the Fourth Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 2 of 5
1 Samuel 15:17-35
Samuel has just passed through a night of anguish which must have made him think of another such night (1 Samuel 3:11): the night when he had to announce judgment on the house of Eli. Saul did not complete the destruction of Amalek and in consequence he must be rejected as king. A disobedient king can only lead his people into disobedience; therefore he must be removed from power.
"To obey is better than sacrifice" (v. 22). The most brilliant deed in our lives is without value if it is not accomplished in obedience to God. And this verse can be applied to all the works by which Christendom seeks in vain to satisfy God, instead of listening to Him and very simply receiving His word.
Here it is to obey that is better then sacrifice. But the same is said about mercy and the knowledge of the Lord (Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13), justice and judgment (Proverbs 21:3), a broken spirit (Psalms 51:16-17), and love (Mark 12:33). See in Saul, by contrast, what the flesh produces, besides disobedience; boasting (v. 20), lying and laying the blame on others (vv. 15, 21), stubbornness, a false repentance and as well as all that, the search for vain prestige (v. 30). Truly this is a very sad picture.
