“Obedience is better than sacrifice.” Have you heard this before? God has stated it throughout scripture. There is a distinction between the two words that may or may not be straightforward without context. Maybe “sacrifice” could seem like a form of “obedience” to you or someone else who may hear this.
This blog will serve the purpose of detailing the word obedience for your clarity, and for you to know that this is the heart posture of God, which He also desires to instill in us.
1st Samuel 15: 22 • “So 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 heed than the fat of rams.””
To be a Christian, purified and able to stand in God’s presence in His mercy, love, and desired fellowship, we must put on our Savior’s sacrifice.
Where a sin offering was once required for God’s people to be in union with Him, our Messiah, Jesus Christ, has become the blameless blood shed to atone for our sins.
(reference Leviticus 4 ; Isaiah 64:6 ; Hebrews 9:14)
We rejoice with hope then, knowing no more sacrifice is needed. But obedience and sacrifice are different. Have you forgotten their distinction, and limited obedience now to meaning literal “animal sacrifice/ blood sacrifice/ or the crucifixion of Jesus on the behalf of our sins”.
There remains a need to understand the word “obedience”, and to know it as a heart posture so that we can truly shine the light of God that He has planted in us, on believing and receiving the Holy Spirit. Like the light of a fire, we want to fan it, keep it burning in sanctification, remain pure, purifying, salt—light.
(reference Matthew 5:13)
God’s word lets us know that our works cannot gain us heaven or His forgiveness, as we are born in sin and have fallen into “death row” because of it. But in Christ, we will have new life! And in this new life, He is our guiding light, teaching us His righteous ways again, so we can live in His good nature and enjoy the ways of His kingdom.
Proverbs 21:3
To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
King David in Psalm 51:16 “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.”
GOD in Hosea 6:6 “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
• Are you filled with the knowledge of God? Are His delights your delights? Do you offer to Him acceptable worship?
Matthew 5:20
“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Looking to Christ IS the right answer. But know that Matthew 5:20 above is spoken by Christ. The Pharisees were the religious, well bible-versed people of Christ’s day, yet they were displeasing to Him.
God is not looking for those keeping an “appearance of good”. He is not looking for “outward displays of religion” or “external obedience to church tradition”. He is looking for those who worship in Spirit and Truth, so unless our motives and lifestyle match true holiness we are not “spiritual” or acceptable to Him.
(reference John 4:23-24)
God is looking for the heart transformation He has set out and called forward since the very beginning of time. People in both the Old and New Testament were missing the point (some finding the truth). People in both the B.C. era, and now in the 21st century, miss the mark of God’s heart while some walk in His Spirit and Truth.
Old Testament
Amos 5:21-27
21 “I [GOD] hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24 But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, 27 and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.
Isaiah 1:10-17
Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom!
Give ear to the teaching of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
11 “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.
12 “When you come to appear before me,
who has required of you
this trampling of my courts?
13 Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—
I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause.
New Testament
Matthew 23:27-28
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
[1]Having church attendance, hosting church events, tithing, modesty, keeping holy feast and days, praise and worship are all outward continued modern displays of religion that mean nothing to God if a person remains [2]corrupt: a backslider, a cheat, a liar, idolatrous, sexually immoral, envious, unjust, and full of works of the devil and flesh. These things should not be covered in the temple of God and cannot be in His true temple where the Holy Spirit lives within, convicts, and cleans. We are called to know God’s standard. And whoever has spiritual ears to hear, will hear and walk upright. When we fall short of glory (because we are not yet in our perfected bodies), we desire to and DO repent and get up again, but we cannot dwell in sin.
God’s people know the death in sin and the life in Christ, and have faith, hope, and love that implores true obedience. Know that God prefers (and has commanded) to rid the later works [2] but to also desire the first [1]. The known, external religious displays are scriptural and good when done in the proper order. But even an unbeliever or Satan can masquerade as an angel of light in these external spaces, but only a good tree bears good fruit. Only God’s people obey His commandments, and do not find them burdensome. (reference Matthew 12:33 ; 1st John 5: 3)
Colossians 3:2-14
2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Romans 12:1-2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
These are the definitions of true sacrifice, obedience, faith and worship in God’s sight. Let God’s people say Amen.