This morning we’re going to discuss the sin of disobedience to God’s commands. Disobedience is an extremely costly sin; for we know that when the Israelites were on their exodus from Egypt that they refused to follow God’s plan for taking the Promised Land, and the consequence was spending forty years aimlessly wandering in the wilderness on what should’ve been an eleven-day journey. The tragedy of this sin can be further seen when calculating the frequency of funerals conducted by God’s chosen but disobedient people. The death rate was one funeral every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day, for 40 years!(1) We need to be careful about disobedience.
This morning we’ll soon discover, from 1 Samuel chapter 15, that many times we can disobey God and be blinded to our own sin. Hopefully, this message on disobedience will help us to identify when we’re not obeying the Lord, and also help us to escape the consequences of our wrong actions; for disobedience is a sin, and Romans 6:23 declares the wages of sin to be death. It is my earnest hope that this message will be eye-opening and life-changing as you hear the Word of God.
Saul’s Disobedience to the Lord (vv. 1-3, 7-9)
1Samuel also said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey’” . . .
7 And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
We see in verses 1-3, that the Lord commanded Saul to destroy the Amalekites because they had formerly ambushed the Israelites when they were making their exodus from Egypt. In Exodus 17:8-16, we find the account of the Amalekites’ attack on Israel, and we read that the Lord had promised to avenge Israel someday in the future.(2) That day for vengeance had come and God commanded Saul to kill all men, women, children, and livestock (v. 3).
In verses 7-9, we see the events of the battle unfold and we immediately notice something that’s not right. What’s wrong with this picture? First, we read in verse 8 that Saul took Agag king of the Amalekites alive. Agag was a man and the Lord had commanded that all men be put to death, so why should Agag have been an exception? Next, we read in verse 9 that Saul had kept the best of the livestock alive and all for himself, even after God had clearly stated in verse 3 not to spare any animals.
What we have here is an undeniable case of disobedience to God’s will. What could Saul have been thinking that would have caused him to go against the Lord like that? Have any of us ever received a command from God and failed to be obedient? What were some of the causes of Saul’s disobedience, and could they be some of the same things leading to our disobedience as well? Well, we’re going to find out in the following verses.
Pride Goes Before a Fall (vv. 10-12)
10 Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, 11“I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night. 12 So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal.”
Author Beth Moore is quick to point out that pride was one of the causes of Saul’s failure. She says that Saul “kept King Agag alive to present him as a trophy – a public exhibit. He did not slaughter the sheep and cattle for the very same reason: he saved the best to make himself look better.”(3)
In verse 12, we see an obvious sign of Saul’s pride when he made a monument, or altar, for himself; and then the Scripture goes on to say that he had “gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal.” Matthew Henry says that this wording here means that Saul marched himself all the way to Gilgal with a great deal of pomp and parade, being sure to show off to those around him.(4)
Saul was quick to make his boast in what he had done through his own efforts. It’s human nature to desire recognition for our achievements; but when we serve the Lord, many times God will have us walk the lowly path as Jesus did, who “made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). Many times God will ask us to do something for Him, and the only recognition we’ll receive is in the eyes of the Lord; and for some individuals, it can be very difficult serving God when they come to realize they might have to wait until they get to heaven to receive their reward.
Saul did what looked good in the eyes of the people; as we later read in verse 24, in which Saul said, “I feared the people and obeyed their voice.” He wanted more than just reward in the eyes of the Lord. In order to receive recognition from the people he somehow had to make it appear as though the victory was the result of his own work and not God’s; therefore, he had to take control of the situation. Saul had to change the plans, so that it would appear that the victory was the result of his own military strategy; and then he took trophies as evidence that he had won the battle by himself. When we lack humility, we fail to submit to God’s authority. No matter what the situation may be, we’re destined to make the same mistake as Saul if we try to take matters into our own hands.
For example, God might ask us to do something as simple as witness to our coworkers throughout the week; but because of pride, we fail to witness to them because we believe that others will look down on us, because it’s not politically correct to meddle in other people’s business and talk about religion. We take control of our own life instead of giving the control over to God, because like Saul, we’re more concerned about pleasing people than pleasing the Lord. We do what will gain us favor in the eyes of people, which might be to refrain from speaking about Jesus.
We then come to church singing praises to God, acting like we’ve been faithful, and expecting our lip service on Sunday to make up for our lack of obedience throughout the week; but as we’ll soon discover in the verses to follow, our songs of praise can never make up for our disobedience.
Saul Avoided the Responsibility (vv. 13-21)
13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” 15 And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Be quiet! And I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak on.” 17 So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? 18 Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?”
20 And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But 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.”
Whenever we’re confronted with our disobedience we usually try to avoid responsibility for our actions with a string of lies and excuses. In verse 13, we see that Saul first lied to himself when he said, “I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” Saul actually tried to convince himself that what he did was what God had required of him, and by doing so he set his own soul at ease. He had hoped that Samuel would see the situation the same way that he did and agree with him; but as we observe, this was not what happened.
The “baa’s” of the sheep and the “moo’s” of the oxen testified to and alerted Samuel of Saul’s disobedience. Beth Moore tells us we need to “note how Saul refused to take responsibility . . . He excused himself for disobeying God by claiming he spared the best of the sheep and cattle for a sacrifice to the Lord . . . We can sometimes use God as an excuse for disobedience too.”(5)
In the case of our previous example of refusing to witness to someone, we might say that we didn’t witness to a person because he or she would be offended and that would ruin any chance of bringing that person to the Lord. In essence, we reason that God would be pleased with us for our critical thinking and sensitivity, more pleased than if we had just witnessed to the individual like He asked. Like Saul, we reason that if something is done with good intentions then it’s alright.
We also see that Saul tried to blame the people for his disobedience. In verse 15, Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we [or Saul and the leaders] have utterly destroyed.” Saul declared that he and the other leaders were obedient while the people did what was wrong. Matthew Henry sarcastically says, “It was not his fault, for the people spared them; as if they [dared] have done it without the express orders of Saul . . . Note that those that are willing to justify themselves are commonly very forward to condemn others, and to lay the blame upon any rather than take it to themselves.”(6)
We can make as many excuses as we like in order to escape responsibility for our disobedience, but we will be found out, as was Saul. In Luke 12:1-3, Jesus said, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.” Jesus tells us that we’ll be found out if we act like a hypocrite as the Pharisees; but if by chance we’re not found out in this lifetime, we will be held accountable for our disobedience in the final judgment.
God Wants Obedience, Not Sacrifice (vv. 22-23)
22 So 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 heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”
We read here that “to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams” (v. 22). So many times we feel that if we make the sacrifice of coming to church on Sunday morning then we can do whatever we like throughout the week and it’s alright. What verse 22 is telling us, for example, is that the Lord would be more pleased with us if we witnessed to people and lived a Christian lifestyle throughout the week, then if we came to church on Sunday morning “acting” like we’ve been obedient.
In Hosea 6:6, we read, “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” Later in Israel’s history, the people would worship foreign gods and commit numerous sins throughout the week, and then gather before the Lord for worship and act like nothing was wrong; and this greatly angered God. In Amos 5:21-24, the Lord told His people that He didn’t want to smell the aroma of their sacrifices, and He would refuse to accept their worship until they sincerely sought the knowledge of God. Disobedience combined with worship is nothing but hypocrisy, and the Lord won’t favor anyone who behaves in this manner.
We read in verse 23 that “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft” and “stubbornness [or arrogance] is as . . . idolatry.” Beth Moore says, “The comparison seems puzzling until we consider that rebellion is a means by which we attempt to set the course of our futures. We try to choose our own futures by our independent actions. [Witchcraft or] divination attempts to foretell or sway the future. In the same verse God likens arrogance to the evil of idolatry.”(7) She then asks, “When we are arrogant, who becomes God in our lives?”(8) The answer is that we do.
We need to be very careful about taking matters into our own hands, because in Deuteronomy 18:10-13, the Lord said that anyone who practices fortune telling, or taking the future into their own hands, will be driven out from before God’s presence because these things are an abomination to the Lord. According to the Webster’s dictionary, an “abomination” is something worthy of extreme disgust, hatred, and loathing.(9) If we don’t want to become despised and rejected by the Lord like Saul was, then we need to be obedient to God when He tells us to do something, and not try to get out of responsibility through sacrifice and worship.
Time of Reflection
This morning I want you to think about a time in your life when the Lord expected obedience from you. What command did He give you that required obedience; and were you faithful to fully complete the task, or did you only partially do what the Lord asked? Remember, partial obedience is disobedience.
If you’re standing before the Lord this morning trying to worship Him and you’ve been disobedient, then God won’t accept your worship either – until you make your life right with Him. You either need to be obedient to complete the task that He gave you, if you still have a chance; or, if you’ve missed your chance altogether, then you need to ask God’s forgiveness and stop standing before Him trying to justify yourself with excuses.
The Lord expects obedience over worship anytime. Some people attend church week after week and year after year, but they’ve never confessed Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. God doesn’t care about your church attendance and worship if you’ve never accepted Jesus into your heart. Without Jesus, your worship is pointless anyhow. When the Holy Spirit tugs at your heart about walking the aisle and confessing Jesus; keep in mind that God is calling you to an act of obedience. If you refuse to be obedient to His call to repentance and salvation, then you’ll never make it heaven; and your worship is done in vain as well.
NOTES
(1) Auto Illustrator Online, taken from the Internet February 2002 at Crosswalk. com.
(2) J. F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985).
(3) Beth Moore, A Heart Like His (Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1999), p. 42.
(4) Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1996).
(5) Moore, p. 43.
(6) Matthew Henry.
(7) Moore, pp. 43-44.
(8) Ibid., pp. 43-44.
(9) I. Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed. (Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996).
