1 Samuel 15:19, 22, 24 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?….And Samuel said, Hath 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 hearken than the fat of rams….And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
“To obey is better than sacrifice.” God wants the heart more than the outward ritual. Saul clearly knew the command of the Lord to utterly destroy the Amalekites and their goods. But he purposely disobeyed God’s direct order, and he saved King Agag and the sheep and cattle. For their great evil, the Amalekites were placed under the ban of God, meaning not one person or animal should be left alive; there is to be no plunder.
Saul admitted he sinned and did evil in his disobedience to the Lord, but he made excuses, blaming the people and doing what they wanted instead of what God wanted. However, disobedience could not be tolerated, and though he turned and worshipped God, the punishment was irreversible. The kingdom would be taken from him and given to a neighbor who was better. That turned out to be David, a man after God’s heart.
The Lord is looking at the heart, and He will not abide with a heart that is not wholly devoted to Him alone in place of self. We also should know that disobedience cannot be tolerated, and no excuses can cover the sin or justify the person. The only hope we have is that God will extend mercy and count us righteous for Jesus’ sake. And the Good News: He does! Because of Christ, He forgives our sin. He does not, and neither do we, excuse, overlook, or ignore our sin and disobedience. So we take it seriously: we repent, believe, and live. The heart is with God.