Obedience is Always Better than Sacrifice

[Ramez5]

Samuel said, Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 1 Sam 15:22

It was not hard to understand Saul's thinking, and to wince at how often I have taken the same approach in my walk with the Lord over the years. Have you noticed how obedience never appeals? When faced with temptation, at least for me, my first response has normally been to want to give in.

But I am starting to think before I sin.. and consider what joy and blessings come from obedience. How grateful I am that the Holy Spirit is starting to get my attention more consistently. I've begun to get a real vision for the joyful life that comes from daily obedience to his promptings.

Sadly, the thought to indulge the flesh, love the world, buy this or that, think an unkind thought, or skip devotions.. it happens so fast that often times the deed is done before I've hardly had a chance to realize that I missed a perfect chance to obey.. and blew it.

Is your first instinct to 'give in' then make up for it later? In our flesh, this is the normal response. It's the track every normal human's mind runs on all day long. That's why husbands buy flowers to bring home after an argument (no Dear Hubby doesn't do that lol) , or why wives make a nice dinner for hubby or go on a penny pinching budget (Yes I have done that.. sigh..) , after over-spending at the mall. It's why we often times buy gifts when we've neglected those we love. Fad diets are a perfect case in point.

Nothing good we can do will ever really 'make up' for our lack of obedience. It's so much better to just obey..
Many boast of obedience to the command of God; but what means then their indulgence of the flesh, their love of the world, their angry and unkind spirit, and their neglect of holy duties, which witness against them? See of what evil covetousness is the root; and see what is the sinfulness of sin, and notice that in it which above any thing else makes it evil in the sight of the Lord; it is disobedience: Thou didst not obey the voice of the Lord.
Carnal, deceitful hearts, like Saul, think to excuse themselves from God's commandments by what pleases themselves. It is hard to convince the children of disobedience. But humble, sincere, and conscientious obedience to the will of God, is more pleasing and acceptable to him than all burnt-offering and sacrifices.
God is more glorified and self more denied, by obedience than by sacrifice. ...Matthew Henry on 1 Sam. 15:22

This week, I became aware of yet another trial a grown child is facing, and it became clear to me that our lack of Godly parenting was at the root of the problem. Yes, the Lord, will get him through, but like David sinning with Bathsheba ... the consequences of our 'too-busy-to-seek-the-Lord-lives' just seem to go on and on in the lives of our now grown children. The anguish David, as a father, must have felt watching his sons kill each other, rape their sister, and even take over his kingdom! In some ways, I know just how he feels. No, my kids have done none of those things, but I see their struggles and know that it's partly our fault.

If only I could turn back the clock! My tears of remorse, my heart-felt prayers, any counsel we can give, our apologies--they help of course--but they don't undo the damage that our unwittingly selfish parenting (how well-meaning we were!) has done to our kids.

No we didn't know we were walking in our flesh--we thought we were doing the 'right thing', but I can assure you we weren't seeking the Lord and dealing with our own sin before Him each day. No-- we were too busy trying to deal with the sins in our kids' lives. It made sense--but it was the wrong approach.

One of the best ways to ensure you are in a good place to parent your children... is to take this verse to heart every morning.. before you try to parent your kids--

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why behold you the mote that is in your brother's eye, but consider not the beam that is in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, Let me pull out the mote out of your eye; and, behold, a beam is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of your own eye; and then shall you see clearly to cast out the mote out of your brother's eye. Matt. &:1-5



Just because we're older than our kids does not mean we are automatically wiser. Self-righteousness will derail a parent's good intentions every time.

We did just exactly what the children of Israel did all during the time period of the Judges...

In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 17:6

Saul was just doing what everyone in Israel had done since Joshua died... "whatever was right in his own eyes. " Our culture is so like that! Unless we are looking to the Lord daily, we do this without thinking--sometimes whether we are Christians or not.

And the Lord lets us experience the fruit of man's ways and man's wisdom. Our lives often parallel the ups and downs of the children of Israel during this time period. When we make our messes big enough and cry out, as they did, the Lord always comes and helps us--how great His mercy is to us!

What does God want from us? Simple obedience. How He loves those who love and obey Him! He has done so much to make it possible for us to obey!

Jesus answered, If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him. John 14:23

Not doing what we think is right--and hoping the Lord agrees or giving in to temptation knowing in the back of our minds that we can always ask forgiveness later--How God hates that. Of all the things that stood out most starkly to me while reading Leviticus this week, it was how much God was offended by willful sin. The Lord knew we would sin unknowingly but to choose to do so willfully was the worst of all. It's as if we 'crucified the Lord afresh'...

For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins,
Of how much sorer punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant, with which he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done despite to the Spirit of grace? Hebrews 10: 26, 29

And lest, when he hears the words of this curse and oath (for disobedience to God), he flatters and congratulates himself in his [mind and] heart, saying, "I shall have peace and safety, [a]though I walk in the stubbornness of my [mind and] heart [bringing down a hurricane of destruction] and sweep away the watered land with the dry." The Lord will not pardon him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall settle on him; the Lord will blot out his very name from under the heavens. Deut. 29:19-20
Am I saying we can't get forgiveness when we sin? No of course not. We can be forgiven if we desire to be forgiven with a sincere heart. However, the Lord does hate sin and in our culture today, it is good to remember that and to take sin in our lives seriously rather than assume 'grace covers' it and go on living in the illusion of 'cheap grace'.

It is a fact that you WILL without doubt, reap what you sow. Paul said so and it's true.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting Hebrews 6:7-8

Every day of my life as a Christian wife and mother, I heard these words in my head, "seek Me first! Most days.. I disobeyed... and reaped the results--some of which I didn't see till years later.

There is a reason why God says to love Him first.. then love your family. Because of all the sinners who need changing, and all the saints who need strengthening.. YOU are the one He wants to help.

How true it is that we cannot see to remove specks from our children's eyes or anyone elses' before we have had them removed from us first.

We must meet with God first.. before we say "good-morning' to our husband or children. We must love God more than anyone else in our lives...our children, our spouses, our friends. Only when your heart is obsessed with your relationship with God, will you be able to truly love those around you the way God wants you to love them...

"As Jesus has loved You".

If you get this backwards--you'll end up idolizing those around you rather than loving. Your love for others becomes self-motivated rather than Jesus motivated.

If I had it to do all over again, I'd have obeyed.. every morning of my life! And oh the sanctification that could have been wrought in me.. and the love I could have shared with my family and friends.

The Holy Spirit comforts me by reminding me that his Grace is sufficient.. that as far as the east is from the west so are my sins forgiven and forgotten...and that he will restore for us the years that the locust has eaten... and give us the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness

Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord, your God; for He gives you the former or early rain in just measure and in righteousness, and He causes to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain, as before....And I will restore or replace for you the years that the locust has eaten...
And you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord, your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you. And My people shall never be put to shame. Joel 2:23-26
To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion—to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit—that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:3

Dear Friends ... This is our consolation and peace, that the Lord will help us to make things right.. but can we not obey now? Yes we can--by His grace, if we really want to give up our sinful habits and ways. All He needs is a willing heart that relies not on our efforts but on His grace.

Dear Lord,
May we continue to obey you moment by moment, day by day, seeking You first in everything and so letting You make us what you want us to be in your timing, so we can indeed love our neighbor as ourselves. May we take to heart our sins.. and then take them to You.. and put to death our flesh and set our affections on You and Yyour word.

May we keep in step with the Spirit and never make provision for the flesh...

and Dear Lord help my readers not to grow weary in well doing. Help them know Your heart is close to those who are contrite and humble. You don't expect perfection.. only a heart that truly loves You and wants to be like you. That is the joy and grace of sanctification. You died and rose again to set us free from sin! May we not fall short of the great provision you made for us and want us to live in every day. How we love you Lord!

In Your Precious Name we pray.
Amen

[Mary Naeem]

Thanks Ramez