Richard Roberts
Disobedience is a terrible thing. King Saul lost his throne because he was disobedient to the Lord. In 1 Samuel 15:2-3 NKJV, King Saul received word from the Lord to utterly destroy the Amalekites and all of their goods. But Saul did not obey. He smote the enemy, but saved the best cattle and sheep and even took the Amalekite King, Agag, alive.
When the prophet Samuel confronted him, Saul told him, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord…But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God (v.20-21).” Samuel answered, “To obey is better than sacrifice (v.22).” That very day God took the kingdom out of Saul’s hands!
Disobedience can put you in a dreadful position. There have been times in my life, especially when I was a teenager, when I was disobedient to the Lord. And by disobeying Him, I opened myself up for hurtful things to happen in my life. I’m not saying that because something bad happens to you, you’re in disobedience or you’ve done something wrong. I’m just saying that when I disobeyed God’s Word as a young man, I was rejecting God, and it put me in a bad situation, just as it did King Saul. That’s why the prophet Samuel said, “To obey is better than sacrifice.”
There are times in all of our lives when we want to have our own way and do something different from what the Lord is telling us to do. But Love requires obedience. Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them…loves Me (John 14:21 NKJV). Our love for God and our obedience to Him go hand in hand.