Reflections of Obedience and Sacrifice

And Samuel said, Hath 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 hearken than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22

Many are familiar with the story of mankind's creation. Adam and his wife were tasked with replenishing the earth and multiplying. In time, Cain and Abel were born. As they grew older, it became customary to offer sacrifices to the Most High. While Abel's offering found favor, Cain's was not as pleasing. Abel’s sacrifice, being blood, is the life force in man and beast. Enraged and jealous, Cain despised his brother and eventually murdered him. When questioned about Abel's blood crying from the earth, Cain cried out, 'Am I my brother's keeper?'

When questioned by the Lord for hiding behind the trees, Adam confessed, 'I heard your voice and became afraid.' 'But why were you afraid?' inquired the Lord. 'Did you eat from the tree in the middle of the garden?' Adam admitted, 'The woman you created from my bone gave it to me, and I ate.' Turning to the woman, the Lord asked, 'Why did you do such a thing?' The woman shifted the blame onto the serpent, saying, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate.'

As a consequence of Adam and Eve's disobedience, they were expelled from the Garden of Eden. The earth was cursed, and Adam was destined to toil the ground with sweat. Eve would experience pain in childbirth and be subject to her husband. Cain became a fugitive and vagabond, while the serpent was condemned to crawl upon its stomach.

The Most High grieved over humanity's wickedness before the great flood. Genesis 6:12  'And God looked upon the earth, and behold it was corrupt for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.' However, Noah stood out amidst the corruption, characterized by his good conduct and upright integrity, earning favor in the eyes of God. The Lord spoke to Noah, Genesis 7:1: “And the Lord said unto Noah, come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.”

From the beginning of humankind, we see God wants a relationship with us. Adam and Eve hid from Him in the garden when they heard His voice. They ate from the tree in the center of the garden, and their eyes were opened. Genesis 3:10 records Adam saying, “I heard thy voice in the garden, and was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness after escaping the Egyptians. The wilderness journey, intended to last eleven days, took forty years due to their unbelief and rebellion. When God chose Moses to lead His people, Moses felt intimidated because he had a stammer. Exodus 4:10-11 O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue. And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? Or who maketh the dumb, or death, or the seeing, of the blind? Have not I the Lord?

Imagine being asked by God to sacrifice your son. God did this very thing tempting Abraham, as seen in Genesis 22:1-2 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am, 2 And he said, take now thy son, thine only son Issac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah: and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Obedience is of significant importance, yet sacrifice also plays a crucial role in living a life pleasing to the Lord our God. Faith serves as the driving force behind our actions; without it, progress halts. History tends to repeat itself, showing that there is nothing truly new under the sun. Despite this, God continues to communicate with His children, through His Holy Spirit. The question is, are we paying attention? Isaiah 30:21 reminds us, 'And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.