In 1 Samuel 15:22 (NIV), Samuel says…
“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.
Have you ever stopped to think about what it means to “obey” rather than “sacrifice”?
Samuel, who saw thousands of people coming to God and giving sacrifices, said, “Hey, those sacrifices are good, but obedience is even better!” That would be like a car salesman saying, “Hey, my Hondas are good, but the Toyotas over there are even better!” You don’t do that unless there is a really good reason.
And Samuel had one. Since he saw people make sacrifices, he also saw what they did after those sacrifices. And he likely noticed that many were not living rightly.
It would be like a Patriots fan going to the game, cheering loudly for the team, but then after the game going home and putting on a Ravens shirt and cheering for the Ravens the rest of the week. Instead of cheering one time and then switching allegiances, just stay home from the game, but stick with Patriots!
Listen, it is good to make sacrifices to God. The New Testament equivalent would be doing those religious things that show you are worshipping God. Reading the Bible, praying, attending church, singing to him, lifting up your hands in worship, and so on. Those are great things to do!
But if those are all you do, and the rest of the week you live like you don’t follow God, then you are missing the point of being a Christian. Jesus doesn’t just want you part of the time, he wants you ALL of the time!
So more than worshipping through religious actions, make sure that your entire life is living in worship to him. Sacrificing is good. But OBEYING is even better!