This coming Lord’s Day we will be looking at one of the more memorable passages from the Old Testament. Many of you will be familiar with the words of the Lord, spoken through the prophet Samuel to king Saul: “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). On the surface, this is a rather odd thing for the Lord to say, given the fact that He had previously established a very elaborate and detailed system of acceptable sacrifices in the Book of Leviticus. So, how are we to understand this statement? What is the connection between sacrifice and obedience? And why does the Lord tell us here that His real “delight” (v. 22) is not to be found in the flames, smoke, and blood of the Old Covenant sacrifices, but in the humble obedience of His people? As you prepare for worship, let me encourage you to read prayerfully and carefully 1 Samuel 15:1-22.