Originally published by The Round Farmhouse Ministries on June 15, 2026.

“And Samuel said, ‘Has 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 listen than the fat of rams.’” (1 Samuel 15:22 ESV)

Samuel was judge over Israel, but he was aging, so the people wanted a king instead (1 Samuel 8:4-5). Samuel was displeased, but God said He was to be rejected (7-8) and to give them a king, with a warning (9). Samuel warned the people what would happen if they had a king (10-18), but the people wanted to be like other nations with a king to judge and fight their battles (19-20).

Enter Saul.

Saul was handsome, tall, and from wealth – everything the people were hoping for (1 Samuel 9:2). And he was chosen by God (1 Samuel 10:9).

Saul proved himself a worthy king by defeating the Ammonites (1 Samuel 11). But then he started taking things into his own hands, ignoring the One who put him in his position.

In 1 Samuel 13 we find Saul fighting Philistines, and it’s not going well. Saul has his eye on the prize, so he takes things into his own hands and offers a burnt offering to God instead of waiting for Samuel to arrive and give the offering (8-9). Big mistake. Saul wasn’t supposed to give a burnt offering. He was supposed to wait. But his desire for victory overrode the need to wait and trust. Although he tried to justify his wrongdoing (11-12), God did not give him victory over the Philistines. And here’s the thing: God would have given him the victory if Saul had obeyed (13-14).

In 1 Samuel 15 we find Saul in another battle, now against the Amalekites. God tells Saul to destroy everything (3), but again Saul makes a different decision. He keeps the best animals. . . and the king of the Amalekites (9). And God regrets making Saul king over Israel (10-11).

Saul tries to justify his wrongdoing yet again, this time by blaming the people: “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice” (1 Samuel 15:24). But the victory was not his.

So, what happened to Saul? He was chosen by God to serve as King, but he missed the purpose for the practice. He was so concerned about being strong, victorious, and popular that he focused on tasks and not God’s purpose. And this can happen to us. Just because we’re appointed doesn’t mean we’re done obeying, listening, and waiting – in fact, we may need to do it more.

“Has 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 listen than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22). God doesn’t give us a purpose and leave. We might not even know His purpose right away, so we need to listen, wait, and obey.

Because we may be part of God’s plan, just like Saul was. But then Saul’s heart changed, and God rejected Saul. Saul shifted his focus from serving God to serving the people. Although we may be in positions of serving, who do we fear? Who do we obey?