1 Sam 15:16-23 / Mark 2:18-22
Every piece of equipment, or device, or gadget, comes with an instruction manual.
Depending on how that equipment, or device, or gadget works, the instruction manual can be anything from a booklet to just a piece of paper.
The manufacturer would always advise the user to read the instruction manual first, so that the operation can be done correctly and safely.
If we were to skip reading the instruction manual and jump into the operation of the equipment or device or gadget, then we do it at the risk of our safety and possible damage.
In the 1st reading, king Saul was given a mission by the Lord to go to war against the Amalekites and to exterminate them totally.
King Saul obeyed only half the command of the Lord. He spared the king and also from the booty he kept the best sheep and oxen, which according to him was intended to be offered as sacrifice to the Lord.
But the prophet Samuel pointed out the fault of king Saul when he said: Is the pleasure of the Lord in holocausts and sacrifices, or in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Yes, obedience is better than sacrifice, submissiveness better than the fat of rams. Rebellion is a sin of sorcery, presumption a crime of teraphim.
Samuel made it clear to king Saul that his disobedience is a rebellion against God and hence it was a sin equivalent to sorcery and idolatry.
In other words, a half-obedience is nothing less than a rebellion against God, just as a half-truth is more damaging than a lie.
May our obedience to the commandments of God be a total acceptance of His will and may we not be deceived by the devil to justify our half-obedience.