Ep. 1128: Is Obedience More Important Than Sacrifice?

As Christians we are always reminded of the importance of sacrificing our own will to do the will of God.  Our faithfulness is a direct result of the effort we put into our sacrificial lives.  The Old Testament overflows with regulations and propriety regarding making sacrifices to God.  These include not only animal sacrifices but grain, oil and other things as well.  In short, sacrifice is an enormous part of the entire Bible.  Why?  Were sacrifices to be made to get God’s attention?  Is sacrifice in the Old or New Testament there to show God we are sorry for our sins?  What about the principle of obeying God’s will?  How does that fit in?  Can we obey without sacrificing and can we sacrifice without obeying?  If we were to put obedience on one side of a scale and sacrifice on the other side, which would carry more weight?