It Is Better To Obey

"But Samuel answered, 'What pleases the Lord more: burnt offerings and sacrifices or obedience to His voice? It is better to obey than to sacrifice. It is better to listen to God then to offer the fat of sheep.'" 

1 Samuel 15:22

Saul thought he had obeyed God or rather he thought he knew what God really meant when He commanded Saul to kill every living thing of the Amalekites. Saul disobeyed God and kept the king, along with the best cattle and sheep. When he was confronted about his disobedience, he argued he had been obedient and offered the animals as a sacrifice to God. Yet, God clearly said "leave no living thing." Saul's argument is proof of his disobedience. His intentions may have been honorable, but he still disobeyed God. Samuel explains this to Saul, stating, "it is better to obey than to sacrifice." 

I think this passage is interesting because we tend to be like Saul in this moment. We read scripture and we interpret it the way we want. We assume we know what God really meant when He said X, Y, or Z in the Bible. God did not invite us to interpret His word, but instead to read it and then to live it. Not every passage is straight forward in present times because it was written in a different culture with different expectations for understanding, but these passages can be understood when you study the Bible, as well as its history. The point is when God commands us to do something we need to obey every word and not just what we feel is right. This type of thinking [assuming we know what God meant] is what cost Saul his kingship in Israel.