Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?” And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.”
1 Samuel 15:19-21 (ESV)
At the beginning of this chapter, God sent Samuel to Saul, instructing him to annihilate the Amalekites and all they owned. This was a response to the Amalekites attacking Israel after they had left Egypt several hundred years before. In response, Saul gathered an army and attacked the Amalekites. He killed everyone but their king. And he destroyed most of their flocks and herds, but kept the best of them.
After this, God told Samuel that Saul had failed to obey the instruction that had been given to him. And Samuel, in turn, confronted Saul with his disobedience. Saul’s initial response was that he had obeyed. He had done most of what God wanted him to do. And then he passed the blame for at least part of his failure onto his army, claiming they had saved the best of the animals to later use as sacrifices to the Lord.
Samuel went on to tell Saul that God is more interested in our obedience than in offering sacrifices. And that, because he failed to obey, the kingdom would be taken from him and given to another.
Many struggle with the ethics of this chapter, especially the annihilation of innocent children. It is quite contrary to modern sensibilities. But regardless of how we might feel about that, there are important lessons in this chapter, including Samuel’s words that to obey is better than sacrifice.
Is God Satisfied with Good Enough?
Another is found in the passage quoted above. Saul told Samuel that he had obeyed God and gone on the mission assigned to him. But God’s view of Saul’s action was quite different.
It makes me wonder how often I am satisfied that I have done what God wanted me to, when He is less than satisfied. When I am satisfied with ‘good enough’, and God sees me as being disobedient.
I was not satisfied when my children only partially obeyed. My employer would not have been pleased with only partial obedience. So why should I think that God would be any different? We should make it our goal to please Him in everything we do (Col. 1:10) and not be satisfied with ‘good enough’.
