To Sacrifice or To Obey

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To Sacrifice or To Obey (1 Samuel 15)

We are now several weeks into our theme: God’s Appointed Kingmaker. We looked at how God answered the plea and the prayer of Hannah, by giving her a son, Samuel, who she dedicated for lifelong service to the Lord. And how Samuel listened to the voice of God, declared, and obeyed the word of God, and grew to be a judge, a prophet and a priest. Last week, we saw how Israel demanded a change in government, from one being ruled by the “invisible” yet Sovereign God, to one that is, just like the other nations, ruled by a king.

Before we read our main passage for today, let’s take a quick look on what happened leading to the events in 1 Sam 15.

When Israelites insisted on having a king, God gave them one, Saul, whom Samuel anointed. A king of their own liking.

1 Samuel 12:13-15, 24:

13Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you requested. Behold, the LORD has placed a king over you.

14If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and if you do not rebel against the command of the LORD, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God, then all will be well. 15But if you disobey the LORD and rebel against His command, then the hand of the LORD will be against you as it was against your fathers.

24Above all, fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.

25But if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”

Although they would have a king, it is still the Lord whom they should fear and serve and obey. If they do, then all will be well. If not, then the Lord’s hand will be against them.

1 Samuel 14:47-48:

47After Saul had assumed the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side—the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he routed them.48He fought valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, delivering Israel from the hands of its plunderers.

Saul proved himself to be the king that Israel wanted. He fought their battles and led them to victory against their enemies.

Which brings us to 1 Samuel 15, which narrates what seems to have been the turning point in the reign of Saul as king. We would refer to most of the entire chapter, but for now let us read our main passage for today.

1 Samuel 15:17-23:

17Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”

20“But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”

22But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

23For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”

When Saul first met Samuel, he had a low view of himself, in spite of his physical stature (a head taller than the rest). He was from the least of the clans of Benjamin, the smallest of the tribes of Israel. He must have felt insignificant. And there were doubters who despised him. On the day he was to be proclaimed as king, he was hiding, seemingly reluctant to step up to the task.

Nevertheless, God through Samuel anointed him as king over Israel. He made some foolish missteps along the way (making an unlawful sacrifice, binding his army to an oath not to eat while they pursued their enemies, -- Jonathan, who was unaware of the oath was to be put to death, but for the intervention of the people.) But still, God had given him victories and all seemed well.

Saul was given a mission, to “Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out”. And the question that Samuel asks is, why he did not obey the Lord.

What was it that God ask Saul to do? Let us look closely at the command that the Lord gave Saul.

1 Sam 15:2-3 (ESV):

2Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. 3Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

The command was clear: to utterly destroy the Amalekites. And reading these verses had caused some to view God as vengeful and violent.

Reasons for the Command:

• Judgement against the Amalekites

Who were the Amalekites?

The Amalekites were descendants of Amalek the grandson of Esau (Gen 36:15-16). So they are kindred, but

many generations removed from Israel. They shared common ancestry to Abraham and Isaac.

But instead of welcoming or just giving safe passage to their distant cousins, the Amalekites were the first people to attack Israel after their escape from Egypt.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner; for he said, “Because the LORD has sworn: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:14-16)

17“Remember what Amalek did to you along the way when you came out from Egypt, 18how he met you along the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were faint and weary; and he did not fear God. 19“Therefore it shall come about when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your surrounding enemies, in the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you must not forget (Deuteronomy 25:17-19)

The ancestors provoked the sentence that was given centuries before. There was time enough for the Amalekites to turn and fear God, and escape judgement, just as Nineveh was spared when the people repented in the days of Jonah. But instead, they manifested persistent hostility towards Israel.

The time of judgement has come. This was not a battle for land or for spoils. It is not a war for conquest or for glory. But it is God exercising judgment upon a whole tribe that had waged war with Israel from generation to generation.

• Warning to other nations

And nothing was to be spared. It should remind the other nations of the might of Lord and that they should fear Him.

• Test for King Saul and Israel

God does not need the whole nation of Israel to execute judgment on Amalek. He could have dealt with Amalek directly as He did when he caused fire and brimstone to rain down on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. But God had a purpose in this for His nation. It would be a test of obedience for Saul and all of Israel.

I. The Pitfalls of Disobedience

Saul’s Response

4So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim—two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand from Judah. 5Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. 6Then he said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites. 7Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt.

• He seemed to be clear about the mission as given, no questions were raised.

• He prepared for battle. He summoned his troops and numbered them.

• He had a strategy. His troops lay in wait to ambush in a valley or ravine. He warned the Kenites, who had always shown kindness to Israel to get out from among the Amalekites.

• He launched the attack and pursued.

But somewhere along the way from planning and preparation to execution, something changed.

8He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.

At some point it ceased to follow God’s plan, at least not entirely, but theirs. It was no longer God’s battle. They lost sight of the goal. They did not stay the course.

What kept them from completely obeying?

Was it pride in the strength of his army and the ease in which they defeated the Amalekites? Was it glory in

having a royal as a slave for a trophy? Was it outright rebellion against the expressed will of God, by deciding what was to be spared and what could be utterly destroyed?

Was it the allure of the spoils of battle? As soon as Israel began to lay hands on the spoil, the pursuit would inevitably falter, as each one gathers for his own.

As we examine our own life, we too could fall into the trap. We start well with great intentions and energy only to be derailed and find ourselves losing our way? What keeps us from staying the course and finishing strong? Is it pride? Is it a lack of trust?

 What are the pitfalls of disobedience?

It seldom just ends there. It brings you down a slippery slope.

He lied and tried to cover his sin

Saul lied when he claimed that he had done what the Lord commanded., even in the midst of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. And as it turns out it was not only Agag that was spared. Many more escaped, presumably while the soldiers were busy gathering the spoils. The Amalekites had to be dealt with during the reign of King David, and even beyond.

He blamed others for his own failure

Not only did he lie, he quickly turned and blamed his soldiers for sparing Agag and the best of the sheep and goats. He said that he feared them, and yet in chapter before, Saul compelled his soldiers not to eat or drink until they had completely pursued their enemies. And they did.

He made excuses for his disobedience

It was for a noble or a worthy cause. It was for the greater good.

21The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”

He tried to excuse his disobedience. God should have been pleased, or so, he reasoned. God was not pleased at all.

We can try to deceive ourselves, deceive others that we are living in obedience to God. But we could never deceive God.

How did God view his disobedience?

It is nothing short of evil in the sight of the Lord

 19Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”

• Rebellion

• Divination (Witchcraft)

• Arrogance and Idolatry

23For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.

Disobedience is evil in the sight of the Lord. Disobedience is rebellion because it was defying the expressed will of God. And rebellion is like the sin of divination or witchcraft. We would never think of indulging in that. But when we disobey, we do exactly that. It is like loitering in the devil’s playground and giving the devil an opportunity to have a foothold in our lives. It is not to be dealt with lightly. Stubbornness or arrogance is idolatry, because it elevates self-will over God.

 Results of Disobedience:

• God is grieved and withdraws His favour

 Two times it is mentioned in this chapter. (v.11 and v.25) God regretted that he made Saul king of Israel. God grieves when we miss out on what He would have wanted for us. Surely, He found no pleasure in withdrawing His favour from Saul.

• Saul rejected as king, and his kingdom will not endure

  23b “…Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”

  Now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept the command of the LORD.” (I Sam 13:14)

• Samuel mourns and a rift develops

  Samuel mourned and pleaded with God over Saul and for Israel. Samuel had anointed him, instructed him, guided him, warned him, but I guess the pain and disappointment caused by Saul’s stubbornness and disobedience caused a rift between them. They parted ways, Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul to Gibeah.

35Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Disobedience displeases God and is not something to trifle with. A lesson I distinctly remember that I first

heard as a new believer… and still am learning now…Delayed Obedience is Disobedience.

We sometimes we put off doing what God is calling us to do. We say we will serve… when the time is right,

maybe next summer, maybe next year, when the kids are grown and settled, when I retire, maybe never.

Partial Obedience is Disobedience. And just as Saul did, he obeyed what was of benefit to him and rest he

disregarded. Sometimes we also have a tendency to pick and choose, mostly choosing the areas where it is convenient or to our liking.

II. The Presumption of Sacrifice

Sacrifice IS a sacred thing. Israel was commanded to make sacrifices and offerings. It was to be a sweet aroma, that pleases the Almighty.

But for Saul, it was all for the wrong reasons, and therefore, it was not God honoring

• Unlawful Sacrifice

In 1 Samuel 13, the Philistines were gathering and Saul troops were starting to get fearful and began to scatter. Saul could not wait for Samuel and took it upon himself to make the burnt offering to seek the Lord’s favor. When Samuel arrived and saw this, he told Saul that he had done a foolish thing and had not obeyed the commands the Lord had given as it pertains to sacrifice.

• Wrong Priority

After the battle against the Amalekites, the first thing he did was to build a monument for himself. He clearly put himself first, celebrating his victory and pride in his accomplishment. Worship or sacrifice did not seem to be in his plan, until his disobedience was called out by Samuel.

• Wrong Reason

His invitation to Samuel to join him in worship seems coerced as he is using this to makeup for his disobedience. Samuel refused as Saul by his actions had rejected the word of the Lord. Besides, what would most likely be sacrificed to the Lord would be same animals that were spared due to disobedience and sin.

• No Personal Relationship

When Saul asked Samuel to join him, so that “I can worship your God”. His reference to your God instead of our God, reveals a lack of a deep, intimate, personal relationship with the God of Israel.

• Wrong Motivation

And when he pleaded with Samuel to join him in worship, he said that it help him “to be honored before the elders of my people and before Israel”. It was self-serving and it was for show.

God sees through our motives, and our sacrifice means nothing if our hearts are not right with God, or if we are not seeking to be right with God.

• The Sacrifices we Offer

When we speak of sacrifice today, we do not speak of the blood of bulls and goats, God had already accomplished that once and for all in Christ’s death on the cross.

Rather we are to offer sacrifices in other ways

• Sacrifice of praise

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. – Heb 13:15

• Sacrifice of Suffering for the sake of the Gospel

• Sacrifice of our Time. our Talent, our Treasure

We all know the sacrifice of our time, our talent, our treasure. We are here today as a sacrifice of praise. We preach, we teach, we serve as a sacrifice of our time and the talents that God has given. We give out tithes and offerings as a sacrifice of our treasure.

There are other ways that we can sacrifice, but I start with these because it is possible that we can offer these sacrifices and still gain us nothing.

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, but have not love, I gain nothing. (I Corinthians 13:1-3)

I gain nothing because there is a part of me that is not quite in tune with what the Lord requires of me. Remember partial obedience is disobedience.

These verses speak of sacrifice or service but lacking in love. But we cannot separate love for God and Obedience.

21Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

23Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching (John 14:21,23)

Sacrifice is no substitute for obedience.

23“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you

24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

(Matthew 5:23-24)

III. The Priority of Obedience

22But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

God delights more in our obedience than in our sacrifice. We can go through with religious observance, but without obedience and genuine submission it is empty before God.

6With what shall I come before the LORD when I bow before the God on high? Should I come to Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?

7Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my

firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:6-8)

What does God require?

• Acting justly or doing deeds of righteousness

• Showing lovingkindness and mercy

• Communion with and humble submission to God

A pleasing sacrifice is one that is coupled with a heart that is submissive to the will of God.

to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1)

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise (Psalm 51:17)

The Bible makes it clear that obedience is better than sacrifice. Sacrifices do not make up for the disobedience.

But obedience and humble submission would and should result in sacrifices that are acceptable and pleasing to God. And we can look to Christ, who demonstrated perfect obedience, humility and submission to the Father. And we are admonished to have the same mindset.

5In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8)

His humility and obedience to the Father led to his death on the cross, a sacrifice that paid the penalty for our sins and secured for us life eternal in His name.

Obedience is better than Sacrifice.

So let us all strive to live our lives in complete obedience and humble submission to God, and the sacrifices we offer would be acceptable and pleasing in His sight.

-Bro. Roy Villarta