To Obey is Better. 1 Samuel 15:22
Israel enjoyed a distinction that no other nation has ever experienced. God was their King. He chose them.
He wanted to be their God and King. As is typical of human nature Israel wanted what they didn’t have which was a human king.
God chose Saul to be the first King of Israel. It was God who sent the prophet Samuel out to find Saul and anoint him to be king. From the very beginning Saul had a problem. He just never could seem to obey God commands.
From the beginning he made a habit out of partial obedience. He would do some of what God commanded but never all of what God commanded.
At one point, Saul became impatient with the delay in the arrival of Samuel the prophet so he took over the priestly duties and offered a religious sacrifice himself.
This was a clear violation of God’s laws regarding worship and it prompted Samuel to say, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you.”
The first King of Israel faced disastrous consequences because he failed to obey God. The hardening of his heart and his casual attitude to the sin of partial obedience caused him to be rejected as King. He lost his kingdom and eventually lost his life. As we analyze the reasons for Saul’s disobedience, we look at our own lives to consider our own walk and obedience to God.
This sermon is centered around a story found in 1 Samuel 15.
King Saul has been commanded by God through the prophet Samuel to go to war with the Amalekites. Samuel is very clear in God’s commands. Destroy everything. This is plain, clear and to the point. The Bible says, “ . . . utterly destroy all that they have and do not spare them.”
Saul engages the enemy and destroys all the people but proceeds to spare the King and the best of the sheep, the oxen the lambs and all that was good.
1 Samuel 15:9 says that they destroyed everything worthless and despised but that they were unwilling to destroy anything that was good.
As this is happening, the prophet Samuel hears from God and the message is not a good one. God says, “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.”
We are told that it grieved Samuel and that he cried out to the Lord all night.
As he faces Saul the next day, Saul greets him with what I call a smoke screen greeting, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.”
Reminds me of what fundraisers often face when dealing with wealthy people who will head off the fundraiser from asking for a specific amount of money by offering a much lesser amount.
Saul makes his declaration but Samuel gives him a classic and pointed response.
“What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”
I want to ask you some questions this morning.
Are you following God’s commands?
Are you living a life of partial obedience to God’s commands?
Do you find it easier to be obedient when you know people are looking?
Have you been struggling with some area of your life that you know needs to be surrendered to God?
God speaks in all kind of ways to all kinds of people.
I believe this message has been laid across your pathway this morning, by God and for a reason.
For some of us it is a warning to stay away from things that displease God or go against His word.
For others it is a call to stop and examine your ways. To reflect honestly on your lifestyle and to ask the simple question, am I living in obedience to God’s word and way?
Don’t try to cover the question by listing all the things you do.
I go to church. I work for the church. I sing in the choir or play in the band. I teach a class. I serve God most of the time.
Last time I checked that is not the standard.
Partial obedience doesn’t cut it.
I know this a unique church. We try to extend grace to people and give them a chance to work out the issues in their lives.
May I remind you again that our goal and mission as a church is to lead people into a growing relationship with Christ? Our goal is not to hand out free passes to heaven that allow people to continue to live any old way they want.
Growth comes from obedience. The Bible clearly states that if you know to do good and don’t do it you sinning. You are disobeying God.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “. . .it is only through obedience that you come to learn the truth.”
In fact he strongly suggests that obedience is an act of faith. “Are you worried because you find it so hard to believe? No one should be surprised at the difficulty of faith, if there is some part of his life where he is consciously resisting or disobeying the commandment of Jesus.”
Saul in this story begins to make excuses for why he spared the sheep and other things.
He basically responds: I saved all of these animals so we could make a big sacrifice to God. And that brings us to the text for this message. Follow along with these word found in 1 Samuel 15:22.
“But Samuel replied; ‘Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.’ ” 1 Samuel 15:22
Let’s look at how we can fall into a life of disobedience by examining this incident in the life of King Saul a little closer.
I. A Pattern of Disobedience: How Saul disobeyed
A. By partial obedience:
He obeyed only part of the Lord’s command to destroy all the people and livestock. He spared Agag the king and the best of the livestock. Saul’s obedience was not 100%, 95 % maybe but not complete. In verse 20 Saul says, “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.”
The bottom line is that he didn’t obey completely what he knew God has demanded.
B. This was further compounded by denial:
In v 13 when Samuel caught up with Saul the latter boldly says I have obeyed. Num 32:23 says that your sin will find you out. The bleating sheep and lowing cattle gave Saul away.
It is not unusual for those who engage in acts of disobedience to also become very good at denial. Somehow you are able to convince yourself at least that you are doing okay regardless of what you know to be God’s Word.
C. When caught he tried to blame other people:
In verse 15 he says that his soldiers did it. In verse 21 he says the people took the plunder. Look at verse 21. Not only is he blaming other people but also it is clear that Saul knows the command that God gave him. He says it again, “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.”
This is the oldest trick. Adam tried to do it to Eve who tried to do it to the serpent.
We live in a society that has made it very acceptable to blame others for our problems. It will only be a matter of time until you begin to hear defensive comments on behalf of the two men arrested for the murderous sniping incidents in the Washington D.C. area. There will be people who will find all the reason in the world why these cold-blooded murders were not their fault.
When it comes to obeying God it is not about anybody else.
It is not about your past. It is not about your parents. It is not about your terrible relationship with your Father or whatever.
It is about you and this book and God.
II A Precedent had been set: Why Saul disobeyed?
A. He turned away from the Lord:
In v 11 the Lord himself testifies to this. The same Saul, who was among the prophets prophesying, anointed King of Israel and head and shoulders above his brothers has now turned away from God.
B. Pride came into his heart:
In v 17 he was once small in his own eyes, now he was going to build a monument for himself (v 12). The Lord had lifted him up but now his pride was becoming his downfall.
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
C. He was afraid of the people:
Read v 24, Saul feared the people and so he gave into them. The people were leading him instead of he leading the people. Pro 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.
We have to come to the place in our society where we are not ashamed of following God’s ways.
We live in a society of very few absolutes.
We live in a society that has taught us that situational ethics is the way to conduct our lives.
In other words, we have been taught that if you get in a situation and need to lie to get out of it then that’s okay.
The person who really endeavors to live a life of obedience to God will stand out in today’s society.
I’m talking about really being a Christ follower.
Not a chameleon
Not someone who blends in with the world during the week and blends in with the church on Sunday.
Saul prioritized religion over obedience: v 15, he thought that the Lord would be very happy to receive all the sacrifices over the slight disobedience of sparing the animals.
Perhaps these trophies of war including Agag would have added to his stature.
III. The Ultimate Price of Disobedience: What happened as Saul disobeyed?
A. He acknowledged his sin:
In v24 this only happened when he was confronted with the seriousness of it. It is the old game of I’m sorry I got caught not I’m sorry of disobeying.
B. He asked Samuel for forgiveness: v25 but he does not seek it from God.
2Co 7:10 “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” He was more interested in restoring his honor before the people, v 30.
C. He lost what God had given Him:
v26-29 the kingdom was torn from him and given to David. Even though he continued to be king till his death. Samuel too was separated from him till his death (v 35)
Can we see today the consequences of disobedience? More than all the sacrifices and religious observances, God wants us to obey him. Are you obeying God in every area of your life?
Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." (John 14:21)
God is looking for a people who will simply follow Him.
He is looking for men and women who will take the word of God seriously and live out the principles and commands found in this book.
God is looking for obedience, genuine, fresh-faced obedience.
There are people sitting here this morning that live their lives in the most up and down fashion. Your spiritual walk and journey resembles a roller coaster. One day your up and the next you’re down.
I want to be very careful here. All of us experience emotional fluctuations in our walk with God. I’m talking about the ups and downs that come with disobeying what you know God commands. You cannot live a victorious Christian life if you continually disobey God.
I don’t know when, but sometime in the near future I want to preach a sermon series on the Ten Commandments. Have you read them lately?
1. You shall have no other God’s before Me.
2. You shall not worship idols.
3. You shall not take God’s name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
5. Honor your Father and Mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not lie.
10. You shall not covet what you don’t have.
Some of us need to start right there and begin to examine our lives. Obedience could be for some of us the very step that enables us to live productive lives.
God created you and He expects you to follow the life that He laid out for you.
From chapter 15 and this incident in Saul’s life he continues down a road of terrible devastation and personal destruction. Every terrible step in Saul’s life can be traced to disobedience.
He once enjoyed the blessing of God.
He was handpicked by God to be King.
He had a personal prophet who told him plainly what God wanted him to do.
He made the choice to disobey and live his life the way he wanted to live it.
Listen to me this morning, everyone in this building has been chosen by God. When God sent His Son Jesus Christ to this earth to die on a cross for our sins He did it for everyone of us. He handpicked us to receive His mercy. He left us His word to guide and live our lives by.
The question is where are you living this morning?
As you allow God to examine your life and your heart, where do you find yourself?
Are you obeying what you know you should do?
Are you doing what you know God demands from you?
Obey Him and live, reject Him and go your own way and face devastation and defeat in your life.
A TV news camera crew was on assignment in southern Florida filming the widespread destruction of Hurricane Andrew. In one scene, amid the devastation and debris stood on house on its foundation. The owner was cleaning up the yard when a reporter approached him.
“Sir, why is your house the only one still standing?” asked the reporter. “How did you manage to escape the severe damage of the hurricane?”
“I built this house myself.” the man replied. “I also built it according to the Florida state building code. When the code called for 2 x 6 roof trusses, I used 2 x 6 roof trusses. I was told that a house built according to code could withstand a hurricane. I did, and it did. I suppose no one else around here followed the code.”
When the sun is shining and the skies are blue, building our lives on something other than the guidelines in God’s Word can be tempting. But there’s only one way to be ready for a storm.
