Obedience Over Sacrifice

1 Samuel 15: 22,ESV

“Has the Lord as great as a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to listen than the fat of rams.”

What comes to mind when you hear the word obedience or to obey? Maybe you think of a child obeying their parents. Perhaps you associate obedience with words and phrases like authoritarian, strict rules, harsh leadership, no freedom, and even punishment. Obedience can trigger negative connotations for some, depending on the relationship with the term.

In this day and age, obedience is almost a bad word. It seems contrary to the world’s idea of democracy, threatens one’s desire for freedom and exerts control over citizens. If we look at obedience from a biblical perspective, beauty and security come with it.

The beauty of obedience to God is the following;

1) His commands are not enslaving. If anything, they are freeing. You no longer live as a slave to the things of this earth that offer temporary satisfaction

2) You do have a choice. But, no matter what you choose, His love remains because it’s unconditional love. This love is perfect and has no fear or punishment (1 John 4:18).

However, whether you choose to listen to Him or not has consequences. It will determine the depth of your relationship with Him. The more you pay attention and follow the voice of God, the closer you get to Him (“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” – John 10:27,ESV). It keeps you in the will of God. But suppose we’re like the Israelites and constantly disobey without remorse. In that case, it can also determine how long it will take to get to your destination, so choose wisely.

The question is why. Why does God desire my obedience more than my sacrifice? Because it’s easy to make a sacrifice out of duty, you can sacrifice your time, money etc., without submission to God. Still, it’s challenging to fully obey God without fully submitting to the will of God. Obedience requires faith in God and in who he says He is. It requires trusting the leading of God and believing that He is for you.

John 14:15,ESV puts it simply; “If you love me, you will keep my command.” Love propels; it does not compel or control. Obedience comes from the overflow of love you have for God, not from a place of obligation. When you willingly follow God’s instruction, you begin to align yourself with the will and heart of God.

Listening and following the Lord’s instruction puts you in a place of partnership with Him. When you partner with God and listen to His voice, what’s on His heart becomes what’s on your heart. What He desires becomes what your desire.