“Does Adonai take as much pleasure
in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as in obeying what Adonai says?
Surely obeying is better than sacrifice,
and heeding orders than the fat of rams.”
-1 Samuel 15:22
Following on the heels of yesterday’s post about the most abused and misinterpreted verse in all of Christianity, let’s take a look at this part of Scripture from an authentic Hebrew perspective.
So when Samuel says…
“Does God take as much pleasure
in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as in obeying what God says?”
In the original Hebrew, he’s saying…
“Does Yehoveh take as much
pleasure in ‘Olah and Zevah
as in obeying what God says?”
If you studied with me way back when we were in the Book of Leviticus, you’d know the Olah and Zevah were specific types of altar sacrifices offered up at the Tabernacle.
The Olah was the chief sacrifice while the Zevah lay at the opposite end of the scale.
See, what Samuel is doing here is employing a literary device known as “merism”.
He’s essentially saying…
“From beginning to end”
“From top to bottom”
“From soup to nuts”
Or to use another Biblical expression…
“From alpha to omega”
Samuel is driving home the point they’re ain’t no sacrifice, gift, offering, tithe, or whatever that’s superior to pure and simple obedience to God’s commands.
It doesn’t matter if you’re offering up a big bull, produce, or something super luxurious and expensive…
None of that is better than obeying God in the first place.
Obedience is the only proper response to the One who has called you out and saved you.
Let’s not forget, that a sacrifice was the result of DISOBEDIENCE.
An Israelite didn’t normally offer up sacrifices out of the goodness of his heart or something.
And the same principle applies to Yeshua’s sacrifice on the cross.
His atoning death was the result of our DISOBEDIENCE and REBELLION.
Yeshua’s sacrifice was superior to the blood of goats and bulls because it accomplished something the Mosaic Law never could.
It saved us from eternal death and the original sin of which all mankind is infected whether you’re Jewish or not.
Just as Samuel said it’s better to obey so we don’t have to sacrifice, similarly, we should count on what Yeshua did for us instead of relying on our obedience to the Law for justification.
BUT…
And this is a HUUUUUGE “but”…
Just as Samuel NEVER meant to suggest the sacrificial system was useless or “nailed to the cross”, neither did Yeshua ever suggest the Law of Moses was done away with as the gentile church mistakenly teaches.
Ya feeling me here?
Yeshua was making it clear that in terms of our obligation to be obedient to God’s Torah, NOTHING has changed under the new covenant.
If you think about it, what Yeshua said was pretty much a mirror image replay of what Samuel told King Saul.
If anything he was more strict…
“For I tell you that
unless your righteousness
surpasses that of the
Pharisees and the teachers
of the law, you will certainly not
enter the kingdom of heaven.”
-Matthew 5:20
Let’s close by looking at the latter half of verse 22.
“Surely obeying is better than sacrifice,
and heeding orders than the fat of rams.”
Again, using a common Hebrew idiom, Samuel is driving the point home here.
Since he’s repeating himself, I don’t think I need to expound on it.
The bottom line is don’t think it’s okay to deliberately sin just because Yeshua paid the price for your sins.
Don’t take advantage, abuse, or trample on the Messiah’s sacrifice like that.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Don’t think that I have come to
abolish the Torah or the Prophets.
I have come not to abolish
but to complete. Yes indeed!
I tell you that until heaven
and earth pass away,
not so much as a yud or a stroke
will pass from the Torah-
not until everything that must
happen has happened.
So whoever disobeys the
least of these mitzvot and
teaches others to do so will
be called the least in the
Kingdom of Heaven.
But whoever obeys them
and so teaches will be called
great in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
-Matthew 5:17-19
Oh, the famous Matthew 5:17-19 from the Jewish Roots Gentiles (Gentiles pretending to be Jewish).
Well, if the Jewish Roots people ACTUALLY knew what THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS are, aka the TENAKH, then they would know that Jesus was NOT discussing the TEN COMMANDMENTS at all.
Matthew 11:13
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
John 15:25
But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
NOTE THE WORD “LAW” in the above John 15:25? It’s not discussing THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, but the INSTRUCTIONS, aka TORAH.
Luke 24:44
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
John 1:45
Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
Luke 24:27
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Matthew 5:17-18 is about PROPHESY of JESUS, not about the OBEDIENCE TO THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
Now, this is where it gets even MORE interesting. Matthew 5:19 is UNRELATED to verses 17-18. But the JEWISH ROOTS GENTILES add that one verse to the conversation to MANIPULATE you to be OBEDIENT to the TEN COMMANDMENTS.
Matthew 5:19 is, however, related to the writing BELOW Matthew 5:19, not ABOVE Matthew 5:19. Jesus is CONTRASTING the Law of Moses with…THE LAW OF CHRIST.
Law of Moses:
You have heard it said…
Law of Christ:
But I say…
Great example:
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Verse 38 is THE LAW OF MOSES, or TORAH…your INSTRUCTIONS. But Jesus said to turn the other cheek, and let them smite you again, WHICH IS NOT IN THE INSTRUCTIONS.
Bottom line, Matthew 5:17-18 is discussing PROPHESY about Jesus, not the Ten Commandments.
BUt if we want to talk about the TEN COMMANDMENTS…THAT’S A DIFFERENT SUBJECT TO DISCUSS…
Galatians 5:14
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Romans 13:8
…for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:10
…therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Romans 13:9
For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet;
and if there be any other commandment,
it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Yes, Jesus nailed the Ten Commandments to the cross…
Acts 15:5
5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
Galatians 4:21
Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
Galatians 2:19
For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
Galatians 2:21
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Deuteronomy 6:25 (RIGHTEOUSNESS BY THE LAW)—SETUP TO FAIL (ROMANS 5:20)
And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.
Romans 7:4
Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ;
Romans 3:21
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Romans 4:3
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Romans 4:6
Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Galatians 3:23
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
The RETURNING TO OUR JEWISH ROOTS clan has a lot to learn about FAITH!
Colossians 2:14
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Ed Chapman
Let’s not forget that the sacrificial system wasn’t just for sin. There were sacrifices made on a regular basis, such as after a child was born, when cleansed of a disease, when completing a vow, and one of the most important (as far as I am concerned), right after the sin and guilt sacrifices, is the thanskgiving sacrifice.
And when Samuel said that obedience is better than sacrifice, again- let’s not forget that sacrifice IS a form of obedience.
What is at the bottom of this issue is the difference between legalistic obedience and faithful obedience.
Legalism is a performance-based salvation where one’s obedience is done to earn righteousness. Faithful obedience is what we do when we trust in God and accept that what he tells us to do is for our own good.
Obedience instead of sacrifice doesn’t mean sacrifices are meaningless: it means when the sacrifice is done just as a way to ‘go through the motions” God sees it as meaningless.
Remember the part where God says he sees the heart? What do you think that means?
It means you can’t fool God!
Shaul’s sacrifice was not really to be obedient to God, nor was it heart-felt: it was done just to do it, and essentially to impress the men.
So, whatever you do, do it as if for the Lord and not for men (Col. 3:23); in other words, if you don’t want to obey what God said we should do (which is in the Torah) because you faithfully want to obey and please God, then don’t bother.
He’ll know you don’t really mean it and he won’t accept it.