To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice

”To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22)

Introduction: For the past several months, we have been looking in a very brief way at what the Bible says we are obligated to believe concerning God and concerning what He has done. You must never forget that true religion is impossible without correct knowledge. This is not just true of religion, but everything else as well. You cannot work with electricity and harness it for your purposes, unless you understand the nature of electricity. You cannot successfully raise children in the ways of God’s covenant without understanding something about the covenant. In the same way, you must have enough knowledge, enough information about God and the things of God, before you can come into a relationship with the Lord. You must know who God is, and what He is, and you may only do this through His revelation about Himself. You must know who man is, what he is, and what his miserable condition is in God’s sight after the Fall. You must know what God has done through His Son to redeem fallen man to Himself, and what man must do before he can become a partaker of these blessings. God even gives to you incentives to come to Him, promising wonderful future blessings based upon the finished work of Christ. God desires you to know all these things in order that you might come to Him, and having come to Him, that you might fully appreciate what it is that He has done for you, so that you might give Him all the glory. What we have been looking at is not merely theory, some irrelevant facts that have no relationship to life, but the revelation of God’s truth through His Word, and for that reason your soul ought to delight in it. But God has not only revealed what it is that we are obliged to believe concerning Him and His works, He has also revealed to us how we ought to live now that we have come to Him through Christ. This is the second main division in the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms. Here, the Westminster Divines give to us a systematic overview of Christian ethics, answering the question, as Francis Schaeffer put it, How Then Should We Live? God has not left it up to our own imaginations how we should worship Him, how we should serve Him, how we should relate to our neighbors, or to our brethren, or to His church officers, or the civil government. He has told us plainly in His Word what He wants us to do. Therefore it is our responsibility to know these things and to do them to the best of our abilities, as it is also to know and believe what God has revealed. Just how important is obedience to God? We find one example in the book of 1 Samuel. In this account, the Lord had commanded Saul to go and to utterly destroy the Amalekites because of what they had done to Israel when they came up out of Egypt. You will recall that the Amalekites came out and fought against Israel, but were defeated by them (Ex. 17). They attacked those who were weak and weary at their rear. For this reason the Lord commanded Israel that after He had given them rest in the land, they were to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven (Deu. 25:17-19). So Saul went and did as the Lord had commanded, except he feared the people more than his God by sparing the best of the livestock in order to make a sacrifice to the Lord. He also spared king Agag. When Saul returned, he was rebuked by Samuel for failing to do what God had commanded him. Saul argued with Samuel saying that he had obeyed all that the Lord had commanded him to do, and blamed the people for sparing the livestock. But Samuel set the record straight for Saul, showing him what is most important to the

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Lord. He says, ”HAS THE LORD AS MUCH 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. FOR REBELLION IS AS THE SIN OF DIVINATION, AND INSUBORDINATION IS AS INIQUITY AND IDOLATRY. BECAUSE YOU HAVE REJECTED THE WORD OF THE LORD, HE HAS ALSO REJECTED YOU FROM BEING KING” (15:22-23). Saul was still responsible for following the Lord’s commands, even though the people tried to persuade him otherwise. Consequently, Samuel had Agag brought out and he hewed him into pieces, and Saul lost the kingdom forever. People of God, obedience to the revealed will of God is never optional. There is never a reason to disobey God. Even if the entire world, including the Christian church, should hold to an opinion which is contrary to His Word, you are still bound to believe and do what He says. To disobey God is tantamount to divination and idolatry. It is the exalting of the will of some creature over that of the Creator, and that is the same as worshiping a false God. And so what this account of Saul teaches us this evening is,

Obedience to all of the revealed will of God is more important to Him than any sacrifice that you may wish to make. What we will look at this evening is first, that God gives to us His Law and expects us to observe it; secondly, that to obey God is better than anything that we might try and substitute in its place; and lastly, an exhortation to learn and do the will of God.

I.

First, Notice that God Requires Full Obedience to His Revealed Will. A. God Has Never Left M a n in a Position Where He Is Not Sure What the Lord Requires of Him. 1 . He originally revealed His law to Adam in the garden of Eden. a. M a n was made in the image of God, a part of which was moral conformity to His law. Moses wrote, ”AND GOD CREATED MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE, IN THE IMAGE OF GOD HE CREATED HIM; MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM” (Gen. 1 :27). b. A Puritan by the name of Edward Fisher, in his work on the covenant called The Marrow of Modern Divinity, shows how Adam, when he ate of the tree, broke not only the specific command of God not to eat of that tree, but also broke all ten of God’s commandments. (i) He chose for himself another God when he followed the devi1. (ii) He made his appetite for wisdom into an idol and sought to worship it. He took the name of God in vain, when he refused to believe Him and believed the devil instead. He did not keep the rest wherein God had placed him, but entered into sin. He dishonored his Father who was in heaven, and therefore his days were not prolonged in the land which the Lord had given to him. He killed himself and all of his posterity. He committed spiritual adultery by worshiping the devil instead of God. He stole from God that which God had commanded him not to take. In believing what the devil had to say, he bore witness against God that He was in fact lying. And he coveted that which was God’s, and not his,

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before he reached out and took of the forbidden fruit (35-36). Also, Paul states plainly in Romans 2:14-15, that this law is still written in the hearts of men. ”FOR WHEN THE GENTILES WHO DO NOT HAVE THE LAW DO INSTINCTIVELY THE THINGS OF THE LAW, THESE, NOT HAVING THE LAW, ARE A LAW TO THEMSELVES, IN THAT THEY SHOW THE WORK OF THE LAW WRITTEN IN THEIR HEARTS, THEIR CONSCIENCE BEARING WITNESS, AND THEIR THOUGHTS ALTERNATELY ACCUSING OR ELSE DEFENDING THEM.” d. M a n had God’s revealed will as early as the Creation. C.

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B.

And, of course, because the Fall had darkened man’s knowledge of these laws, He later gave them again to His covenant people on Mt . Sinai. a. God spoke forth His words out of the midst of the fire and darkness and gloom. He wanted them to know that this came from Him. b. Whereas many of His other commandments were revealed through His mediators the prophets, these He wrote with His own finger. c. What He wrote them on was not a piece of papyrus, or in the sand, rather He wrote them in stone to show that they would always endure. d. And lastly, they were not placed on a table beside the ark in the Temple with the rest of the ceremonial laws, but they were put into the ark, over which the blood of atonement would be sprinkled, showing that it was by no other standard that the Israelites obedience would be judged. e. All of this is to indicate that the ten commandments are God’s unchanging rule of obedience for all men.

And Since the Giving of that Law, God Has Required Full and Absolute Obedience to It. 1 . Micah 6:8 tells us, ”HE HAS TOLD YOU, 0 MAN, WHAT IS GOOD; AND WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE OF YOU BUT TO DO JUSTICE, TO LOVE KINDNESS, AND WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD?” This is a summary of the commandments. 2. Paul tells us in Romans 12:l-2, ”I URGE YOU THEREFORE, BRETHREN, BY THE MERCIES OF GOD, TO PRESENT YOUR BODIES A LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICE, ACCEPTABLE TO GOD, WHICH IS YOUR SPIRITUAL SERVICE OF WORSHIP. AND DO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD, BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, THAT YOU MAY PROVE WHAT THE WILL OF GOD IS, THAT WHICH IS GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT.” a. Notice that you are to give yourself wholly to God as a whole burnt offering, not partially, a little here and a little there. The obedience which God requires is not just a now and then obedience, where you just put forth the effort that you feel like doing, but it is to be a continual obedience which you put forth with all of your might. b. This is your spiritual service of worship. This is your duty. This is what the Lord requires of you. This is what the Lord requires of all men. c. You are not to spend your time in the world being conformed to the world. Rather you are to be transformed by putting

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into the computer of your mind the Lord’s holiness program and running that. d. And as Jesus shows us in the sermon on the mount, outward performance of duty is not enough. If you have kept the letter of the Law, and yet have neglected the inner elements of love and the glory of God, you have failed to keep it. e. And so God has given the whole law for all men for all time and He requires perfect and perpetual obedience. 11. Secondly, Notice that to Obey God Is Better Than Any Sacrifice Which M a n May Choose to Give Him Instead. A. God Had Issued a Command to Saul, But Saul Offered to God in Its Place What He Thought Would Be Acceptable. 1 . The command that God gave to Saul was not to every person living, but to Saul himself. For that reason, Saul should have paid closer attention to it. a. God has given His whole law for all men, and they must obey it. b. But He sometimes gives specific commands to specific individuals. (i) When He commanded Jonah to go and preach to the inhabitants of Ninevah, he did not mean that anyone else should go. (ii) Only Jonah was bound by that commandment. All others were free. c.

2.

In the same way, since this command was addressed to Saul, he should have paid especially close attention in carrying it out to the letter.

But instead, his fear of man motivated him to veer off the course which the Lord had set for him and to take his own. a. ”THEN SAUL SAID TO SAMUEL, ’I HAVE SINNED; I HAVE INDEED TRANSGRESSED THE COMMAND OF THE LORD AND YOUR WORDS, BECAUSE I FEARED THE PEOPLE AND LISTENED TO THEIR VOICE” ( 1 Sam. 15:24). b. But you see, that was no excuse. There is no excuse for failure to keep the Lord’s commands. If we choose to disobey, we are the ones who are choosing to do other than what God has said; no one is forcing us. c. This is not to say that there is no forgiveness for these sins. All sins can and are removed in Christ. But there are certain things which may be forfeited because of our sins: in this case, Saul forfeited his position as ruler over the kingdom of Israel. Many Christians under persecution in the early church buckled under it and gave up their copies of the Scriptures, as well as offered a pinch of incense to Caesar with the words, ”Caesar is lord!” They did not commit the unpardonable sin; if they truly repented, they were truly forgiven. However this does indicate something about the condition of their hearts. d. Others, who have had supreme love for the Lord, have gone even as far as to lose their lives, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection. e. Saul feared the people, and instead of obeying God, obeyed them and offered unto God a service which was not

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acceptable. B.

But God Declares that Obedience Is Better Than Anything Which Anyone Might Choose to Bring to Him. 1 . God didn’t want Saul’s sacrifice of compromise. 2. He wanted obedience. He wanted Saul to hear His Word, listen carefully to what He said, and then obey it to the letter. 3. Of what good are your sacrifices if they are offered to Him in a state of rebellion? Can you expect to please God with sacrificial acts, while at the same time you are refusing to submit to His authority? 4. ”TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE.” III. The Lord Is Showing You This Evening that: A. You Are Not to Offer to God Anything to Replace Your Whole Hearted Obedience to His Commandments. 1 . Saul justified the breaking of God’s commands in order to please the people. a. His fear of man was greater than his fear of God. b. Whenever you are in that kind of position, you are always on the road to ruin. c. Jesus said, ”AND DO NOT FEAR THOSE WHO KILL THE BODY, BUT ARE UNABLE TO KILL THE SOUL; BUT RATHER FEAR HIM WHO IS ABLE TO DESTROY BOTH SOUL AND BODY IN HELL” (Matt. 10:28). He is not here speaking of Satan, but of God. d. Do you fear displeasing God more than displeasing men? Are you a man-pleaser here this evening? e. Do you conveniently set aside the commandment of your God in order to get yourself out of tense situations with your friends, family members, or brethren in the church? f. Have you compromised the truth of God in order to preserve peace in your personal relationships? 2.

There is absolutely nothing that you can render to God in the place of obedience to His Word. a. Such behavior is evil in the sight of God, and no amount of good works will suffice to appease Him. b. You cannot escape from your responsibility to obey God by burying yourself in things that you know, under other circumstances, would be pleasing to God. c. God was not pleased with the many animals which Saul brought back to sacrifice, because there was the outstanding problem of his direct disobedience to God’s will, even though He might have been pleased by it under other circumstances. d. I see this in my own children. You parents probably see it in yours as well. And you children will recognize what I am talking about is true of you too. e. Your parents ask you to do something, and you don’t want to do it. So instead, you try and distract them by doing something else they might like or by telling them something that they would like to hear. f. And if each of you here this evening examine yourselves closely on this matter, you will find that you are guilty of this sin as well. g. You know what the Lord requires of you in the way of godliness and holy obedience; you know what His will is; you know what He wants you to do. But yet, you continue to

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h.

i.

procrastinate and justify your not doing them. You think that you can’t do what the Lord commands because you’re just not sure that that passage of Scripture means that anyway. You need more information; you need to hear more sermons on the subject before you make up your mind. Or maybe you think that what God commands is too difficult, and no one could do all He asks. Surely He doesn’t mean that I should leave everything to follow Christ? Surely He doesn’t require all that He asks of Me in Scripture? Surely God just wants to make my life in this world more pleasant. To do all that He requires means that I will have to give up everything I want to do in life. And I’m not sure that I want to.

Or maybe the results of following His will might create strife in my personal relationships, and I know that God doesn’t want to do that. He doesn’t want me to be at odds with my brother for reproving him for his sin, or with my father for telling him the gospel, or with my children for warning them of their need to turn from their sins and do the will of God from the heart. After all, God is a God of peace isn’t He? Jesus really didn’t mean what He said where He tells us that He came to divide households, did He? k. And as far as reaching out to my neighbors, or bringing others to church, that’s the job of the minister, isn’t it? Surely there is someone who can explain the Gospel better than I can to my neighbor. Besides, if I let my neighbor know that I’m a Christian, he may not like me anymore. Under these circumstances, God will surely let me off the hook, won’t He? 1. So instead of doing these things, I will just keep trying to learn what God really does want me to do. Surely He will see my heart and know that I really want to serve Him. m. People of God, we all have many excuses as to why we believe that we are unable to do the will of God. Saul thought that he had a good excuse, but God did not accept it. He was perfectly capable of doing what the Lord asked of him, and you are able, through Jesus Christ, to do what He requires of you as well. n. The Lord requires obedience from you. He wants obedience in every area of your life. He wants your whole life. He does not want an hour here and there; He wants all of your time, all of your resources, all of your strength, and all of your affections. 0. If you have found that you have been making excuses like Saul why you can’t or shouldn’t listen to and obey the commandments of God, then you need to repent and to renew your obedience. God promises to wash away all of your guilt in Christ Jesus when you truly repent. And He is willing to give you the strength that you need to fully carry it out. P. But if you really don’t want to do His will this evening, then come to Christ and ask Him for the grace to change your heart and to save you from your sins. Good intentions will mean nothing in the day of God’s scrutiny. What will matter is that you be able to bring forth the fruits of a life

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which has true love for the Savior.

Amen.