Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice

But Samuel replied,

"What is more pleasing to the Lord:

your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?

Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,

and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,

and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.

So because you have rejected the command of the Lord,

he has rejected you as king."

What exactly is going on in this passage?

God told Saul to wipe out all of the Amalekites- He wanted to obliterate the entire nation.

So Saul went out and slaughtered the Amalekite people. But he left the king alive. And he took the best of their livestock and possessions, destroying "only what was worthless or of poor quality."

And THEN (this is pathetic) it says he went to the town of Carmel "to set up a monument to himself." Narcissistic much?

First, Saul was supposed to do all this in the name of the LORD, so the fact that he built a monument in celebration of "his" achievements is sinfully ironic.

Second, he blatantly disobeyed God by sparing the king's life and plundering the Amalekites.

When Samuel called Saul out on this, he gave the classic white lie response:

""But I did obey the Lord,' Saul insisted. 'I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal."

And that's where we pick up with Samuel's monologue on obedience versus sacrifices.

Saul was self righteous. He wanted to offer God a sacrifice in hopes of earning God's favor. But the Lord wanted a submissive heart.

Just read Psalm 51 and you'll see God is really into hearts that are humble before Him:

You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering.

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

That was David talking. David was a man after God's own heart. Saul, a king rejected by the LORD.