“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22

While these may be interesting rationalizations, are they consistent with Scripture? In other words, does the Lord accept any and all of what we direct to Him? Can He? Let’s first look at the context of our title Scripture in 1 Samuel 15.

The Example Of King Saul
King Saul of Israel was told by Jehovah - the covenant God of the Old Testament - that He would punish Amalek for his treatment of Israel on their journey from Egypt to Canaan. He told Saul to “attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have ... both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey” (1 Sam. 15:3 NKJV). Saul attacked and destroyed Amalek, but “spared Agag (the king) and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs” (v. 9). Then Saul proudly announced to the prophet Samuel the next day that he had “performed the commandment of the Lord” and that he had “spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God” (vv. 13,15).

On the surface, this sounds very good. Saul had not kept any of the plunder for himself or the people. They had utterly destroyed all the people (except Agag), according to the word of Jehovah. What they didn’t destroy was purposely saved to sacrifice to Him. Why wasn’t Jehovah impressed? Because in his effort to honor Him, Saul had failed to obey. And that automatically disqualified those sacrifices from being accepted by the Lord.

In fact, He took Saul’s disobedience so seriously that He said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king” (vv. 22-23). Wow!

We know that the Old Testament law deals with actions, whereas Christ in the New Testament deals with the heart which produces the actions. But already here God is demonstrating that the proper attitude and/or conditions are prerequisites for proper actions. In other words, the end does not justify the means. With God, the means is every bit as important as the end, because “the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). We know that God will not accept anything from us which is contrary to His character (evil, for instance); or even anything produced by a heart not right with Him.

The Example Of Cain
In the beginning of the Bible, Cain and Abel both offered sacrifices to Jehovah. Apparently they both knew what He expected, but Cain’s offering deviated from that. Therefore, “the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering” (Gen. 4:4-5). He did not accept Cain or what he brought, because it was not according to His requirements.

Is God being picky? No. He is just being sovereign. We are His creatures; and He sets the standards, which are always consistent with His innate character. He is holy and righteous, and He is also the One who defines holiness and righteousness. Cain’s deviation from God’s requirements for sacrifice was an act of rebellion against Him, following in the pattern of his parents in the garden. He wanted to do it his way (even involving great effort), but that made his sacrifice totally unacceptable.

God wants us to honor Him with our increase, but He will not accept that which is gained in ways that are unacceptable to Him. In Israel, money pledged for vows was brought into the temple, as were the tithes. However, God commanded, “You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the Lord your God to pay any vow, because the Lord your God detests them both” (Dt. 23:18 niv).

Can’t God use our money for His purposes? He surely can! But He does not want or need “ill-gotten gain.” He can use anything He chooses for His glory, but He will not accept the offering or the offerer if the conditions of offering are corrupt. If we are not in accordance with His will, no matter how much we desire to honor Him, we will fail and will not be accepted by Him. Doesn’t this answer the question posed at the beginning of this article?

The Example Of A Hired Helper
Let me illustrate. Suppose a contractor is building a house according to the owner’s specific construction plans. He hires you to help him, but instead of listening to his instructions and following the owner’s plans, you decide to do everything your own way. You install shingles over the windows and siding on the interior floors; you place the wall studs horizontally, as well as the doors. Would the contractor appreciate your help? Absolutely not! Why? Because you are not helping according to the plans. Would you be acceptable as a builder’s helper? Decidedly not! In fact, you would be sent away as soon as your work was noticed.

Why is following instructions so important? First of all, in the case of the house, the function would be severely impaired if you did not. Secondly, the finished product would be a reflection on the owner and the builder. In both areas, it is undesirable. Better a slow or weak or limited helper that sticks to the design, than any number of helpers who do their own thing at the expense of the overall plan. And that’s just the way it is with the Lord; He desires more a heart that is submitted to His will than a capable and gifted person who dedicates his own fruits to the Lord.

The Example Of Ananias And Sapphira
Another example of inappropriate giving is related in Acts 5:1-11. Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold a possession and wanted to give the Lord a portion of the proceeds. They presented it to Peter under the guise of giving all the proceeds. Peter recognized the deceit, and told Ananias that he was lying to the Holy Spirit. Giving nothing would have been better than giving some and pretending to give all. “You have not lied to men but to God,” Peter told him (v. 4). God judged Ananias immediately, and he died on the spot. Three hours later his wife Sapphira, not knowing this, was questioned by Peter and used the same deceit. God judged her the same way.

The Perfect Example
What does all this prove? Doesn’t God want our offerings? Yes He does, but only if our hearts are right. First God wants our hearts, and then our offerings. First He wants our submission and obedience to His will, then our efforts and works. The perfect example of this is the Lord Jesus Himself, as portrayed in Hebrews 10:5-7 (quoted from Ps. 40:6-8): “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come - in the volume of the book it is written of Me - to do Your will, O God.’” Jesus came (actually, He was sent by the Father) to fulfill the plans and purposes of God Himself. He had no other agenda, no other prerogative. He would not even have come if not to do the will of Him that sent Him. His own will (as a Man) was totally subject and submitted to the Father’s will. In that way He became the perfect sacrifice. His was an offering of Himself from the heart, fulfilled in His body. Because He was fully submitted to the will of God, His every action was acceptable and even delightful to God.

What God Wants
Jesus was once asked a question by a scribe. After Jesus answered him, the scribe said, “There is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mk. 12:32-33). Jesus told him that he was not far from the kingdom of God. Whether he knew it or not, this scribe was touching on a very vital principle of our relationship with God. He wants our hearts, then our actions.

Romans 12:1-2 tells us that God wants our bodies presented to Him as living sacrifices. This is in conjunction with the renewing of our minds. Also notice that these sacrifices are to be “holy, acceptable to God” and according to the “good and acceptable and perfect will of God”. Anything not holy, and anything outside His will is not acceptable!

Micah 6:6-8 sums it up beautifully: “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil? ... He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Out of these attitudes will flow actions acceptable and pleasing to Him. With proper hearts, our offerings will delight His heart!

By Tim Van Ryn