In a relationship with God, the rules and rituals are less important than a sincere and submissive spirit. True obedience to God means choosing to follow the right path, even when it deviates from personal desires.

1. More Than a Ritual

2. 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.
-1 Samuel 15:22 (NIV)

3.  The practice of animal
sacrifices dates back to
the time of Cain and
Abel.
 Offerings to God were a
means of atonement for
sin.
 At their core, these
sacrifices were a physical
manifestation of a
spiritual submission.

4.  God commanded Saul to utterly destroy the
Amalekites for their past transgressions.
 This included the total slaughter of every animal.
 Instead of following the Lord’s instructions, though,
Saul saves “the best” of the cattle and sheep.

5.  Saul tried to excuse his
disobedience by claiming that
he “spared the best of the
sheep and cattle to sacrifice to
the LORD your God.”
 Samuel’s reply was very blunt:
“To obey is better than
sacrifice, and to heed is better
than the fat of rams.”

6.  Ritual without genuine, heartfelt obedience is
meaningless.
 Submission to God’s will is the start of real freedom; it
enables us to live as He intended: in relationship with
Him.

7.  Obedience doesn’t
mean becoming a
mindless drone.
 A Godly life means
making choices –
we must choose to
live in submission
to God’s will.

8.  “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.”
 Saul chose to rely on the basic action of the ritual
offering rather than obey God’s instructions.
 As a result, his time as King of Israel would soon come
to an end.

9.  There aren’t many kings in today’s world, but
obedience still has a place in the life of a follower of
God.
 One of the most important opportunities is to obey a
clear message from God.
 For men and women who are listening, those messages
are all around us – we only need to take the actions
required.

10.  One amazing story of such a message comes from
author John DiBattista.
 Through a miraculous vision, John was visited by Jesus
Christ.
 Jesus gave John a new calling on his life, and he now
travels the world to share the love of Christ and the
powerful truths that can set people free.
 We must simply have the courage to obey God when
He commands us!