Does God prefer obedience to justice?
In short: No. In Orthodoxy, true obedience is not blind submission to injustice. Obedience to God includes justice, mercy, and truth. An 'obedience' that crushes love and justice becomes a distortion, not a virtue.
The Orthodox nuance
There are passages where God asks for obedience, and modern man immediately hears: so God wants submission without questions. But the Bible does not say that. The prophets cry out against those who offer ritually correct sacrifices while oppressing the poor. God does not receive worship separated from justice.
When Samuel says that obedience is better than sacrifice, he does not mean that justice does not matter. He means that man cannot cover disobedience with religious gestures. One cannot compensate for a rebellious heart by ritual.
In spiritual life, obedience is medicine against egoism. But it must be lived in the Church, with discernment, not as an instrument of abuse. If someone demands 'obedience' in order to justify evil, that is not obedience to God.
Sources
- 1 Samuel 15:22
- Isaiah 1:11-17
- Micah 6:8
- Matthew 23:23