TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE

To obey is better than sacrifice
I don't need your money
I want your life
And I hear you say that I'm coming back soon
But you act like I'll never return

Well you speak of grace and my love so sweet
How you thrive on milk, but reject My meat
And I can't help weeping of how it will be
If you keep on ignoring My words
Well you pray to prosper and succeed
But your flesh is something I just can't feed

To obey is better than sacrifice
I want more than Sunday and Wednesday nights
Cause if you can't come to Me every day
Then don't bother coming at all

To obey is better than sacrifice
I want hearts of fire
Not your prayers of ice
And I'm coming quickly
To give back to you
According to what you have done

Remember those lyrics by Keith Green from his album No Compromise in 1978? Keith was a hard-hitting lyricist and singer who had a major impact on my life when I was in youth ministry and I continued to follow his music ministry for years after.

He took the idea for this song from 1 Samuel 15. Samuel told King Saul that God wanted to destroy the Amalekites because of what they had done to the Israelites on their journey from Egypt. Samuel was specific. Saul was to destroy every man, woman, child, infant, cattle, sheep, camel and donkey (1 Samuel 15:3). Saul went on his mission but he and his men saved out the best of the livestock and Saul allowed King Agag to live. When Samuel found Saul after the battle he asked him why he hadn’t done what God commanded. Saul protested that he had done everything God said. And Samuel responded, What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear? (1 Samuel 15:14) Saul defended himself by saying, The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest. (1 Samuel 15:15) And Samuel said, Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice and to heed is better than the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22) As a result of Saul’s compromise, the LORD tore the kingdom from Saul’s hands and sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint David king over Israel.

We could use another Keith Green these days. As I look at the American church I fear we are in more danger than ever of making it our own instead of God’s. There are more leaders shaping the gospel into words they find more acceptable. There are more people using absolutely unbelievable ideas on Sundays and daring to call them worship. More and more entertainment and less and less broken obedience.

To obey is better than sacrifice
I want hearts of fire
Not your prayers of ice
And I'm coming quickly
To give back to you
According to what you have done