1 Samuel 15:22-23 (NKJV)
22 So Samuel said:
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“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 heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.”
Scriptural Context: Read 1 Samuel 15.
King Saul life is worth some consideration. (See 1 Samuel 9 – 31.) In our time he may have been considered a good man and decent leader. He began his reign like a shy, humble man. Yet, within a few short years Israel’s first human king was proud and presumptuous. Although he reigned for 40 years, God rejected Saul’s kingship after two years. He was then troubled with depression and paranoia by a distressing spirit. What caused his fall? He thought more of himself and what the people wanted than obeying God, the True King.
The story of Saul scares me a bit because he had a promising start. Just a few choices he made led him to ruin. From the surface it seems as if the first few missteps of King Saul were not so bad. Yet a closer look at the man and the people he represented reveals the gravity of his actions. He did not take the commands of God seriously. Just like most of the people in his kingdom had done, Saul did what was right in his own eyes. How often do you and I do what is right in our own eyes instead of what God says in His Book?
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Yes, King David did some terrible things. Yet, when confronted, he wholeheartedly confessed and turned away from his sins. David was called a man after God’s heart, not for his faults, but for his desire and willingness to do all that God asked of him. Saul, on the other hand, made excuses and claimed to be following the Lord. At times it seemed that Saul’s intentions were good. He even made some sacrifices. However, Saul did not obey God completely.
Obeying God completely with a willing heart demonstrates our faith in Him and His leadership. It reveals our love and commitment to Him like nothing else. Things like singing praises, attending church, and giving to charitable causes are good. Nevertheless, they mean nothing to God if we don’t love Him through complete obedience.
The book of Genesis chronicles how quickly man degenerated after the first act of disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 6 says that the people of Noah’s time where so bad that their every thought was continually evil. Then in 
Two earthquakes struck Jerusalem within three days time, caused by unusual events. It was on a Friday 31A.D. and “God With Us” just shouted: IT IS FINISHED. As the breath of life left His body, the earth shook, breaking open graves and tearing the thick curtain in the temple apart. I’m sure it caught everyone off guard. Then just before the sun could rise another earthquake rocked Jerusalem – this one more violent and devastating than the first one.
I’ve thought about this passage quite a bit. At times, it seems impossible to do. Yet the promise at the end draws me in – “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding.” Trying to pastor three churches, being a husband, and being the father of two small children gives me a lot to be anxious about on a daily basis. Do I get anxious, worried, fearful? Unfortunately, yes. Should I? No. Why not?
can comprehend. We’ll have sanity and emotional stability in the midst of uncertainty, because we’ve entrusted situations and ourselves to Christ Jesus.
In the past year, the word hope has been spoken, sung, read, drawn, painted, and redesigned. It even sparked a political phenomenon. Some may fear it’s been over used, misused, abused, or are just tired of hearing it.
This phrase is repeated once more in this psalm and another time in the next psalm. (What’s interesting is that Hope and Faith are second only to Love according to 1 Corinthians 13.) God was reminding me and is reminding you that He can handle any and everything we are facing. Whether it is work, a bill or bills, or that prayer request that seems to go unanswered, 
Revelation is such a powerful book. It indeed reveals to us more about Jesus Christ as well as the characteristics of those who are truly and totally His. 
