Daily Devotional – Saturday, October 9, 2021
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
1 Samuel 15:22 (NKJV)
God, through Prophet Samuel, commanded King Saul to attack and destroy all Amalekites and their animals. Saul killed the Amalekites but spared their king and selected animals.
When confronted by Samuel, Saul defended his actions, claiming, “…the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.” (1 Samuel 15:21).
The king knew he had disobeyed God but instead of acknowledging and confessing his sin in repentance, he blamed the people under his command. He thought that God would excuse his sin if he sacrificed to God some of the animals he had spared.
Unfortunately, many Christians reason like Saul. We imagine that it is right to break God’s laws as long as we attend church and give our offerings. We choose which of God’s commandments to obey and attempt to bribe God by acting religiously.
God’s message to Saul is as powerful and relevant today as it was when Samuel delivered it. “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.” (1 Samuel 15:22).
It is the attitude and sincerity of giving that God values, not the mere sacrifice. No amount of religious practices and acts of mercy to others will replace the need to obey God fully. When we realize we have sinned, we must immediately turn to God in genuine repentance.
Heavenly Father, give me the grace to obey you fully.
