Obedience is better than sacrifices because when we are obedient we are doing the will of the Lord and respecting the commandments that he gave us to lead a life in order and firm in his precepts, since Jesus Christ already carried out the perfect sacrifice.
We just have to follow the word of God and ask him for discernment to always do what is right before him. In this way we will continue to obtain the blessings that he has for each of his children here on earth.
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In this way we must fulfill the designs of Our Father so that his plan is fulfilled in each one of us and we can find salvation and enter the kingdom of heaven. This is what the word says:
“And Samuel said: Does Jehovah take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the words of Jehovah? Surely to obey is better than sacrifices, and to pay attention than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22)
Through the story of King Saul we can learn how much God likes obedience to his sacred scriptures, more than the sacrifices that can be made in his name.
Better is obedience than sacrifices. What does the story of Saul teach us about this?
The Bible teaches us that obedience is more pleasing to God than the sacrifices that can be made in his name. Through the prophet Samuel, God spoke to Saul and gave him specific commands to smite the people of Amalek, destroy everything he had and leave no one alive. Saul was the first king of Israel, and despite the fact that he had been chosen by God, thanks to his disobedience he lost everything.
We can see this in the book of 1 Samuel 15:3: “Go therefore and smite Amalek, and destroy all that he has, and have no mercy on him; he kills men, women, children, and even breastfed ones, cows, sheep, camels and donkeys ”
In this sense, God’s will was to punish Amalek from generation to generation due to having been against the people of Israel and the Lord. Faced with this mandate, Saul obeyed, but he did not do it in its entirety, since he felt mercy for Agag, king of Amalek, and also allowed the people to grab the best cattle.
God was rejected by this disobedience on the part of Saul and that is why he rejected him and took away his reign because he had exceeded God’s command on different occasions. remove him from the kingdom because Saul, apart from disobedient, had exceeded the authority and order of God on several occasions, just as he did when he offered holocaust and sacrifice to God without being a priest and without having been obedient to the orders of the Lord.
Before this Samuel exhorts Saul telling him that obedience is better than sacrifices, and paying attention is better than fat rams. He reminded her that rebellion was a sin similar to divination, and that disobedience was not pleasing to God, in the same way as idolatry. For this reason he would be removed from his reign.
After listening carefully to Samuel’s words, he recognized that he had sinned against God out of fear of the people and for wanting to please others, disregarding God’s command.
But Saul, despite asking for mercy, God had already made his decision in the face of the fault he committed against his mandate and authority. So in this way Saul lost the kingship and the Holy Spirit forever.
The story of Saul reminds us that we must at all times follow God’s command, and this refers to his word. But if the Holy Spirit communicates with you through prophecies, you must be attentive to always do the will of Jehovah.
There is no validity to making sacrifices, if you do not obey God and his word, because obedience to God is better than making sacrifices and offerings.
What mistakes Saul made and what lessons his story teaches us
Saul was a man with many virtues, he was strong and fit for battle, he served the Lord and that is why he was chosen to rule Israel. But he made many mistakes that led him to lose his reign and the grace of God.
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In this way, disobedience led him to lose his power and the protection of the Most High forever. So obedience will always be the key to achieve the approval of the Lord, more than making any sacrifice.
In this way, when the Children of God are obedient and fulfill his will, they are greatly blessed. But if the opposite happens, Jehovah looks away from him, just as it happened to Saul, who made the following mistakes:
1.- Make offerings without the consent of God
One of the mistakes that Saul made was to make sacrifices without the consent of God, since Samuel had told him to wait for him in Gilgal, where the sacrifices would be made in his favor.
Saul expected it but when he saw that the prophet did not appear and that the army began to disperse, he began to make offerings on his own. After this Samuel appeared, and when he found out what he had done, he told him that he had acted wrongly, disobeying God. This can be seen in the word:
“Then Samuel said to Saul: You have done foolishly; you did not keep the commandment of Jehovah your God which he commanded you; for now Jehovah would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom will not last. The Lord has sought for himself a man after his own heart, whom the Lord has appointed to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Samuel 10:13-14).
In this sense, Saul’s lack of faith had led him to commit the very serious mistake of violating the law of the Lord because instead of waiting for Samuel, he took the responsibility of making the offering without the consent of the Most High. Which greatly displeased God.
If we carry this into our daily life, we are constantly making mistakes, disrespecting God’s will. But Jesus Christ supports us and that is why we are forgiven for our sins and mistakes.
The person who does not have faith finds it easier to put aside the divine precepts. Just like Saul did, who thought he had done nothing wrong. But for the person who wants to please only God, the only way is to be obedient and follow the Lord’s commands.
2.- Saul spares the life of the king
After Saul made the mistake of offering the burnt offering before Samuel arrived, this king makes another mistake in the presence of God. And this turns out to be a very serious mistake that would take away everything he had achieved so far. And the opportunity to be blessed by God.
While on a campaign against King Amaleq, Saul makes a mistake again, disobeying God, who had already condemned that nation for having attacked the Israelites for no reason during their exodus from Egypt.
However, instead of obeying God’s order, Saul spared the king’s life and left the fattest animals. The worst thing was trying to blame others by saying that the people felt compassion for the flock, since it could be offered as a sacrifice before God.
The issue is not that Saul intended to offer sacrifices to God, but the fact that stands out is disobedience, since Jehovah had been clear in what he had commanded. But Saul had lost his humility and thus offended God with his attitude. But Saul saw this as something minor and downplayed it.
For this reason Jehovah withdrew his blessing and withdrew his Spirit, so an evil spirit took possession of him and thoughts of envy began to invade him towards David, to whom God would grant the kingdom.
3.- Saúl resorts to spiritualism
Once Saul no longer had the presence of God in his life, he sinned against God again by resorting to spiritism when the Philistines attacked again, and in this way this first king of Israel was disobedient to God’s commands.
However, the help he resorted to failed to save him from death, since the next day he was seriously wounded in combat and chose to commit suicide. This can be seen in the word:
“Saul died for his infidelity with which he had acted unfaithfully against Jehovah regarding the word of Jehovah that he had not kept, and also for asking a spirit medium to inquire. And he did not inquire of the Lord.” (1 Chronicles. 10:13, 14).
In this way, the story of Saul shows us the consequence of disobedience to God and the great importance it has for our lives as his Children, since it is useless to offer sacrifices in his name if we do not obey his holy word, and do our own will.
Saul teaches us, in this way, an example of what we should not do, since obeying is better than offering burnt offerings. As the apostle John says: “This is what the love of God means: that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not grievous.” (1 John 5:3).
In this sense, we must not forget that in order to continue receiving the blessings of our God, we must be obedient and always ask for the Lord’s guidance, and even if we think that the things we do are right, we must remember the story of Saul and ask God to give us discernment to understand his designs and never fail him.
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