Obedience

Obedience

What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to him is much better than offering the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 15:22

As our children have grown, few things have given Jim and me as much satisfaction as watching them do what we asked them to do—especially when we didn’t have to remind them. Perhaps it was picking up their rooms, taking out the trash, or feeding the cat. What joy to “catch them” doing something right!

First Samuel 15 documents a dramatic confrontation with a man who did not do what God asked him to do. Saul, the first king of Israel, had been given instructions from God to “completely destroy” the Amalekites. While Saul started out well enough, he led the people into great sin by allowing them to keep the best of the livestock—a direct violation of God’s directions.

When the prophet Samuel finally caught up with Saul, his voice dripped with sarcasm in response to Saul’s claim to have carried out the command of the Lord. “Then what is all the bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle I hear?” he asked (v. 14). Even lowly animals were shouting out their accusations of Saul’s disobedience! Saul claimed that his motives were good because he was going to sacrifice the livestock to the Lord. Even so, Saul’s act of defiance revealed a lot about his heart. He was more concerned with himself and outward appearances than in following God obediently. Because of this, God tore the kingdom from him and gave it to a “better man”—David.

If we moms experience pleasure when we watch our children obey our instructions, imagine how much joy we must bring to God when we choose to obey his Word!

Lord,

As we move through our day, give us the grace to follow obediently what we know you have called us to do. Help us to do this in big and small things. Amen.