The Biblical Meaning Of Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice

May 2024 · 3 minute read

There is a phrase in the Bible that says, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” Most members of the Christian community are taught the value and benefits of obeying the Lord and doing His will, but those who choose to disobey His words may miss out on these privileges or suffer from their actions.

Some people in the Holy Scripture believed they could disregard or subvert God’s instructions and go free. One depressing illustration is King Saul, a pompous king to whom the prophet Samuel said, “To obey is better than sacrifice.”

What can we learn from Saul that might alter our own attitudes toward obedience? Why did Samuel utter those words?

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What Is The Meaning Of “Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice”?

According to the dictionary, obedience is “dutiful or to be submissive to someone or oneself.” For a Christian, that entails giving God our will and doing what He has commanded us to do or say. It means “to give up, renounce, or demolish, especially for an ideal or religion” to make a sacrifice. It also involves giving God access to something that is significant to us by any means.

Both of these choices have an impact on our faith and way of life and are ways we can show our love for the Lord. However, as we can record in the Bible, 1 Samuel instructs us to put obedience first among the two.

The sacrifices we make after that will be motivated by respect for the Lord. This idea is seen throughout the Bible in the following passages:

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What does Jesus Say About Obedience?

Jesus actually said in the Holy Bible “If you love me, you will do what I say” as we can record in John 14:15. If there is something in your life that the Lord considers sin, but you have become accustomed to it, consider this challenge: If you are at peace with the Lord, you will be at war with your own sin. You will be at war with God if, nevertheless, you are at peace with your sin. This is what the Bible tells us.

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