1 Samuel 15

1 Samuel 15

Spurgeon - “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice.” —1 Samuel 15:22 Saul had been commanded to slay utterly all the Amalekites and their cattle. Instead of doing so, he preserved the king, and suffered his people to take the best of the oxen and of the sheep. When called to account for this, he declared that he did it with a view of offering sacrifice to God; but Samuel met him at once with the assurance that sacrifices were no excuse for an act of direct rebellion. The sentence before us is worthy to be printed in letters of gold, and to be hung up before the eyes of the present idolatrous generation, who are very fond of the fineries of will-worship, but utterly neglect the laws of God. Be it ever in your remembrance, that to keep strictly in the path of your Saviour’s command is better than any outward form of religion; and to hearken to his precept with an attentive ear is better than to bring the fat of rams, or any other precious thing to lay upon his altar. If you are failing to keep the least of Christ’s commands to his disciples, I pray you be disobedient no longer. All the pretensions you make of attachment to your Master, and all the devout actions which you may perform, are no recompense for disobedience. “To obey,” even in the slightest and smallest thing, “is better than sacrifice,” however pompous. Talk not of Gregorian chants, sumptuous robes, incense, and banners; the first thing which God requires of his child is obedience; and though you should give your body to be burned, and all your goods to feed the poor, yet if you do not hearken to the Lord’s precepts, all your formalities shall profit you nothing. It is a blessed thing to be teachable as a little child, but it is a much more blessed thing when one has been taught the lesson, to carry it out to the letter. How many adorn their temples and decorate their priests, but refuse to obey the word of the Lord! My soul, come not thou into their secret. An Obedient Heart Samuel replied, “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 the Lord had directed, Saul and the Israelite army attacked and defeated the Amalekites. But instead of killing every person and animal as God had commanded, Saul brought back Agag, the Amalekite king, and the best of their sheep and cattle. Then while Saul was trying to justify his disobedience, Samuel replied with the words in verse 22, truth that is just as important for us today as it was for people in the Old Testament: obeying the voice of the Lord, listening to him, and following his marching orders instead of our own are of far more value to God than the most expensive or grand sacrifice we could offer. When God tells us to go or to call that person or to do this humble task, then as the Nike commercial says, Just do it! Do it God’s way. Don’t lean on your own understanding or perception of the situation. Don’t wait to see the whole blueprint or figure everything out. Follow the light at your feet, and as you are faithful in the small things God asks of you, He will do the great thing. LORD, work in me a heart of obedience so I can live a life that pleases you. It is so easy to try to rationalize disobedience or attempt to chart my own course. But you are holy and righteous, and you value my obedience above anything else I could ever give you. May my daily sacrifice to you be a humble and obedient heart that delights in your smile. THERE MUST BE NO DEBATE. THE MOMENT YOU OBEY THE LIGHT, THE SON OF GOD PRESSES THROUGH YOU IN THAT PARTICULAR; BUT IF YOU DEBATE YOU GRIEVE THE SPIRIT OF GOD. Oswald Chambers David Jeremiah - Author and pastor Ben Patterson was mountain climbing with three friends when he took an ill-advised short-cut and got separated from the others and found himself trapped on an icy ledge. When his friends finally found him, they talked him off the ledge, telling him where to put his feet (which he couldn’t see) as he inched off the ledge. Only by obeying the instructions of his more-experienced friends was he saved from certain death. There is value in obedience. Often we think we have a better idea or plan than God. But once we execute our plan we lose the opportunity of seeing how beneficial God’s plan would have been. Saul, the first king of Israel, learned the hard way that God delights in obedience more than anything else. When Saul substituted his plan for God’s, it cost him the throne of Israel (1 Samuel 15). One of the greatest challenges of the Christian life is to learn that God says what He says for a reason. Better to take Him at His word. Beware of reasoning about God’s Word—obey it! -- Oswald Chambers Oswald Chambers - The counterfeit of obedience is a state of mind in which you create your own opportunities to sacrifice yourself, and your zeal and enthusiasm are mistaken for discernment. It is easier to sacrifice yourself than to fulfill your spiritual destiny, which is stated in Romans 12:1-2. It is much better to fulfill the purpose of God in your life by discerning His will than it is to perform great acts of self-sacrifice. “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice…” (1 Samuel 15:22). Beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been. “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know…” (John 7:17). D L Moody Handbook - DID you ever notice all but the heart of man obeys God? If you look through history, you will find that this is true. In the beginning God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. “Let the waters bring forth,” and the water brought forth abundantly. And one of the proofs that Jesus Christ is God is that He spoke to nature, and nature obeyed Him. At one time He spoke to the sea, and the sea recognized and obeyed. He spoke to the fig-tree, and instantly it withered and died, it obeyed literally and at once. He spoke to devils, and the devils fled. He spoke to the grave, and the grave obeyed Him and gave back its dead. But when He speaks to man, man will not obey Him. That is why man is out of harmony with God, and it will never be different until men learn to obey God. God wants obedience, and He will have it, else there can be no harmony. TRUST AND OBEY (play hymn) John H. Sammis, 1846–1919 - Borrow Amazing Grace - 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotionals But Samuel replied, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22) Life can often be a restless, disrupted existence until we give ourselves wholeheartedly to something beyond ourselves and follow and obey it supremely. Such implicit trust in God’s great love and wisdom with a sincere desire to follow His leading should be every Christian’s goal. Our willingness to trust and obey is always the first step toward God’s blessing in our lives. In 1886 Daniel B. Towner, director of the music department at Moody Bible Institute, was leading the music for evangelist D. L. Moody’s series of meetings in Brockton, Massachusetts. A young man rose to give a testimony, saying, “I am not quite sure—but I am going to trust, and I am going to obey.” Mr. Towner jotted down this statement and sent it to the Rev. J. H. Sammis, a Presbyterian minister and later a teacher at Moody, who wrote the present five stanzas. Salvation is God’s responsibility. Our responsibility is to trust in that salvation and then to obey its truths. “Trust and Obey” presents a balanced view of a believer’s trust in Christ’s redemptive work, and it speaks of the resulting desire to obey Him and do His will in our daily lives. Then, and only then, do we experience real peace and joy. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, what a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, but His smile quickly drives it away; not a doubt nor a fear, not a sigh nor a tear, can abide while we trust and obey. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, but our toil He doth richly repay; not a grief nor a loss, not a frown nor a cross, but is blest if we trust and obey. But we never can prove the delights of His love until all on the altar we lay, for the favor He shows and the joy He bestows are for them who will trust and obey. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet, or we’ll walk by His side in the way; what He says we will do, where He sends we will go—Never fear, only trust and obey. Chorus: Trust and obey—for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus—but to trust and obey. For Today: Psalm 37:3–5; John 8:31; John 14:23; James 2:14–26; 1 John 2:6 Experience the glory and abiding presence of Christ as you determine to trust Him more completely and obey His leading more fully in all that you do. Carry this musical reminder with you remembering— C H Spurgeon - SAUL had been commanded to slay utterly all the Amalekites and their cattle. Instead of doing so, he preserved the king, and suffered his people to take the best of the oxen and of the sheep. When called to account for this, he declared that he did it with a view of offering sacrifice to God; but Samuel met him at once with the assurance that such sacrifices were no excuse for an act of direct rebellion, and in so doing he altered his sentence, which is worthy to be printed in letters of gold, and to be hung up before the eyes of the present generation: “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” I think that in this verse—and here I shall dwell mainly—there is first a voice to professing Christians, and then, secondly, to unconverted persons. I. First, I will speak to you, my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, and who have made a PROFESSION of your faith in him. Be it ever in your remembrance, that to obey, to keep strictly in the path of your Saviour’s command, is better than any outward form of religion, and to hearken to his precept with an attentive ear is better than to bring the fat of rams, or anything else which you may wish to lay upon his altar. Probably, there are some of you here to-night who may be living in the neglect of some known duty. It is no new thing for Christians to know their duty, to have their conscience enlightened about it, and yet to neglect it. If you are failing to keep the least of one of Christ’s commands to his disciples, I pray you, brethren, be disobedient no longer. I know, for instance, that some of you can see it to be your duty, as believers, to be baptized. If you did not think it to be your duty, I would not bring this text to bear upon you; but if you feel it to be right, and you do it not, let me say to you that all the pretensions you make of attachment to your Master, and all the other actions which you may perform, are as nothing compared with the neglect of this. “To obey,” even in the slightest and smallest thing, “is better than sacrifice,” and to hearken diligently to the Lord’s commands is better than the fat of rams. It may be that some of you, though you are professed Christians, are living in the prosecution of some evil trade, and your conscience has often said, “Get out of it.” You are not in the position that a Christian ought to be in; but then you hope that you will be able to make a little money, and you will retire and do a world of good with it. Ah! God cares nothing for this rams’ fat of yours; he asks not for these sacrifices which you intend to make. “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” Perhaps you are in connection with a Christian church in which you may see much that is wrong, and you know that you ought not to tolerate it, but still you do so. You say, “I have a position of usefulness, and if I come out I shall not be so useful as I am now.” My brother, your usefulness is but as the fat of rams, and “to obey is better than” it all. The right way for a Christian to walk in is to do what his Master bids him, leaving all consequences to the Almighty. You have nothing to do with your own usefulness further than to keep your Master’s commands, at all hazards and under all risks. “I counsel thee to keep the King’s commandments,” and “whatsoever he saith unto thee, do it.” Sit at his feet with Mary, and learn of him, and when thou risest up from that reverent posture, let it be with the prayer— “Help me to run in thy commands, ’Tis a delightful road; Nor let my head, nor heart, nor hands, Offend against my God.” Possibly, too, dear brother, there may be some evil habit in which you are indulging, and which you excuse by the reflection, “Well, I am always at the prayer meeting; I am constantly at communion, and I give so much of my substance to the support of the Lord’s work.” I am glad that you do these things; but oh! I pray you give up that sin! I pray you cut it to pieces and cast it away, for if you do not, all your show of sacrifice will be but an abomination. The first thing which God requires of you as his beloved is obedience; and though you should preach with the tongue of men and of angels, though you should give your body to be burned, and your goods to feed the poor, yet, if you do not hearken to your Lord, and are not obedient to his will, all besides shall profit you nothing. It is a blessed thing to be teachable as a little child, and to be willing to be taught of God; but it is a much more blessed thing still, when one has been taught to go at once and carry out the lesson which the Master has whispered in the ear. How many excellent Christians there are who sacrifice a goodly flock of sheep so as to replenish the altar of our God, who nevertheless are faulty because they obey not the word of the Lord. Look at our Missionary Society’s list of subscribers, and ask yourself the question, Do all these help the spread of the gospel by obedience to the precept, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”? There you see in the money gift the sacrifice, but better far to have obedience. Both ought to be joined together; but of the two, better is the act of obedience than of giving. Noah’s sacrifice sent up a sweet savour before God, but in God’s sight the obedience which led him to build the ark and enter in with his family was far more precious; and for this his name is written amongst the champions of faith, and handed down to us as a word of honour and renown. Moreover, brethren, to obey is better than sacrifice in the matter of caring for the sick and needy of all classes. We rejoice in the number of hospitals which adorn our cities. These are the princely trophies of the power of our holy religion. To these we triumphantly point as amongst the ripe fruits of that Christianity which is for the healing of the nations, chiefly in a spiritual, but also in the physical aspect of man’s diseased and woe-begone state. There are no nobler words in our language than those inscribed on so many walls—“Supported by voluntary contributions.” We glory in them. Rome’s monuments, Grecian trophies. Egyptia’s mighty tombs, and Assyria’s huge monoliths, are dwarfed into petty exhibitions of human pride and vanity before the sublime majesty of these exhibitions of a God-given love to our fellow men; but all these homes of mercy and healing become evils to ourselves though they are blessings to the distressed, if we contribute of our wealth to their exchequer and neglect personally to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, to feed the hungry, to care for the sick, and do not, like the Master, go about doing good. Give as God has given to you; but remember God acts as well as gives. “Go thou and do likewise.” Sacrifice, but also obey. A cup of cold water given to a disciple in the name of a disciple, and in obedience to the Lord, is a golden deed, valued by our heavenly Master above all price, more precious in his sight than silver, yea, than much fine gold. May I put this very earnestly to the members of this church, and, indeed, to all of you who hope that you are followers of Christ? Is there anything that you are neglecting? Is there any sin in which you are indulging? Is there any voice of conscience to which you have turned a deaf ear? Is there one passage of Scripture which you dare not look in the face, because you are living in neglect of it? Then let Samuel’s voice come to you, and set you seeking for more grace; for “to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” (Full sermon Obedience Better than Sacrifice) QUESTION - Why is obedience better than sacrifice? ANSWER - In 1 Samuel 15, Saul chose to keep the Amalekite king Agag alive and took the plunder from the battle rather than destroy everything as God had commanded. When Samuel confronted him, Saul said, “I did obey the Lord. . . . I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal” (1 Samuel 15:20–21). Samuel answered in 1 Samuel 15:22, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices / as much as in obeying the Lord? / To obey is better than sacrifice.” Why is obedience better than sacrifice? Two answers are given. The first answer is offered in Samuel’s response: “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 15:23). Saul’s disobedience was an act of rebellion, iniquity (sin), and idolatry. The second answer is offered in Saul’s confession. He said, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them” (1 Samuel 15:24). Saul admitted that his sacrifice was a transgression (sin) and was against God’s command. It was the result of seeking the approval of people. Putting it all together, we see several reasons why obedience to God is better than making sacrifices or offerings to Him: 1) disobedience is an act of rebellion, 2) disobedience is sinful, 3) disobedience is a form of idolatry, 4) disobedience disrespects God’s Word, and 5) disobedience is based on looking good to other people rather than to God. Still today, in our human attempts to look good in serving God, there is the temptation to perform certain religious duties rather than to truly obey God. Even good activities, such as giving money to charity, attending church services, or praying in public, are not as important to God as obeying His commands. Jesus criticized the teachers of His time for similar practices. Matthew 6 notes three religious activities—fasting, public prayer, and giving to those in need—that people often use to look good in front of other people rather than to honor God. As in 1 Samuel 15, the problem is not the offerings but the disobedience of God’s commands and the desire for approval of people rather than the approval of God. GotQuestions.org Complete Obedience To obey is better than sacrifice. — 1 Samuel 15:22 Today's Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:10-29 God said David was a “man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22). Saul, on the other hand, was a man after his own heart. He insisted on doing things his way rather than God’s way. In 1 Samuel 15, the Lord instructed Saul, “Go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them” (v.3). As the instrument of God’s judgment, Saul was not to let anyone or anything escape. Did Saul obey God? No! He spared the king’s life and kept the best animals and “all that was good” (v.9). When confronted by Samuel, Saul lied, made excuses, and insisted that he had obeyed the Lord (vv.20-21). He was guilty of doing what he wanted and expecting God to approve of his incomplete obedience. We too sometimes choose not to obey the Lord completely. Then we try to justify our own sinful behavior by telling ourselves that it doesn’t really matter to God, or that other Christians are far more sinful than we are. But God demands total obedience. O help us, Lord, to heed Your Word, Its precepts to obey; And give us strength to quench the urge To do things our own way. —Sper Obedience neither procrastinates nor questions. Obedience Is Worship To obey is better than sacrifice. — 1 Samuel 15:22 Today's Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:13-23 While I was traveling with a chorale from a Christian high school, it was great to see the students praise God as they led in worship in the churches we visited. What happened away from church was even better to see. One day the group discovered that a woman had no money for gas—and they spontaneously felt led by God to take up a collection. They were able to give her enough money for several tankfuls of gas. It’s one thing to worship and praise God at church; it’s quite another to move out into the real world and worship Him through daily obedience. The students’ example causes us to think about our own lives. Do we confine our worship to church? Or do we continue to worship Him by obeying Him in our daily life, looking for opportunities to serve? In 1 Samuel 15 we see that Saul was asked by the Lord to do a task; but when we review what he did (vv.20-21), we discover that he used worship (sacrifice) as an excuse for his failure to obey God. God’s response was, “To obey is better than sacrifice” (v.22). Lord, I want my worship of You to extend beyond the walls of my church. Help me to listen to Your prompting and to serve others wherever I can—no matter what day it is. Our worship should not be confined to times and places; it should be the spirit of our lives. Terms Of Obedience Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. —1 Samuel 15:22 Today's Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:1-23 A tongue-in-cheek list of medical terms making the rounds includes the following definitions: Artery: the study of paintings Vein: conceited Varicose: nearby Dilate: to live long Bacteria: back door of a cafeteria Node: was aware of The person who wrote that humorous list used the same vocabulary as a physician but certainly not the same dictionary! In my daily walk with God, I’m becoming painfully aware of how often I use my own definitions instead of His. For instance, is my understanding of obedience the same as His? Do I carry out God’s commands as given, or do I modify His Word to suit my preferences? King Saul blatantly disobeyed God’s instructions, then told Samuel the priest, “I have performed the commandment of the Lord” (1 Sam. 15:13). When Samuel challenged him, Saul declared his innocence (v.20). God saw it differently and removed Saul from the throne of Israel because of his willful disobedience (v.23). Let your days be Mine to order; Where I lead, obedient be. Let your own desires be nothing; Only seek to follow Me. —Anon. True obedience is on God's terms, not ours. Walter Kaiser - Hard Sayings of the Bible - scroll to page 180 - 1Sa 15:22 Does the Lord Delight in Sacrifices? Though some texts call for burnt offerings or daily offerings to God (for example, Ex 29:18, 36; Lev 1–7), others appear to disparage any sacrifices, just as 1 Samuel 15:22 seems to do. How do we reconcile this seeming contradiction? God derives very little satisfaction from the external act of sacrificing. In fact, he complains, “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens. … If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it” (Ps 50:9, 12). Indeed, David learned this same lesson the hard way. After his sin with Bathsheba and the rebuke of Nathan the prophet, David confessed, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Ps 51:17). After the priority of the heart attitude had been corrected, it was possible for David to say, “Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar” (Ps 51:19). Samuel’s harangue seconds the message of the writing prophets: Perfunctory acts of worship and ritual, apart from diligent obedience, were basically worthless both to God and to the individual. This is why the prophet Isaiah rebuked his nation for their empty ritualism. What good, he lamented, were all the sacrifices, New Moon festivals, sabbaths, convocations and filing into the temple of God? So worthless was all this feverish activity that God said he was fed up with it all (Is 1:11–15). What was needed, instead, was a whole new heart attitude as the proper preparation for meeting God. Warned Isaiah, “‘Wash and make yourselves clean. … Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool’” (Is 1:16, 18). Then real sacrifices could be offered to God. Jeremiah records the same complaint: “Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me” (Jer 6:20). So deceptive was the nation’s trust in this hollow worship that Jeremiah later announced that God had wanted more than sacrifices when he brought Israel out of Egypt (Jer 7:22). He had wanted the people to trust him. It was always tempting to substitute attendance at God’s house, heartless worship or possessing God’s Word for active response to that Word (Jer 7:9–15, 21–26; 8:8–12). No less definitive were the messages of Hosea (Hos 6:6) and Micah (Mic 6:6–8). The temptation to externalize religion and to use it only in emergency situations was altogether too familiar. Samuel’s rebuke belongs to the same class of complaints. It was couched in poetry, as some of those listed above were, and it also had a proverbial form. The moral truth it conveys must be understood comparatively. Often a proverb was stated in terms that call for setting priorities. Accordingly one must read an implied “this first and then that.” These “better” wisdom sayings, of course, directly point to such a priority. What does not follow is that what is denied, or not called “better,” is thereby rejected by God. Arguing on those grounds would ignore the statement’s proverbial structure. God does approve of sacrificing, but he does not wish to have it at the expense of full obedience to his Word or as a substitute for a personal relationship of love and trust. Sacrifices, however, were under the Old Testament economy. Animal sacrifices are no longer necessary today, because Christ was our sacrifice, once for all (Heb 10:1–18). Nevertheless, the principle remains the same: What is the use of performing outward acts of religion if that religious activity is not grounded in an obedient heart of faith? True religious affection for God begins with the heart and not in acts of worship or the accompanying vestments and ritual! Walter Kaiser - Hard Sayings of the Bible - scroll to page 245 - Ps 51:16–17, 19. Does God Desire Sacrifices? It is startling to read in Psalm 51 that God does not wish worshipers to bring any sacrifices. When one considers the extensive instructions to the contrary in the book of Leviticus, what could the psalmist have had in mind except what appears to be a flat-out contradiction? Hadn’t God issued a command that sacrifices were to be brought to his house? This text is not alone in posing this problem. A number of other texts appear to teach the same disavowal of sacrifices and other ritual acts, such as fasting. Some of them are 1 Samuel 15:14–22, Jeremiah 7:21–23, Hosea 6:6, Micah 6:6–8 and Zechariah 7:4–7. In each of these texts God appears to be spurning the external acts and rituals of worship, usually as expressed in sacrifices. But we will be mistaken if we assume that this is an absolute rejection of the acts of worship he had previously required under the Mosaic covenant. Some have sought to relieve the tension produced by texts such as this one by saying that the instructions for the sacrifices came later; they were not, as a first reading of the text would suggest and as most conservative scholars have assumed, from the hand of Moses. However, this solution is too high a price to pay for a quick harmonization of the data. If the law had come later (in the fifth century B.C.), surely the writers, or even their editors and redactors (if such were involved), would not have been careless enough to ignore the fact that they had created a problem in the text. There must have been some other solution that was apparent to and understood by those earlier audiences. Such a solution is to be found in the Old Testament writers’ constant pleading for the worshiper’s heart attitude to be set right. That is the precise point of these verses from Psalm 51 as well. What was the use of piling on sacrifices if they were not expressions of a spirit of contrition and genuine piety of life? God always inspects the giver, even in the Old Testament, before he inspects the gift, offering or praise. How can one who is unclean offer a clean sacrifice? Psalm 51:16’s statement of denial is qualified by what follows in verse 17. The sacrifices of a broken and contrite spirit are the gifts God seeks as a prelude to any sacrifices of sheep, goats or bulls. One whose heart is repentant is never despised by God. Consequently, the sacrifices from such a one are prized, as Psalm 51:19 says, “Then you will be pleased with the sacrifices of the righteous and whole burnt offerings, then they will offer on your altar bulls” (my literal translation). The difficulty of these verses is not to be solved in the manner once fashionable (by dating the law to the fifth or fourth century B.C.), but by noticing the constant urging of God’s servants that the people give their hearts and their lives in deep contrition and brokenness of spirit before they observe feasts, fasts, sabbaths or sacrifices. Isaiah, for example, demanded that the people stop their sacrifices, convocations, appointed feast days and prayers (Is 1:11–15); instead, he said, they must begin by coming before God with clean hands and a clean heart. If only the Israelites would first come and reason with the Lord, even if their sins were as red as crimson, they could be as white as wool; they had only to be obedient and willing (Is 1:16–18). Then God could accept their sacrifices, just as he accepted David’s sacrifices for his sin with Bathsheba after David repented. Rote religion can never substitute for purity of heart. See also comments GENESIS 4:3–4; 1 SAMUEL 15:22; ECCLESIASTES 7:16–18. 1 Samuel 15:23 "For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king." BGT 1 Samuel 15:23 ὅτι ἁμαρτία οἰώνισμά ἐστιν ὀδύνην καὶ πόνους θεραφιν ἐπάγουσιν ὅτι ἐξουδένωσας τὸ ῥῆμα κυρίου καὶ ἐξουδενώσει σε κύριος μὴ εἶναι βασιλέα ἐπὶ Ισραηλ LXE 1 Samuel 15:23 For sin is as divination; idols bring on pain and grief. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord also shall reject thee from being king over Israel. KJV 1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. NET 1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and presumption is like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king." CSB 1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king. ESV 1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king." NIV 1 Samuel 15:23 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." NLT 1 Samuel 15:23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the LORD, he has rejected you as king." NRS 1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is no less a sin than divination, and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king." NJB 1 Samuel 15:23 Rebellion is a sin of sorcery, presumption a crime of idolatry! 'Since you have rejected Yahweh's word, he has rejected you as king.' NAB 1 Samuel 15:23 For a sin like divination is rebellion, and presumption is the crime of idolatry. Because you have rejected the command of the LORD, he, too, has rejected you as ruler." YLT 1 Samuel 15:23 for a sin of divination is rebellion, and iniquity and teraphim is stubbornness; because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, He also doth reject thee from being king.' rebellion: 1Sa 12:14,15 Nu 14:9 De 9:7,24 Jos 22:16-19 Job 34:37 Ps 107:11 Jer 28:16 29:32 Eze 2:5-8 divination, Ex 22:18 Lev 20:6,27 De 18:10,11 Isa 8:19 19:3 Rev 22:15 insubordination: 2Co 6:16 Ga 5:20 Rev 21:8 rejected: 1Sa 2:30 13:14 16:1 2Ki 17:15-20 1Ch 28:9 1 Samuel 15 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries SAUL'S REBELLION EQUATED WITH DIVINATION & IDOLATRY! For - Term of explanation. What is Samuel explaining? Rebellion (meri; Lxx = hamartia = sin) is as the sin (chattat/chattath) of divination, And insubordination (patsar) is as iniquity and idolatry - Samuel is clearly stating Saul was guilty of rebellion and insubordination. The sin of divination called for execution (Ex 22:18, Lv 20:6, Dt 18:10, Mic 5:10-14)! Insubordination is the act of willfully disobeying a lawful order of one's superior. It is defiance of authority or refusal to obey orders. God equates insubordination it with idol worship (also worthy of death - cf Dt 13:12-15) because in essence this person does not obey God but another god, especially the "god" of self (cf "set up a monument" to SELF - 1Sa 15:12+)! Frankly, the fact that Saul was allowed to live (having committed sins worthy of capital punishment) and finish out his reign is a reflection of God's longsuffering and mercy. Keil and Delitszch correctly point out that “All conscious disobedience is actually idolatry, because it makes self-will, the human I, into a god.” NKJV SB - Saul’s stubborn disobedience was essentially an act of idolatry because it elevated his will above God’s will. Life Application Study Bible (borrow) - Rebellion against God is perhaps the most serious sin of all because as long as a person rebels, he or she closes the door to forgiveness and restoration with God. Young: “Rebellion . . . witchcraft. Both are forms of apostasy, the one being denial of God’s authority, the other a recognition of supernatural powers distinct from God.” Brian Bell - Samuel went on to reveal to Saul his sins of rebellion & stubbornness(arrogance) controlled his heart & they were as evil as witchcraft(which he’d resort to later) & idolatry. 1. Both sins were evidences of a heart that had rejected the Word of the Lord. 2. To know God’s will & deliberately disobey it is to put ourselves above God, & therefore become our own god. This is the vilest form of idolatry!