The Heart of the Matter

God looks at the heart

Today’s Through the Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 15-16

Abbreviated Reading: 1 Samuel 15

“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice…” 1 Samuel 15:22

The heart of the matter is… the heart. God looks at the heart behind the action and that’s what matters. We see a great example of this in today’s reading.

Here is an example of apparent obedience versus true obedience. We are people with misguided hearts (Jer 17:9), we have a tendency to substitute or mistake our own religious ritual or conduct for what God really instructed us to do. Like King Saul in today’s reading, we can find ways to “sanctify” compromise by cloaking it in self-obligatory sacrifice, which is an impostor for true worship.

God had told King Saul not to take any plunder from their defeated enemy, the Amalekites. But Saul saw the sheep and cattle and decided to let his men take those. After all, they could be used to make sacrifice to the Lord, right?

But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king." 1 Samuel 15:22-23

So here is our admonishment for today, let's not embrace what God has said not to by using the excuse that it will be use to benefit God. It will only cause us harm and heartache. Obedience is better than sacrifice.

Keep Reading: 1 Chronicles 5:7–10, 5:18–22; 9:35–44