Obedience is better than Sacrifice

Obedience is better than Sacrifice
Words of Faith 9-24-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Samuel 13
And Saul offered up the burnt offering. [10] Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. [11] "What have you done?" asked Samuel. Saul replied, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, [12] I thought, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord's favor.' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering." [13] "You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. [14] But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command."

It seems like what Saul did was no big deal. He made an offering to God before the priest arrived. His motive seemed genuine. After all, the Philistines were gathering for battle against Israel, his men were deserting him, and Samuel had not arrived on the scene when he had said he would. It seemed like a perfect time to make an offering to God and seek His favor. But there was more going on here.
This whole mess was the result of disobedience. And now Saul had disobeyed again, and he was making excuses. Part of what Saul failed to realize was that animal sacrifice was not required for seeking God. It never has been! In fact, there are no other examples where this word for "seeking the favor of God" was used along with animal sacrifice in the Old Testament. So, this looks more like a pagan war ritual.
Moreover, it was an example of Saul trying to be "religious" at the last minute because he was in a jam. The reality was that Saul had not heeded the divine word through the prophet. Obedience is always better than sacrifice.
It was not even Saul's place to make such a sacrifice! In ancient Israel, any rituals associated with the holy war were not to be performed by the king unless a prophet was present. Saul acted without the presence of Samuel in two cases. For these offenses, he was rebuked by Samuel and rejected by God. It may seem extreme, but Saul acted foolishly and disobediently. He rejected a divine command mediated through a prophet. Had Saul obeyed, his "kingdom" over Israel would have been divinely established for all time. Mistake. Big mistake.
Saul was told in no uncertain terms that he would be replaced by a "man after God's own heart." We know this will be David. God desired a leader who truly had God's interests at heart. Go figure. This consequence may seem abrupt, but there is an interesting principle here--the Israelite king was rightly king only as far as he was the representative of the King... the Lord God, and otherwise the Lord would reject him.
There are obviously some powerful issues here regarding leadership. Obedience to the Lord is critical and foundational. Being a man or woman after God's own heart is not just important; it is essential. And there is a sobering consequence for disobedience. Magnificent possibilities are set aside when a leader fails to heed God's command.
So, where are you today? You might say, "I am not a king or even a leader." This is not true. You lead every day by your example and influence. You rule over what has been entrusted to you. Are you walking in obedience to God's directives? Are you seeking after God's own heart?

Father God, I may not rule over much, but I want to be obedient in every matter. I seek Your heart as I make decisions, offer opinions, and exercise leadership. Help me to influence others in a way that honors You. Help me to listen carefully and seek You in every matter. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.