Luke 6:46. ‘But why do you call Me, “Lord, Lord,” and not do the things that I say?’
John 14:15. “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
Taken from a sermon preached at Scott Drive Church, Exmouth
Please read 1 Samuel 15.
This is a very important chapter for us to consider, which has crucial application for the Church today. I want to take as my text, verse 22. “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” The chapter is pivotal, marking a new section in the book of 1 Samuel. The writer is preparing to introduce David to us, so at the end of Chapter 14 (vs. 47ff), he gives us a sort of summary of Saul’s reign and then proceeds to his final rejection. Saul still had about 20 years to live, but from this point onward he is living and reigning apart from the Lord’s blessing, and the focus of the author’s attention moves on.
We look first at Saul’s commission in verse 3. ‘Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have and do not spare them…..’ The modern reader is likely to have a problem with this: “Poor Amalekites! That’s not very fair!” It is harsh, but God’s judgements are to be praised, not condemned even if we don’t understand them, because they will be found to be just. Israel’s dealings with the Amalekites begin in Exodus 17, but important information is given to us in Deut. 25:17-19. ‘Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God.’ This is what Samuel references in 1 Sam. 15:2. These Amalekites are bandits, roving bands of brigands, and they haven’t changed over the years (v.18, v.33). Their leader Agag was a killer; he lived by the sword and he died by it. The Amalekites as a nation had had 300 years to repent and they haven’t done so. God is longsuffering, but judgement comes in the end to those who are unrepentant (Exod. 34:6-7). And His people figure prominently in God’s judgements. He avenges His persecuted people. When Isaiah tells us (35:4), ‘See, your God will come with vengeance,’ that is good news. The wicked in this world are not going always to triumph. ‘[Then] I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?” (Rev. 6:9-10). In fact, the Amalekites were not totally destroyed; they re-appear in Chapter 30 when we read that ‘David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day’ (v.17), and even then he doesn’t get them all. We need to ask ourselves, are there any Amalekites today that we need to destroy utterly and without mercy ? I think we shall find that there are, but more of that anon.
So Saul goes off on his mission, but he sees fit to modify the Lord’s instructions, and the Lord tells Samuel (v.11), “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king….’ We also read in v.35, ‘….And the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.’ What’s going on here? Does God make mistakes and then regret them? Does He change His mind? Not at all! We read in v.29, “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie or relent. He is not a man that He should relent.’ No, God knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). He knew that Saul would fall into sin, and permitted it indeed, and incorporated it into His great plan for the world. God is never taken by surprise and never regrets what He has done, but He is not without feeling, and he feels genuine sorrow when men and women who started well fall away and come under His judgement. In this respect we may think of our Lord weeping over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41ff). The great Confessions speak of God being ‘without passions,’ and that is true in respect of Him having mood swings or bursts of anger- of course He doesn’t. But that does not mean that He doesn’t care deeply about His creation, especially that part of it that was made in His image. Samuel is also grieved (v.11). He had anointed Saul as king not so long ago, and now he has to tell him that he is effectively sacked. But God is God and we’re not, and He is to be obeyed. Samuel cries out to the Lord all night, but in the morning he knows what he’s got to do. It’s tough being a church leader sometimes.
When Samuel finds him, Saul doesn’t make it easy for him. “Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD” (v.13). But the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen taken as spoil contradicts Saul. He was to destroy everything that had belonged to the enemy. Saul blames the people of course (v.15), just as Adam blamed Eve back in the Garden of Eden. It is always tempting to blame our upbringing, our circumstances or our parents for our failings, but Samuel is not having any of that stuff. “Shut up and listen!” He says. “God made you king; He sent you on a mission; why didn’t you obey?” Saul tries another excuse. “Oh, we only brought back the animals so that we could sacrifice them to the Lord!” Then we come to Samuel’s key question in v.22a: ‘Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?’ Obviously the answer is ‘no,’ because Samuel continues, ‘Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.’ There are many other verses in the Bible that say the same thing, Psalm 51:16-17 or example, but the most devastating critique of ceremony and offerings in lieu of obedience from the heart comes in Amos 5:21ff. ‘I hate, I despise your feast days, and I do not savour your sacred assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs, I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream!’ Wow! Imagine God saying to today’s churches, “I hate your services and your ‘times of worship.’ I can’t stand your hymns and choruses; your collections are an insult to Me, and I won’t hear your prayers. Why? Because you won’t obey My commandments; because you won’t hear My words and do them.” But that is exactly what He is saying.
So why is to obey better than sacrifice? Well, I can find seven reasons from the text of 1 Samuel 15. First, five negative reasons.
1. Disobedience shows a misplacement of fear. “……I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words because I feared the people and obeyed their voice’ (v.24). Back in Chapter 12, Samuel told Saul twice, “Fear the LORD, serve Him faithfully with all your heart” (vs.14, 24). To treat God as if He were a pussycat or Santa in the sky; to fear men rather than God, is a terrible insult. ‘Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of man who will be made like grass? And you forget the LORD your Maker…..’ (Isaiah 51:12-13). The same theme is taken up in 1 Peter 3:14-15, and most devastatingly in Luke 12:4-5. “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do, but I will show you whom you should fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!”
2. Disobedience shows a misplacement of pleasure. ‘Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?’ (v.19). Saul and his men were looking for a feast on the cattle and a fat ransom for Agag. These things meant more to them than the fellowship of the Lord, and this is most insulting to Him. On the other hand, to look to the promises of God and to delight in His favour rather than in the fleeting pleasures of disobedience gives God great honour, and in that He has pleasure.
3. Disobedience is likened to witchcraft or consulting a medium. ‘For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft…..’ (v.23a) This is where Saul finally ends up (1 Sam 28) and it is an abomination to God (cf. Deut. 18:10-14). Seeking to know the future in a way that ignores God and His word is a very serious sin. God says one thing and we say, “Well, I’ll just take another view on that. “
[Continued]
John 14:15. “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
Taken from a sermon preached at Scott Drive Church, Exmouth
Please read 1 Samuel 15.
This is a very important chapter for us to consider, which has crucial application for the Church today. I want to take as my text, verse 22. “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” The chapter is pivotal, marking a new section in the book of 1 Samuel. The writer is preparing to introduce David to us, so at the end of Chapter 14 (vs. 47ff), he gives us a sort of summary of Saul’s reign and then proceeds to his final rejection. Saul still had about 20 years to live, but from this point onward he is living and reigning apart from the Lord’s blessing, and the focus of the author’s attention moves on.
We look first at Saul’s commission in verse 3. ‘Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have and do not spare them…..’ The modern reader is likely to have a problem with this: “Poor Amalekites! That’s not very fair!” It is harsh, but God’s judgements are to be praised, not condemned even if we don’t understand them, because they will be found to be just. Israel’s dealings with the Amalekites begin in Exodus 17, but important information is given to us in Deut. 25:17-19. ‘Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God.’ This is what Samuel references in 1 Sam. 15:2. These Amalekites are bandits, roving bands of brigands, and they haven’t changed over the years (v.18, v.33). Their leader Agag was a killer; he lived by the sword and he died by it. The Amalekites as a nation had had 300 years to repent and they haven’t done so. God is longsuffering, but judgement comes in the end to those who are unrepentant (Exod. 34:6-7). And His people figure prominently in God’s judgements. He avenges His persecuted people. When Isaiah tells us (35:4), ‘See, your God will come with vengeance,’ that is good news. The wicked in this world are not going always to triumph. ‘[Then] I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?” (Rev. 6:9-10). In fact, the Amalekites were not totally destroyed; they re-appear in Chapter 30 when we read that ‘David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day’ (v.17), and even then he doesn’t get them all. We need to ask ourselves, are there any Amalekites today that we need to destroy utterly and without mercy ? I think we shall find that there are, but more of that anon.
So Saul goes off on his mission, but he sees fit to modify the Lord’s instructions, and the Lord tells Samuel (v.11), “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king….’ We also read in v.35, ‘….And the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.’ What’s going on here? Does God make mistakes and then regret them? Does He change His mind? Not at all! We read in v.29, “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie or relent. He is not a man that He should relent.’ No, God knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). He knew that Saul would fall into sin, and permitted it indeed, and incorporated it into His great plan for the world. God is never taken by surprise and never regrets what He has done, but He is not without feeling, and he feels genuine sorrow when men and women who started well fall away and come under His judgement. In this respect we may think of our Lord weeping over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41ff). The great Confessions speak of God being ‘without passions,’ and that is true in respect of Him having mood swings or bursts of anger- of course He doesn’t. But that does not mean that He doesn’t care deeply about His creation, especially that part of it that was made in His image. Samuel is also grieved (v.11). He had anointed Saul as king not so long ago, and now he has to tell him that he is effectively sacked. But God is God and we’re not, and He is to be obeyed. Samuel cries out to the Lord all night, but in the morning he knows what he’s got to do. It’s tough being a church leader sometimes.
When Samuel finds him, Saul doesn’t make it easy for him. “Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD” (v.13). But the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen taken as spoil contradicts Saul. He was to destroy everything that had belonged to the enemy. Saul blames the people of course (v.15), just as Adam blamed Eve back in the Garden of Eden. It is always tempting to blame our upbringing, our circumstances or our parents for our failings, but Samuel is not having any of that stuff. “Shut up and listen!” He says. “God made you king; He sent you on a mission; why didn’t you obey?” Saul tries another excuse. “Oh, we only brought back the animals so that we could sacrifice them to the Lord!” Then we come to Samuel’s key question in v.22a: ‘Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?’ Obviously the answer is ‘no,’ because Samuel continues, ‘Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.’ There are many other verses in the Bible that say the same thing, Psalm 51:16-17 or example, but the most devastating critique of ceremony and offerings in lieu of obedience from the heart comes in Amos 5:21ff. ‘I hate, I despise your feast days, and I do not savour your sacred assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs, I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream!’ Wow! Imagine God saying to today’s churches, “I hate your services and your ‘times of worship.’ I can’t stand your hymns and choruses; your collections are an insult to Me, and I won’t hear your prayers. Why? Because you won’t obey My commandments; because you won’t hear My words and do them.” But that is exactly what He is saying.
So why is to obey better than sacrifice? Well, I can find seven reasons from the text of 1 Samuel 15. First, five negative reasons.
1. Disobedience shows a misplacement of fear. “……I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words because I feared the people and obeyed their voice’ (v.24). Back in Chapter 12, Samuel told Saul twice, “Fear the LORD, serve Him faithfully with all your heart” (vs.14, 24). To treat God as if He were a pussycat or Santa in the sky; to fear men rather than God, is a terrible insult. ‘Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of man who will be made like grass? And you forget the LORD your Maker…..’ (Isaiah 51:12-13). The same theme is taken up in 1 Peter 3:14-15, and most devastatingly in Luke 12:4-5. “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do, but I will show you whom you should fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!”
2. Disobedience shows a misplacement of pleasure. ‘Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?’ (v.19). Saul and his men were looking for a feast on the cattle and a fat ransom for Agag. These things meant more to them than the fellowship of the Lord, and this is most insulting to Him. On the other hand, to look to the promises of God and to delight in His favour rather than in the fleeting pleasures of disobedience gives God great honour, and in that He has pleasure.
3. Disobedience is likened to witchcraft or consulting a medium. ‘For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft…..’ (v.23a) This is where Saul finally ends up (1 Sam 28) and it is an abomination to God (cf. Deut. 18:10-14). Seeking to know the future in a way that ignores God and His word is a very serious sin. God says one thing and we say, “Well, I’ll just take another view on that. “
[Continued]