99% Obedience Is 100% Disobedience: The Fall of Saul

If you were approaching a brand-new bridge over a massive canyon and you saw a sign that said, “Bridge construction is 99% complete,” would you head across? Well, you could, of course, but a 99% complete bridge still puts you at the bottom of the canyon.

Partial obedience, like a brand-new bridge, might look impressive at first glance, but it still falls short. God calls us to obey him completely, and partial obedience is disobedience. 

As we read 1 Samuel 15, we watch Saul’s reign as king of Israel unravel. He faces the decision of whether he’ll obey God completely or only partially. By watching Saul, we learn that God isn’t impressed with our excuses — he wants our hearts to be fully his.

After making a dumb vow in 1 Samuel 14:23-46, Saul faced a group called the Amalekites. Samuel directed Saul to attack this enemy and destroy them, including every man, woman, child, and animal. Nothing should be left alive, and the soldiers weren’t to take any plunder. For background information on the Amalekites, see Exodus 17:8-16 and Deuteronomy 25:17-19. For another reference to God commanding the destruction of a people, see Deuteronomy 20:16-18.

The Amalekites were an evil people who had earned God’s wrath. They were finally facing his judgment for their sins. God also knew that Israel would never live in peace if the Amalekites were around. They would be a constant threat to Israel both physically and spiritually, so God ordered their removal.

Saul, once again, disobeyed:

But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction. (1 Samuel 15:9)

Saul spared the king and allowed his soldiers to take plunder while he kept the best of the Amalekite’s animals. That was not at all what God commanded.

When Samuel walked up, Saul said something like, “Hi Samuel! I’ve done exactly what God said to do!” And Samuel replied, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” (1 Samuel 15:14)

Once again, Saul had disobeyed and was caught red-handed. And once again, he came up with an excuse.

Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” (1 Samuel 15:15).

That was, in the words of my former pastor, “bull turkey.” Most people use another term for it. It’s like the bank robber who said, “I only stole the money to give to the church!”

Samuel didn’t flinch, and in light of Saul’s excuses and deflection, he gave him God’s response:

And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:22-23)

That one statement in Samuel’s response is key to understanding how God feels about sin: “To obey is better than sacrifice.” Obedience to God is far more important than any sacrifice we can make. We can do all sorts of religious rituals. We can attend church every Sunday, memorize large portions of the Bible, and give our money, which are wonderful things. But not at the expense of obedience. God wants a surrendered and obedient heart, not just the outward completion of some holy to-do list.

Saul continually chose his way instead of God’s, because he thought his way was better. He was also an expert at coming up with excuses for doing the things he did. God saw right through all this and knew Saul’s heart.

He knows your heart as well. Do you find yourself choosing your way instead of God’s? That’s what sin is, choosing to do what you want instead of what God wants. It’s open rebellion against God. If you’re a believer, the Holy Spirit will confront you when you sin. When he does, don’t try to spin it, justify it, make excuses, or blame someone else.

Instead, agree with God that it was sin (confess), turn from it (repent), and ask for his forgiveness.

You are God’s child. He loves you more than you can comprehend. And he promises that when you cry out for forgiveness, he will forgive.

God calls us to obedience for many reasons, and one is that our obedience shows our trust in him. He wants our trust. He wants our heart. Don’t settle for partial obedience. Place your trust in God and strive to obey him in all you do.