“To obey is better than sacrifice.” Without patience, faith, and an obedient heart, sacrificial offerings were worthless. When Saul proposed presenting a sacrifice of the things that God commanded to be destroyed, he was showing open hatred for divine authority. The sacrifice would have been an insult to Heaven. Yet many are following a similar course—they offer up to God their formal services of religion while they refuse to believe and obey some requirement of the Lord. The Lord cannot accept them if they persist in willfully violating even one of His commands.
“Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” Those who set themselves against the government of God have entered into an alliance with the chief traitor. He will cause everything to appear in a false light. Like our first parents, those who are under his bewitching spell see only the great benefits to be received by sinning.
Many who are led by Satan in this way deceive themselves with the belief that they are serving God. In the days of Christ the Jewish scribes and elders who professed great zeal for the honor of God crucified His Son. The same spirit still exists in the hearts of those who follow their own will in opposition to the will of God.
Saul’s fatal presumption must be attributed to satanic sorcery. In his disobedience to the divine command he had been as really inspired by Satan as are those who practice sorcery; and when reproved, he added stubbornness to rebellion. He could have given no greater insult to the Spirit of God if he had openly united with idolaters.
In Saul, God had given Israel a king after their own heart, as Samuel said, “Here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired.” (1 Samuel 12:13). His physical appearance matched their ideas of royal dignity. His personal bravery and ability to lead armies were qualities they regarded as most likely to secure respect from other nations. They did not ask for a king who had true nobility of character, who possessed the love and fear of God. They were not seeking God’s way, but their own. Therefore God gave them such a king as they desired—one whose character was a reflection of their own.
If Saul had relied on God, God would have been with him, but when Saul chose to act independently of God, the Lord was forced to set him aside. Then he called to the throne “a man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14)—one who would rely on God and be guided by His Spirit; one who, when he sinned, would submit to reproof and correction.
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