Art Toombs Ministries 

Online Bible Commentary

1 Samuel 15:22 But Samuel replied:“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices

     as much as in obeying the Lord?

To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

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.” (NIV)

Israel’s first king, Saul, has not obeyed the Lord and is being rejected by the Lord. Saul is being stripped of his kingship because of his disobedience.  

According to this scripture it is better to obey than sacrifice. Even though money is referenced more in the Bible than any other subject, because of its necessity in spreading God’s word, obedience is valued even more highly by God.

This scripture is clear that we should make obedience to God our number one goal. It states that God rejected Saul because Saul rejected the word of the Lord.

We all need to set aside time every day to read our Bible. It is only by reading the Bible that we know what to obey.

There is always time to do what we value most. It is all a matter of setting priorities and putting God first!