Happy Tuesday, {{first_name| everyone}}!
If you missed yesterday’s email, you can read it here!
In today’s email…
🌓 The signs of selective obedience
🤔 The 10% shortage
📊 Trivia: What does God desire most from us?
MEMORIZE 🧠
Has the ____ as great _____ in burnt offerings and __________,
as in obeying the _____ __ ___ Lord?
Behold, to ____ is better than sacrifice,
and to ______ than the fat of rams.
1 Samuel 15:22
(Use our free web app to help you memorize in your favorite translation. Instructions to set it up are at the bottom of this email.)
CONTEXT 📕
Let’s zoom in.
1 Samuel 15:22 is not a proverb. It’s a rebuke.
A holy interruption in a scene full of noise, excuses, and rationalization.
And Samuel said,
“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 listen than the fat of rams.
Here’s the backstory.
God gave King Saul a clear command — wipe out the Amalekites as an act of divine judgment. Nothing was to be spared. No spoil. No survivors.
And Saul obeyed....selectively.
He destroyed most of the Amalekites.
But he spared the king
And he kept the best livestock
…all under the guise of “making a sacrifice to God.”
He did almost everything right.
And in that “almost,” he lost everything.
Samuel confronts him, and Saul digs in:
“But I did obey the LORD…” (v20)
“The soldiers took the best animals to sacrifice…” (v21)
It sounds spiritual. It sounds sincere.
But God isn’t fooled.
Because partial obedience is still disobedience.
Selective obedience is disobedience in disguise — and it’s just as dangerous.
APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃♂
We all obey God…
…until we don’t.
Until that moment when convenience clashes with conviction.
Until the whisper comes:
“Surely this one time won’t hurt…”
“I’ve done so much for God already…”
“He’ll understand. My motives are good.”
That whisper is how compromise begins.
It was true for Saul and it’s true for us.
Selective obedience is choosing our terms while still expecting God’s blessing.
But as Scripture shows again and again:
Obedience brings blessing.
Compromise brings consequences.
Let’s be clear, this is not about earning God’s love.
He already loves us. Unconditionally.
But many of His blessings — peace, joy, clarity, closeness — are tied to our obedience.
When we obey, we walk in step with the Spirit.
When we justify sin, we slowly build a wall between us and God.
So here’s the question:
Where have you obeyed 90%… but stopped short? What behavior or thought pattern do you rationalize?
Maybe it’s forgiving someone mostly — but keeping a little resentment.
Maybe it’s trusting God with your job — except when it means taking the slower route.
Maybe it’s tithing — after you pay for everything else first.
Whatever it is, name it.
📝 Write down the area where you’ve rationalized partial obedience.
🙏 Then pray: Lord, help me surrender fully and obey you completely.
TRIVIA 📊
Click one of the answers below. Let’s see how you do…
According to 1 Samuel 15:22, what does God desire more than sacrifice?
ANSWER KEY ✅
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 listen than the fat of rams.
1 Samuel 15:22
Best,
The Malachi Daily team 🙏
Today’s Contributors
Payton is a husband, father, and pastor in Vero Beach, FL. He leads a small church and helps Christians master storytelling through his newsletter, Christian Story Lab.
Kieran is a husband and father living in NJ. In addition to Malachi Daily, he writes a personal newsletter about the intersection of faith, fatherhood and entrepreneurship.
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