They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭15‬:‭22‬-‭23‬
But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”

In the parallel passage today, we have the Prophet/Priest/Judge Samuel’s response to King Saul’s excuse for not obeying God. God commanded King Saul to destroy the Amalekites entirely — all of the livestock, along with the people, who were evil, and to destroy all their belongings.

King Saul spared the king to parade him around as a conquered foe. He also kept some of the choicest livestock. So Samuel confronts him here and we learn a lot about what matters to God because of this response.

First, God does not need our sacrifices or offerings to him. He only delights in them when they come from obedient people and out of sincere hearts. How much priority do I place on simply obeying God? Second, obedience is of paramount importance to God. We may not always understand or even agree with the command, but we are still called to obey him. Third, when we rebel from following God and his commands, it leads us down the road to rebellion and into evil practices.

We see in Mark that the disciples obeyed Jesus’ commands and, as a result, their success was great in helping the people. They cast out demons and healed the sick as they preached. I imagine the disciples could have given into fear of the unknown and not even gone on the trip. Or they could have shrunk back in fear once challenged by someone or an evil spirit in one of these cities or towns who opposed their message. But they did not let fear win the day. They let Jesus win the day in their hearts, and as a result God worked through them to bless many and heal them.

Lord, thank you for your call to obedience. I can be confident that when you call me to obey, you also will provide a means of strength, ability, and support for me to perform the task you have laid before me. You did that for the disciples here, and you will do it for me, as I remain in a right relationship with you.