4. Israel did not honor or keep the Sabbath in righteousness. If observed at all, it became a day of vain repetitions. The ordinances became a mockery of God as the people disobeyed His commandments the other six days. The Old Testament tells of many such examples. One such was King Saul.
During the reign of King Saul, the prophet Samuel gave Saul God's commandment to utterly destroy the Amalakites. Saul disobeyed and captured alive their king and all their livestock. (You will notice in the painting the captive king, cattle, and sheep.) God spoke to Samuel and sent him to Saul's camp. When he arrived, he heard cows mooing and sheep bleating. He asked Saul why he had disobeyed a direct commandment from God. Saul rationalized by saying that he kept them to offer as sacrifices to the Lord. The prophet then uttered this profound statement:
To obey is better than to sacrifice.
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