In different places in the Bible, it is written, that to obey is better than sacrifice. But why is obedience better than sacrifice? God had given the sacrificial laws. Therefore you would think that God was pleased with the sacrifices of His people. But that was not always the case, and that is still not always the case. In the Old Covenant, the people sacrificed unto the Lord. But the sacrifices of the people were not always pleasing unto the Lord. In the New Covenant, the people also ‘sacrifice’ unto the Lord. But ‘the sacrifices’ of the people are not always pleasing to God. There was only one sacrifice that was pleasing unto the Lord. That sacrifice contained an element, from which the sacrifice emerged, and that the Lord desires, which is obedience.
God instituted the sacrificial laws
God gave the Law to Moses that contains the sacrificial laws. The sacrificial laws were meant for the house of Israel. The people brought the sacrifices. And the (high) priest (s) made the sacrifices unto the Lord according to the Law.
The sacrifices were a gift to God and a sweet savour unto the Lord. Through the sacrifices, they acknowledged God as the Lord God of Israel. They gave honor, worship, praise, and thanksgiving unto the Lord God. The blood of the sacrifices atoned the sins and iniquities of the fallen man, who belonged to the house of Israel.
Those, who belonged to the house of Israel had to keep the sacrificial laws, which were part of the Law of Moses.
Why was God not always pleased with the sacrifices of His people?
But although God gave the sacrificial laws and God’s people had to keep the sacrificial laws, God was not always pleased with the sacrifices of His people.
Why was God not always pleased with the sacrifices of His people? Because the sacrifices of His people didn’t originate from a believing heart and obedience to God. And to God obedience is better than sacrifice.
We see this, among others, in the life of Saul. Saul thought to please God with his burnt offerings and sacrifices, while God had no delight in his burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying His voice.
Saul’s disobedience to the voice of the Lord
Samuel said, Hath 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 hearken than the fat of rams. 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 (1 Samuel 15:22-23)
Samuel had made the will of the Lord known to Saul, by giving His commandments. But Saul was prideful and thought he knew it better than God. Because of his rebellious nature, Saul didn’t obey the voice of the Lord. Saul didn’t do what God commanded him to do. Instead, Saul did what seemed good to do in his eyes.
Saul thought to please God with his sacrifices. But God had no delight in Saul’s burnt offerings and sacrifices.
God wanted obedience to His voice instead of sacrifices. Because obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15).
When God commanded Saul (through Samuel) to smite Amalek and destroy everything, Saul and the people rebelled against the commandment of God. Instead of destroying everything, as the Lord commanded, Saul and the people spared Agag the king of the Amalekites and the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good.
When the people came to Saul with the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice them unto the Lord, Saul didn’t intervene. Saul feared the people. Because of that, he allowed them to bring the cattle.
By listening to the voice of the people and doing what seemed good in his eyes, Saul turned from the Lord and rejected the word of the Lord God.
Through his disobedience, Saul turned away from the Lord
When Samuel came to Saul, Saul even lied to Samual by saying that he kept the commandment of the Lord.
However, Saul didn’t know that during the night, God had revealed to Samuel the evil of Saul and his disobedience to God. Besides that, Samuel heard the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen, which testified that he had not obeyed the commandment of the Lord. Samuel confronted Saul about the evil he had done.
Saul went against the word of the Lord and defended the deed and his decision. He even gave a pious twist to his disobedience to God, by saying that the kettle was for the sacrifices to the Lord.
Why obedience is better than sacrifice?
Samuel asked him, if the Lord had as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord. Because to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
Why obedience is better than sacrifice? Obedience is better than sacrifice because rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness as iniquity and idolatry.
Saul’s rebellion was as the sin of witchcraft and His stubbornness as iniquity and idolatry.
Because Saul had rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord had rejected Saul from being king.
After hearing the words of Samuel, Saul confessed that he had sinned. He acknowledged that he had transgressed the commandment of the Lord, while before Samuel confronted Saul with what the Lord revealed to him, Saul told Samual that he had kept the commandment of the Lord God.
Saul disobeyed the commandment of the Lord God, because he feared the people. And that was exactly the root of the problem
The fear of man brings a snare
Saul feared the people instead of the Lord God. Therefore he listened to the people and put the people above God. This was not the first time that Saul feared the people and disobeyed the commandments of God.
When Saul and the people were at Gilgal and Samuel didn’t arrive at the appointed time and part of the people departed from him, Saul took matters into his own hands.
Saul commanded to bring him the burnt offering and the peace offerings. As soon as Saul had made an end of the offering of the burnt offering, Samual arrived.
When Samuel confronted Saul with his evil deed, Saul defended his decision and deed. Because his deed seemed logical and wise in his own eyes.
But his decision and deed were not logical and wise in the eyes of God, but foolish.
His deed was an act of rebellion and disobedience to the word of the Lord God. Which is as the sin of witchcraft and idolatry.
God had no delight in Saul’s sacrifices. God would have delighted in Saul, if Saul obeyed the voice of the Lord God and kept His commandment, despite the circumstances and the pressure of the people. Then Saul’s kingdom would have lasted.
Because Saul disobeyed the word of the Lord, God took away the kingdom from him and gave it to someone else. A man, who did listen to the voice of the Lord God and obeyed His commandments and did His will. (Read also: Was David a man after God’s own heart?).
Not only was Saul rebellious and disobedient to the voice of the Lord God, but also God’s people and the leaders of God’s people didn’t always want to listen to the voice of the Lord God.
God’s people disobeyed the voice of the Lord God
God’s people didn’t always appreciate the moral part of the law and the words of the prophets. To some, the keeping of the religious laws, rituals, feasts, etc. was more important than obeying the (moral) commandments of God and the words of the prophets, that represented His will and whereby they would live holy and righteous. Despite the fact that they knew that obedience is better than sacrifice.
The assemblies of the people appeared to be good and blessed to the people. They sang, read from the Torah, prayed, brought incense and other sacrifices and offerings to the Lord. Then they returned with a satisfied feeling, because they had fulfilled their obligations.
But God didn’t look at the assemblies from man’s point of view. Therefore, God was not impressed by their outward appearances, religious customs, and sacrifices. Their compelling words, beautiful songs, sacrifices, and offerings were not pleasing to God. God was disgusted by their gatherings and couldn’t smell in their solemn assemblies. Why couldn’t God smell in their solemn assemblies?
God’s people didn’t trust in God and His words, but in lying words that couldn’t profit
God didn’t see a holy nation and an assembly of His children, who believed, loved, and obeyed Him and lived holy and righteous. But God saw a sinful nation, an assembly of evildoers, of rebels, who acted religiously in the assembly and kept the laws, regulations, and rituals as described in the Law of Moses and sang and sacrificed to the Lord, but in their daily lives they were rebellious, stubborn and disobeyed the commandments of God and with a heart full of unbelief and evil walked in sin and iniquity.
Instead of trusting in God and His words, the people trusted in lying words that couldn’t profit.
They were thieves, murderers, adulterers, liars, and idolaters. Since they stole, murdered, committed adultery, lied (swore falsely), burned incense unto Baal, and walked after other gods, whom, they knew not.
In the assembly, they came before the Lord and confessed they were delivered. But were they delivered to do all those abominations? (Read also: Has the church become a den of thieves?)
A people, who sacrificed but disobeyed the voice of the Lord God
God’s people were a people, who brought sacrifices unto the Lord, while in their daily lives, they disobeyed the voice of the Lord God. Therefore, God had enough of their sacrifices. He was full of their burnt offerings and didn’t delight in the blood of bullocks, lambs, or goats.
He commanded them to bring no more vain oblations of which the incense was an abomination unto God.
God couldn’t endure the assemblies and feasts
God couldn’t endure the new moons, the sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, because it was iniquity even the solemn meeting. His soul hated their new moons and appointed feasts. They were a trouble unto Him, and God was weary to bear them.
When they spread forth their hands, God hid His eyes from them. When they made many prayers, the Lord heard not, because their hands were full of blood.
God commanded them, to take away from Him the noise of thy songs. Because He would not hear the melody of their viols.
God had no delight in their sacrifices. He wanted them to obey His voice, receive correction, and speak the truth. Because to God obedience is better than sacrifice.
But although they knew that obedience is better than sacrifice, they didn’t obey God’s voice. They didn’t receive correction and the truth had perished.
They had removed the truth and judgment and set their abominations in the house, which was called by the Name of the Lord, to defile it.
God wanted them to wash themselves, make themselves clean, and put away the evil of their doings (sin and iniquities) before His eyes, so that they would cease to do evil. He wanted them to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, and plead for the widow.
God confronted the princes of Israel about their walk
And the princes of Israel had no privileged position. They were not an exception to the rule. Because God confronted the leaders, who were responsible for the congregation and her walk.
God said, that the princes were rebellious and companions of thieves. They loved gifts (bribes) and followed after rewards.
They judged not the fatherless, neither came the cause of the widow to them.
Because of that, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, would ease Himself of His adversaries and avenge Himself of His enemies. God would restore the judges and the counselors, as in the beginning, who would listen to His voice. So that righteousness would return (a.o. Isaiah 1, Jeremiah 7).
God had not commanded the fathers of Israel concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices but to obey His voice
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh. For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: But this thing commanded I them, Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward (Jeremiah 7:21-24)
When God brought the fathers of Israel out of the land of Egypt, God spake not unto them, nor commanded them, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. But God commanded them to obey His voice.
If they obeyed His voice, God would be their God and they would be His people. And if they walked in His ways, it would be well with them
But they didn’t want to listen to the voice of the Lord God. They rejected the knowledge that obedience is better than sacrfice. Instead of obeying the Lord God, they walked in the counsels and the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward instead of forward. (Read also: Why Christians go back to the Old Covenant?)).
Although God’s people rejected Him, God gave the perfect Sacrifice to be offered
God had to deal with prideful, rebellious, and stubborn people, who went their own way and didn’t want to listen to Him.
At the appointed time, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to the earth. His Son, Who loved His Father and was willing and prepared to give up His life and pay the price for obedience to His Father and the disobedience of (fallen) man. (Read also: Count the cost).
God sent His Son, Who stayed faithful to Him and obeyed the commandment of His Father, because of His love for the Father.
A Son, Whose Spirit was subjected to the will of the Father, which became visible through His obedience to the commandment of the Father. The commandment of the Father was to obey His voice and to do His will.
“Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God”
Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me,) to do Thy will, O God (Hebrews 10:5-7)
Unlike the fathers of the house of Israel, Jesus yielded to the Father. He gave His life to do the will of His Father.
Jesus came among evildoers (rebels), who lived wicked lives. He was among hypocrites, who came together in the house of His Father acted religiously, and kept the religious precepts, rituals, and customs of the Law, meanwhile, they lived in rebellion and disobedience to God in sin. They rejected the knowledge that obedience is better than sacrifice.
But Jesus gave the right example and hearkened to the voice of His Father and stayed obedient to Him.
By setting the right example and His obedience to God, Jesus was hated, persecuted, banished, betrayed by His own people, and given into the hands of sinners, to be sacrificed as a perfect Sacrifice for sinners, who, due to their fallen state, were not able (by nature) to listen to the voice of the Lord God and doing the will of God.
The blood of animals couldn’t take sin away but could sanctify the unclean, so that they were cleansed after the flesh.
But the blood of Jesus Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit gave Himself to God as a sacrifice, cleanses us from dead works, to serve the living God.
Therefore Jesus is the Mediator of the New Testament, that by the means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15).
What are the similarities between the assemblies in the Old Covenant and the assemblies in the New Covenant?
Unfortunately, we see the same phenomenon in the Church of Christ. The assemblies and walk of many Christians in the New Covenant don’t differ that much from the assemblies and walk of the house of Israel in the Old Covenant.
Christians come together and while the music is playing, they sing, praise, and worship the Lord and lift their hands. They pray a short prayer. They listen to a motivational sermon, put their money into the offering, fellowship, and go home with a satisfied feeling. As soon as they come home, many pick up where they left, doing the will and works of the flesh.
Many think that their church attendance pleases Jesus and serves God. But God has no delight in gatherings, where people act and speak piously for one or two hours and the remainder of the week live as evildoers in sin and using the blood of Jesus as a permit to keep sinning.
Just like in the Old Covenant, they confess they are delivered and free by the blood of Jesus. But are they delivered to do evil and commit abominations? Has God delivered them to do the will, lusts, and desires of the flesh and serve the devil?
God had no delight in sacrifices but in obedience to His voice
God had no delight in sacrifices and God still has no delight in sacrifices, coming from a prideful and evil heart full of unbelief. Because to God obedience is better than sacrifice.
The Lord God was not pleased with sacrifices, wherewith they thought to please Him, and sacrifices for the atonement of the sins and iniquities of His people, while they didn’t repent and their rebellious behavior remained the same, and through their disobedience to God, they committed the same sins over and over again.
God wanted His children to repent and turn from their evil ways. He wanted them to believe Him and to love Him. So that they would listen to His voice and obey His words and keep His commandments. And that is still the case, since God’s nature and will have not changed.
Jesus wants an obedient Church
Jesus has no delight in a Church that doesn’t believe in Him and doesn’t listen to His voice, but believes the words of the world and listens to the world and commits adultery with the world and lives in sin.
He doesn’t want a carnal Church that gathers every week with a defiled mind and with unclean hands lifted praying and praising the Lord and bringing sacrifices, and every week repent and ask forgiveness for the same sins, which they want to do again.
But Jesus wants a spiritual Body, whereof He is the Head and has His Spirit and follows Him. A Body that submits to Him and listens to His voice, does what He says and executes His will. So that the sacrifice of His Body is pleasing to Him.
Who knows the will of God and who is willing to give his or her life to do His will? Who says, just like Jesus, Lo, here am I Lord to do Your will, send me. I know that you have no delight in sacrifices and religious practices but in obedience to Your voice. And here I stand Lord, prepared to do Your will. Despite the circumstances, the resistance of people, the hatred, persecution, rejection, and all other consequences that will cost me to follow You. I truly love you, Lord, with all my heart. You gave your life for me and now I give my life to you, by obeying Your voice and doing your will.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
