At one time God through Samuel instructed Saul the King of Israel to fight Amalek and completely destroy everything including their king (1 Samuel 15:3). King Saul mobilized the Israeli army to execute the battle. They fought Amalek and destroyed everything but spared Agag their King and the best livestock. This was contrary to the instruction which was given to him from the Lord. We find this record in 1 Samuel 15:8-9: “And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly”. God desires our whole hearted devotion and submission to Him. Such was God’s testimony of Caleb in Numbers 14:24: “But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it”. King Saul lacked this loyalty to God and that is why he thought Agag and the best animals were too good to be destroyed. He thought of personal gain from these. This mistake costed him the kingdom (1 Samuel 15:23).

Coming back from the battle, he was quick to announce to Samuel that he had executed the instruction (1 Samuel 15:13). He didn’t know that the Lord had already revealed to Samuel about his disobedience. When he was confronted by Samuel he started shifting the blame to the people and indicated the plan to use the animals for sacrifice to the Lord. He was trying to qualify disobedience while masking his own covetousness.

Nothing can qualify disobedience. Our theme scripture shows us the reprimanding words from Samuel. It says obedience is better than sacrifice. This means sacrifices can’t make up for what has not been done as instructed by the Lord. It’s like giving to the Lord what you have stolen. He wouldn’t accept that offering. The God who told you to give, also told you not to steal. God delights in our total submission to Him.