In 1 Samuel 15.10-35 we see the importance of obedience. God has commanded Saul to crush the Amalekites and destroy them utterly. Saul has crushed the Amalekites, taken some prisoners including the king, and has had his forces take the best of the Amalekites possessions to give as an offering to God. While this may seem like an act of dedication and obedience to God, in fact it goes counter to God's specific commands. Do we expect the Lord to be pleased with this type of obedience? We should not.
Look closely at verses 22-23 (ESV).
22 And 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 listen than the fat of rams.
23 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."
God has spoken. Let us obey. God has made himself known. Let us see and understand. God has laid down a standard by his knowledge and wisdom. Let us not exalt our knowledge and wisdom above God's. What brings pleasure to God? Obedience. What happens when we reject the wisdom of God? We are likewise rejected. We are iniquitous idolaters who take God's sacrifices and make them our own sacrifices.
How many times have we done just what Saul did? We come up with a plan and we execute it. We say it is something we are doing for God. And maybe it is. But it is our plan. Does it run counter to what the Lord has revealed in Scripture? If that be the case, our "holy offering" is defiled. When we are praying that the Lord will direct us in our career, in our family, in our local church, are we agonizing over things which the Lord has already placed before us and about which he has revealed his will? Should we not rather actively pursue our legitimate moral desires, nurture our families, and support our local church while praying the Lord will show us how to minister through those media more effectively? When we consider how to obey the commands of Christ in Scripture, do we add layer upon layer of our own interpretation rather than simply letting him be the Lord and Savior?
But rather than take the time right now to apply example upon example of our human wisdom setting up plans which may be counter to God's wisdom, I will leave the topic with the words of God through Samuel. "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams."
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