[:en]Samuel was commissioned by God to tell Saul to attack the Amalekites with His instruction to totally destroy everything that belongs to them. (v. 1-3) But when the battle was won, Saul spared Agag, the king of Amalekites, and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs – everything that was good (v. 9). When Samuel confronted him, he gave excuses by lying to Samuel saying” I have carried out the Lord’s instruction” (v. 13) and blaming the people saying: “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites. They spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord, but we totally destroyed the rest” (v. 15). As a result, God rejected him and took the kingdom from him and gave it to David.
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifice as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice and to heed is better than the fat of rams” (v. 22)
God demands our FULL obedience, not only PARTIAL obedience.[:]