If you love me, keep my commands (John 14:15). But Samuel replied: Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams (1Sam. 15:22). God’s love language is obedience. Obedience is “the act or practice of doing what one is told to” (Chambers Dictionary). God frowns at every act of disobedience. Samuel describes disobedience in verse 23 as rebellion, witchcraft, arrogance, and the sin of idolatry. Lucifer, the former highest-ranking angel in heaven, disobeyed God and was punished. Moses, the meekest man on earth with whom God talked face to face, was denied entry into the Promised Land for disobedience. David, a friend, and a man after God’s heart, was punished, even though he repented. Jesus Christ was punished when He took on Himself my sins of disobedience. Grace does not permit us to sin. His love and holiness require Him to punish every sin. He will forgive and restore when we repent.
