Saul was the first king of Israel. He looked the part. Tall, handsome, impressive, and charismatic. The problem was that it was all on the outside. He lacked one essential quality from God’s point of view. His heart was not one of obedience. Like many successful people, he could play the part but his actions did not come from a heart that was sold out to God.

In 1 Samuel 15, we find that Saul chose to do his own thing rather than obey the commands of God. God was not pleased and He had had enough of Saul’s lack of followership so He sends the prophet Samuel for a confrontation with the king. Saul did what we often do when we are in the wrong and tried to explain why his disobedience was actually a virtue. It didn’t work.

In reply, Samuel says something very significant that I need to hear often and I suspect that you do as well.

“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.

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.”

Saul did what we often are tempted to do. He kept the sacrifice and burnt offerings but he didn’t have a heart that wanted to truly obey God. To put it another way, Saul was great at the appearances and practices of looking religious but he didn’t truly love God, nor desire to please Him from His heart. He had what I call a negotiated relationship with God. He looked the part but he chose when and how he would respond to God by choosing what was convenient to him.

Religion is a trap. It causes you to believe that a relationship with God is about the external practices: going to church, tithing, being in a small group, saying the right things, and not saying the wrong things. Keeping certain rules about what we do and don’t do in life. But we need to hear God’s word through the prophet Samuel. Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices - the religious practices of the day, as much as in obeying the Lord? 

What God wants from us is wholehearted obedience from our hearts. That is the sign that we truly want to please Him. Anything else is not true discipleship or followership.

Father, help me to worship you by my obedience rather than by religious practices and a negotiated followership. Help me to be sold out to love you by obeying you. Amen.