1 Samuel 13:1-14 & 1 Samuel 15:1-23 “The Cost of Disobedience”

1 Samuel – Week 3 – “The Cost of Disobedience”

1 Samuel 15:22-23

²² Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.
²³ For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.

Today, we are going to talk about “The Cost of Disobedience.”

Pray!

Introduction:

• Before diving into today’s text,
• We need to understand some background
• Israel was in a transition from what is called a theocracy
• here God was their only King in heaven and earth
• To now wanting a monarchy. (or earthly king)
• For years, through God as king judges led Israel,
• But the people,
• Desiring to be like other nations,
• Demanded a king (1 Samuel 8).
• Though God warned them that a human king would bring burdens,
• They insisted, and Saul was chosen as Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 9-10).
• Saul was given a final instruction from Samuel after he was anotied
• Which was to go to Gilgal and wait 7 days, and then Samuel would come
• Saul’s reign started well.
• He led Israel to victory over the Ammonites (1 Samuel 11)
• And was publicly affirmed as king.
• However, in 1 Samuel 12,
• The prophet Samuel reminded the people
• That their success depended on obedience to God—
• If they followed Him,
• They would be blessed; if not, they would suffer consequences.
• By 1 Samuel 13, Israel was facing a major threat from the Philistines,
• Now, when I first read this, I thought it contradicted what we read last week
• In

1 Samuel 7:13

¹³ So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israel’s territory again. The Lord’s hand was against the Philistines all of Samuel’s life.

• If this is true, then how are they in battle again?
• When they Gave up God being their king
• They gave up Samuel leading through God
• The phrase “all of Samuel’s life” means not his physical life but his spiritual leadership through God
• So now they are thrust back into the enemies’ hands
• (Think about our own life when Jesus is not king; what happens?)
• Let’s keep going
• The Philistines had superior weapons and outnumbered them.
• Saul’s army was shrinking, his soldiers were terrified, and Samuel was delayed in arriving. (remember he said wait for him for 7 days)
• As we will see from our reading Under pressure,
• Saul took matters into his own hands and disobeyed God by offering a sacrifice himself,
• Instead of waiting for Samuel as instructed.
• This single act of disobedience revealed a deeper issue—
• Saul’s inability to trust and obey God fully.
• It led to a harsh rebuke from Samuel and the beginning of Saul’s downfall.
• Obedience to God is one of the clearest marks of true faith.
• Before we go further,
• What do we mean when we use the word

“Obedience”?

• The Hebrew word for “obey” in 1 Samuel 15:22 is שָׁמַע (shamaʿ)
• Meaning: To hear, listen, pay attention, obey, respond, heed.
• But the Hebrew word שָׁמַע (Shamaʿ) does not just mean hearing,
• It means hearing with the intent to obey.
• The Israelites would have understood
• To Hear God is to Respond in Obedience
• There is no separation between the two.
• This truth “To hear God is to respond in obedience”
• Has powerful applications for believers today:
• Here are a few that will become more apparent as we go through today’s text:

True Faith is More Than Just Listening—It Requires Action

James 1:22 –

“But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

• Many people attend church, read the Bible, and pray,
• But true faith is not just about hearing God’s Word—
• It’s about living it out.
• If we hear but do not obey, we deceive ourselves.

Luke 6:46 –

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?”

• Jesus directly connects calling Him Lord with actual obedience.
• Being a follower of Jesus is not just about knowing God’s commands
• But about submitting daily to Jesus as Lord of our lives
• Remember, this is where the Gospel
• What is the Gospel? (Death, Burial and resurrection of Jesus)

Romans 10:9

⁹ If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

• Remember this Gospel begins, continues, and ends in our lives with this confession of Jesus as Lord
• It is not a one-time thing but daily
• Another application is

Hearing Without Obedience is Spiritual Deafness

John 10:27 –

“My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.”

• True Jesus Followers do not just listen to God’s voice—
• They follow Him.
• Are you merely hearing sermons and reading Scripture,
• Or are you actually applying what God is saying?
• In Matthew 7:24-27
• Jesus compares those who hear His words and obey
• To a wise man who builds his house on the rock.
• Those who hear but do not obey
• Are like a foolish man who builds on sand, leading to destruction.
• The foundation of our lives is built on obedience to God’s Word.
• Hearing alone is not enough—
• Obedience is what makes our faith unshakable.
• A third application is

Obedience Flows From Love for God

John 14:15 –

“If you love me, you will keep my commands.”

• Obedience is not about legalism—
• It’s about love.
• If we truly love Jesus, we will desire to obey Him.
• Love and obedience cannot be separated.
• I will spend some more time on this in a few moments
• The Bible repeatedly shows that
• When God’s people trust and obey Him,
• They experience His favor,
• But when they disobey, they face consequences.
• King Saul’s life is a prime example.
• He was chosen by God, given victories,
• And positioned for greatness,
• Yet his inability to trust God fully led to his downfall.
• His story teaches us that partial obedience is still disobedience,
• And that God desires surrender, not religious performances.
• As we study 1 Samuel 13 and 15, we will explore four key lessons from Saul’s failure:
• Impatience leads to disobedience –
• Saul acted out of fear instead of waiting on God.
• Partial obedience is still disobedience –
• Saul tried to justify ignoring God’s commands.
• God desires obedience over sacrifice –
• Religious acts cannot replace true obedience.
• Jesus’ perfect obedience accomplished what we could not –
• Where Saul failed, Christ succeeded.

At the heart of this message is a challenge for each of us:

• Are we truly trusting and obeying God,
• Or are we trying to justify our own way?
• Do we obey when it’s easy but compromise when it’s difficult?
• Are we offering sacrifices to God instead of true obedience?
• Saul lost his kingdom because he failed this test.
• But through Jesus, we have the chance to choose obedience and experience the fullness of God’s blessing.

Let’s dive into these 4 lessons- First

Impatience Leads to Disobedience

1 Samuel 13:8-14

⁸ He waited seven days for the appointed time that Samuel had set, but Samuel didn’t come to Gilgal, and the troops were deserting him.

⁹ So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” Then he offered the burnt offering.

¹⁰ Just as he finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. So Saul went out to greet him,

¹¹ and Samuel asked, “What have you done?”Saul answered, “When I saw that the troops were deserting me and you didn’t come within the appointed days and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash,

¹² I thought, ‘The Philistines will now descend on me at Gilgal, and I haven’t sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.”

¹³ Samuel said to Saul, “You have been foolish. You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. It was at this time that the Lord would have permanently established your reign over Israel,

¹⁴ but now your reign will not endure. The Lord has found a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded.”

• We find Saul and his army at Gilgal,
• Preparing for battle against the Philistines.
• The tension was rising:
• The Philistine army was vast and intimidating.
• Saul’s soldiers were losing confidence and beginning to scatter.
• Samuel, who was supposed to arrive and offer a sacrifice before the battle, was delayed.
• Saul faced a test of patience and trust in God,
• But instead of waiting,
• He took matters into his own hands and offered the sacrifice himself.

Saul’s Impatience led two realities

Fear Often Leads Us to Take Control Instead of Trusting in God.

Isaiah 41:10 (reminds us)

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.”

• “Do not fear, for I am with you” → Saul panicked when he saw his soldiers leaving, forgetting that God was still with him.
• “Do not be afraid, for I am your God” → Instead of trusting God’s power, he let fear control his decision-making.
• “I will strengthen you; I will help you” → God promises to help us in moments of fear—we don’t have to take matters into our own hands.

Spiritual Shortcuts and Self-Reliance Lead to Failure

Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

• Saul’s impatience led him to take spiritual shortcuts,
• Thinking that offering the sacrifice himself would solve his crisis.
• Instead of trusting God’s timing,
• He relied on his own understanding,
• Which ultimately led to his downfall.
• Many of us today make the same mistake—
• Trying to speed up God’s process
• We end up compromising our integrity, relationships, or values.
• God does not bless disobedience;
• He values faithfulness and full reliance on Him
• Which leads to our second lesson

Partial Obedience is Still Disobedience

1 Samuel 15:3-9 –

(By Samuel’s direction from the Lord he tells Saul)

³ Now go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. Do not spare them. Kill men and women, infants and nursing babies, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

⁴ Then Saul summoned the troops and counted them at Telaim: two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah.

⁵ Saul came to the city of Amalek and set up an ambush in the wadi.

⁶ He warned the Kenites, “Since you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came out of Egypt, go on and leave! Get away from the Amalekites, or I’ll sweep you away with them.” So the Kenites withdrew from the Amalekites.

⁷ Then Saul struck down the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is next to Egypt.

⁸ He captured King Agag of Amalek alive, but he completely destroyed all the rest of the people with the sword.

⁹ Saul and the troops spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and choice animals, as well as the young rams and the best of everything else. They were not willing to destroy them, but they did destroy all the worthless and unwanted things.

• As we just read,
• God commanded Saul to completely destroy the Amalekites
• Including their king and all their livestock.
• This was a command of divine justice, not personal vengeance.
• However, Saul disobeyed again:
• He spared King Agag,
• Possibly to show political strength.
• He kept the best livestock,
• Claiming he intended to offer sacrifices to God.
• Saul did part of what God commanded but not all—
• And partial obedience is still disobedience.
• What can we learn from Saul’s Compromise
• God Requires Complete Obedience,
• Not Selective Obedience
• Saul did what was convenient,
• But he ignored the full command of God.
• True obedience does not involve picking and choosing which parts of God’s commands to follow.
• Disobedience, Even in Small Areas, is Still Sin
• Saul justified his disobedience
• By claiming he would offer sacrifices,
• But God rejects outward religious acts when they are not accompanied by obedience. (1 Samuel 15:15).

Romans 6:1-2

“What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

• Some justify their disobedience by saying, “God will forgive me,” but grace is not an excuse for rebellion.
• Disobedience often comes from self-interest.
• Saul likely kept the livestock for personal gain.-
• Many people today hold back from full obedience
• Because they are afraid of losing comfort, Something that makes them feel good, security, or reputation.
• But one of the Biggest reasons for disobedience-
• Or why people often say, “I don’t want to be a Christian… saying it’s too hard… There are too many rules:

1 John 5:3

“For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. And His commands are not a burden.”

• Saul treated obedience as a burden while clinging to his own desires,
• But true love for God finds joy, not burden, in full obedience.
• As we continue on
• We will see that Saul thought that offering sacrifices would cover his disobedience.
• Which brings us to our third lesson

God Desires Obedience Over Sacrifice

1 Samuel 15:22-23- What we read in the beginning

• Samuel now confronts Saul with one of the most important truths in Scripture:

1 Samuel 15:22

“Does the LORD take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.”

• “To obey is better than sacrifice”
• What does that mean?

Obedience Demonstrates True Worship

• Sacrifices were part of Israel’s worship,
• But they were never meant to replace a heart of obedience.
• Saul thought that offering sacrifices
• Would compensate for his lack of submission to God.
• True worship is not about rituals—
• It’s about a heart fully yielded to God.

God Desires a Relationship, Not Empty Rituals

• Saul treated sacrifice as a way to earn God’s favor,
• As if external actions could replace an obedient heart.
• Saul thought he could substitute sacrifice for obedience.
• Many people do the same today:
• Going to church while ignoring God’s commands in daily life.
• Giving money but refusing to surrender their hearts.
• Praying for guidance
• But rejecting God’s direction when it doesn’t align with their plans.
• God wants our hearts, not just our religious acts.

Psalm 51:16-17:

“You do not delight in sacrifice… The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

Hosea 6:6:

“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

• Samuel follows his rebuke with a powerful warning:

1 Samuel 15:23

“For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.”

• Rebellion is as serious as witchcraft
• Why?
• Because both involve rejecting God’s authority.
• And include 2 ingredients which are
• Pride and self-will
• And they are forms of idolatry,
• Saul lost his kingdom because he rejected God’s commands.
• Are you guilty of offering lip service to God
• While ignoring what He actually asks of you?
• If we find yourself guilty of Saul’s type of disobedience
• Then what we first find in today’s story
• Is a whole lot of bad news for those who chose to disobey
• Because disobedience ultimately has a cost
• Disobedience is sin
• And the cost of sin is death

Romans 6:23

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• While Saul failed,
• And you and I fail
• There is some alternative news
• So, really Good News
• JESUS DID NOT FAIL!
• Which is our final lesson

Jesus’ Perfect Obedience Accomplished What We Could Not

• How?

1. Jesus Fully Obeyed the Father, Even Unto Death.

• Unlike Saul,
• Jesus never compromised.
• He said,

Luke 22:42

Not my will, but yours be done

• Jesus was offered a way out when he was tempted by Satan
• And he said no
• Then, when the religious leaders tell him what they are going to do to him
• He tells them if I wanted, I could call down angels to fight for me
• But he took no short cuts and no compromises
• His obedience led Him to the cross,
• Where He became the perfect sacrifice.

1. Jesus’ Obedience Secures Our Salvation by Making us Righteous.

• Where Saul failed, Jesus succeeded.
• Through faith in Christ, we are covered by His perfect obedience

Romans 5:19

¹⁹ For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

• I want to give you one final truth
• I said I would come back to this

1. Through Jesus, We Are Empowered to Obey.

John 14:15 –

“If you love me, you will keep my commands.”

• But how do I get to this place
• Where out of Love I Obey
• Because at my best, I fail
• In fact, Paul says it this way

Romans 7:18-19

“For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.”

• So, I am hopeless…
• Yes, on your own, you are
• But here is what Jesus is waiting on
• He is not waiting for us to present to him
• Our goodness,
• Our Honesty or
• Even our best effort
• He is waiting for us to
• Give him our sin
• All of it!
• With its pride, self-trust, and human strength
• And in exchange he gives us his righteousness
• But how do we get to that place of full surrender
• It is when we give up every idea
• That on our own we are somehow worthy of God’s consideration
• We give up the very idea that apart from him we are anything at all
• Then we are able to see ourselves as we really are outside of him
• After we reach this point
• Then and only then does it leave room for the revelation of His amazing Love to grow in our hearts
• Now, don’t miss this
• He loves us 100% of the time
• Everything he has done, is doing, and will do is because of his love for us
• But as long as we have areas of our heart where he is not Lord
• We will never grasp the fullness of his love
• But when we do….
• You are new again the same
• Then the idea of you and I obeying out of love becomes a reality
• Yeah, but won’t I still fail and mess up?
• Yes!
• But the difference is your heart is growing more in Love with him
• And sin is losing its grip and hold on you
• The Bible uses a fancy word for this call “sanctification”
• The Bible tells us how this process happens
• This process where Love increases and sin decreases

Philippians 2:13

“For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.”

Hebrews 13:20-21

“Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

• It’s not you and me working
• It’s not our effort
• It’s God working in us and equipping us!
• You and I, because of Jesus
• And his continued work in our life that does not stop until the day we are with him in heaven
• Can now walk in Obedience and Experience True Freedom

John 8:36

“So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.”

2 Corinthians 3:17

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

• So, the question is: Who wants it?
• Who wants the freedom Jesus is offering?
• The come-and-get-it
• Come, give him your sin
• All of it!
• With its pride, self-trust, and human strength
• And exchange it for his righteousness
• The Alter is open

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