Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night. Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”
When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.” “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul replied.
Samuel 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. And 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.’ Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
“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. The 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.”
But 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.
(1 Samuel 15:10-22)
Background
As the Israelites were leaving Egypt, the Amalekites ambushed them. Payback time was now. And King Saul was chosen to enforce justice. Samuel, the prophet, provided instructions to King Saul to destroy everything. Everything.
The battle plan was initiated. The Amalekites were defeated. But Saul and his men decided to execute a slightly different plan – they destroyed virtually everything but then they captured the king of Amalek, Gilgal, and next decided to keep some of the choice sheep and cattle. Not for their use or pleasure. They desired to sacrifice the best of the plunder to God. A gift. To specially honor Him for the victory.
But…they didn’t follow the specific instruction. The gesture was not appreciated. In fact, this form of improvisation proved to be a big problem. God wasn’t happy. Saul’s kingship was no longer supported or anointed by God. The cost for noncompliance was incredibly high.
God’s nature is revealed. More than offerings and sacrifices and worship, God prefers strict obedience.
Reflections
This component of God’s personality and nature is just as real as that of His boundless love. But maybe not as popular. God loves obedience. More so than offerings. Sacrifices. Or worship. It is this picture of God’s personality that gives me pause. And, frankly, scares me a bit.
Saul appeared to have good motives. He saw the plunder of the Amalekites was impressive. And sought to honor God in an even better way than instructed. Surely God would provide grace for a well-intentioned mistake? Nope.
Another picture of his unyielding expectation for obedience…and high consequences for noncompliance is found in 2 Samuel 6:1-7. David had recovered the Ark and was returning it to Jerusalem. No one was supposed to touch the Ark. It was holy. The Ark was being transported on a cart. The ox in front of the cart stumbled and the Ark began to shift in the cart. Uzzah reached out to protect the Ark so it wouldn’t fall. God struck Uzzah down upon touching the Ark because of this “irreverent act”.
Our God seeks precise obedience. He loves righteous living.
I enjoy worshipping Him with music. I also enjoy providing tithes and offerings. These are easier forms of worship for me. But I’m afraid that my pursuit of obedience in many other parts of my life lacks precision. It is sloppy and inconsistent.
Lord, your desire for precise obedience is clear. There are cases where by human standards the penalties for non-compliances are difficult to understand. However, you are good. You are holy. And your ways have a purpose. Help me to increasingly live a life that respects your strict affection for obedience. A life that pursues discipline and precision. Please forgive me for so many times where I have missed the mark. Or focused my attention on what is easy. Amen.
What if we brought the same discipline and precision often pursued in other parts of our life (e.g. improving performance in our favorite sport; dieting; enhancing our work performance etc) to pursuing obedience and righteousness?
What if... 