct etc.; 3) to be obedient.

 

The Biblical word for "obey" means to hear or listen attentively. By implication, this word can mean to heed or conform to a command or authority. There is no choice in the matter, it is to be done whether one agrees with it or not. The Biblical word "hearken" means "to hear, listen and obey".

 

The word "obey" is associated with the idea of power and authority. Al l of us come under some sort of authority that has the power and authority to control our conduct, behaviour and deeds. So we are instructed to obey our parents at home, our teachers in school, our supervisors in the work place, the laws and traffic rules and the Government of the country we live in, etc. As believers, over and above all of these earthly authorities mentioned, it is most important to obey our Almighty God, who is our Creator, Redeemer and Saviour, who has the ultimate power and authority over all mankind. Complete obedience to God is the sacred duty of every believer.

 

The meaning of "sacrifice" given in dictionaries is: 1) to willingly give up or stop having something you want or doing something you like in order to get or achieve something more important, 2) to offer something or someone to a god as sacrifice. In the context of 1 Sam 15:22, the word "sacrifice" refers to animal sacrifices prescribed in the OT book of Leviticus. By way of application, "sacrifice" could extend to cover our worship and service, possessions, money, time and talent in today’s context. Sacrifice is an outward religious act which eyes can see.

 

Examples of Obedience in the Bible

Our Lord Jesus Christ gave us the perfect example of what it means to have perfect obedience to God the Father. Christ’s obedience includes His willing acceptance of the incarnation when God the Father spoke with the Son in eternity past as recorded in Ps 40:6-8 & Heb 10:5-10. His life of perfect obedience to the Father is shown in that He was "made of a woman, made under the law", and kept the law perfectly. He fulfilled the will of God in His birth, His boy-hood, His baptism, His temptation in which He triumphed over Satan, and throughout His entire life while on earth. None could convict Him of His disobedience to God or His law. Though He grieved at the awfulness of His coming condemnation when He was made sin for us and bore our sins in His own body on the tree, still He submitted Himself in obedience to death on the cross.

 

The Bible records for us many other examples of obedience for our benefit. Here are some of them:

 

· Noah obeyed the LORD to build an ark – "Thus did Noah, according to all that God commanded him, so did he." (Gen 6:22). All that God instructed him about building an ark – the design and engineering details, his family of eight and the animals that were to be taken on board – by faith he obeyed without questioning.

 

· Abraham obeyed the LORD to uproot his family and go to an unknown land – "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee." (Gen 12:1). "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." (Heb 11:8)

 

· Joshua obeyed the LORD – "Surely none of the men that came out of Egypt, ….. shall see the land ….. because they have not wholly followed me: Save Caleb … and Joshua …. For they have wholly followed the LORD." (Num 32:11-12). Truly Joshua is a man of obedience. Against the negative report of the other 10 spies, Joshua stood firm together with Caleb to go in and possess the Promised Land notwithstanding the giants they saw. In the book of Joshua, his trait of obedience was further demonstrated. During the seven years of wars in conquering the land of Canaan, he faithfully obeyed all that the LORD commanded him to do without any murmuring, complaints and questioning.

 

Importance of Obedience

Obedience is commanded by God, not just by the church or the pastors. In the Bible, the word "obey" occurs 115 times, and this excludes all the variations of the word such as hearken, hear, follow, observe, obedience, obedient etc. This shows us that God places great importance and emphasis on the subject of obedience, in that He desires all believers to fully comprehend and faithfully comply with His demand to obey all of His commandments. Throughout the Bible, God gives us very direct instructions that we are to follow, such as the Ten Commandments. We are commanded by God to obey and keep these commandments. Listed below are examples of Bible verses relating to our obedience to God:

 

"… Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you." (Jer 7:23)

 

Jesus said: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me." (John 10:27)

 

"… We ought to obey God than men." (Acts 5:29)

 

God treats disobedience very seriously. To make it abundantly clear that God demands of His people to obey His commandments and hear His voice, He gave a stern warning to the people of Israel that there will be cursing and punishment if they will not obey the word of the LORD. On the other hand, there will be blessings if they obey the word of the LORD. This important Biblical truth is applicable to us even today.

 

"Behold I set before you this day a blessing and a curse. A blessing if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God ...." (Deut 11:26-28)

 

"If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God: But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers." (1 Sam 12:14-15)

 

"If they obeyed and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge." (Job 36:11-12)

 

From the Bible we see how people disobeyed God and received severe punishments. From the first act of disobedience and rebellion of Adam and Eve to God’s commandment, the ground was cursed; man has to endure hardship; sin and death entered all humanity (Gen 2 & 3). For not obeying God’s direct command to speak to the rock to get water, instead smiting the rock twice, Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land (Num 20:7-12). For their sin of disobedience to God’s command to go in and possess the Promised Land, the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed (Jos 5:6). While occupying the Promised Land, for not driving out all the inhabitants of the land and having inter-marriages with the Canaanite nations, the children of Israel suffered greatly, as recorded in the book of Judges.

 

God was supremely loving, patient and longsuffering with Israel, just as he is towards us today. But we must not mistake His patience and longsuffering for an approval of acts of disobedience. Beware of going our own way and doing things that satisfy our own heart desires, because eventually we will get it – along with all its painful consequences. For those who have been living a life of disobedience, take heed of Jeremiah’s pleading: "Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you." (Jer 26:13).

 

In addition to obeying God, God’s Word exhorts believers to obey various form of human authorities: children are to obey their parents (Eph 6:1, Col 3:20, Prov 6:20); wives are to obey their husband (Eph 5:22-24, Tit 2:5, 1 Pet 3:1); servants are to obey their masters (Eph 6:5, Col 3:22; Tit 2:9) and Christians are to obey their spiritual rulers and leaders (Heb 13:17).

 

The level of obedience to God’s commandments is a measure of one’s spiritual maturity, and one’s fear and love for God. The highest realm of obedience for believers is that of obeying God from the heart (Rom 6:17), and not just to have outward compliance. A true Christian possesses a spirit of obedience that creates this desire from the heart to obey even in thought and attitude (e.g. Matt 5:28, 44; 19:21-22). He has the mind of Christ (Pil 2:5), he has God’s Word in his heart and he delights to do God’s will. Obedience to God’s Word is a clear evidence of a true child of God and the assurance of one’s salvation.

 

To Obey is better than Sacrifice

Samuel asked Saul a pertinent question: "Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?" Samuel further stressed that "to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." (1 Sam 15:22).This reveals the nature and character of God. Obedience to God is what really counts. The problem is not the offerings but the disobedience of God’s commands and the desire for the approval of people rather than the approval of God. There is nothing wrong with burnt offerings and sacrifices to God; after all in the book of Leviticus, God is the one who gave to Israel through Moses the laws and rites concerning sacrifices and various types of offerings. The problem with what Saul did was that he used one part of God’s Word to pit against another. He used God’s instruction regarding the keeping of the best of the animals to sacrifice to God as an excuse or a "cover-up" for not obeying God’s commandment. This teaches us that to obey the LORD is far better than having to sacrifice as a proxy to cover the sin. In Samuel’s rebuke to Saul, he said: "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." (1 Sam 15:23a). Being disobedient and rebelling against God and yet performing outward sacrificial rituals is like committing to the sin of witchcraft; being stubborn is actually exalting self-will above God’s will and that is iniquity and idolatry. This shows the seriousness of not obeying God’s commands.

 

From the accounts of the incident given in 1 Sam chapter 15, we can learn a few things about what led to disobedience of God’s commands:

· Sinful condition of the heart and mind

· Self-will, self-confidence, pride, rebellion and obstinacy

· Fear of man and looking for the support and approval of man, rather than of God

· Satisfying own heart desires and selfish material gain

· Lack of knowledge of God and personal relationship with God ·

 

In order to sacrifice, one must give up something, like precious animals in the OT time, or possessions, money, time and talent in our present day context. But we ought to remember that when we make a sacrifice to God, we are just returning to Him what rightfully belonged to Him in the first place. This doesn’t mean that sacrifices are not important. But what we need to know and remember is that all our outward form of religious acts, service and worship to God such as attending worship service and prayer meeting, giving tithes and offerings, supporting the poor and needy, preaching and teaching of God’s Word and going for overseas mission trips are in vain and useless in the sight of God and profit nothing if we do not hear, obey and keep the Word of God but instead continue to indulge in sinful life style and live a life of disobedience.

 

Oswald Chambers said: "The golden rule for understanding spiritually is not intellect, but obedience. If a man wants scientific knowledge, intellectual curiosity is his guide; but if he wants insight into what Jesus Christ teaches, he can only get it by obedience."

 

Matthew Henry said: "Obedience was the law of innocency, but sacrifice supposes sin come into the world and is but a feeble attempt to take away that which obedience would have prevented….. Carnal, deceitful hearts, like Saul, think to excuse themselves from God’s commandments by what pleases themselves. It is hard to convince the children of disobedience. But humble, sincere, and conscientious obedience to the will of God, is more pleasing and acceptable to him than all burnt-offering and sacrifice. It is much easier to bring a bullock or lamb to be burnt upon the altar than to bring every high thought into obedience to God and the will subject to his will."

 

King Solomon in his great wisdom concluded the book of Ecclesiastes with these two verses: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." (Essl. 12:13-14)

 

Conclusion

Samuel stressed that "to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." This reveals the nature and character of God. Obedience to God is what really counts. There is nothing wrong with offering burnt offerings and sacrifices to God; after all God instructed Israel to sacrifice unto Him. But what is wrong is to use one part of God’s Word to pit against another, and to think that offerings and sacrifices to God can "cover-up" for not obeying God’s Word.

 

In fact the most important thing a believer ever does in life is to obey the Word of God, which is all that matters for own spiritual blessing and eternal life. Jesus gave us the perfect example of perfect obedience to God the Father to follow. It is a great blessing to read, meditate and know God’s Word and then have the power to choose to obey and keep His word. Obedience to God’s Word will come with spiritual blessings - our spiritual life will grow, our walk with God becomes closer because we are submitting to the ultimate power and ultimate authority of God, we acknowledge our Creator in all our ways and we do everything for the honour and glory of God. On the other hand, the reward for disobedience to God’s Word is God’s curse and punishment. God delights in our obedience coupled with our faith in Him and love to Him. Obedience to God’s Word is a clear mark of salvation. May God give us the grace and strength to continue to choose to obey God’s Holy Word from the heart as a lifetime commitment. AMEN.