1 Samuel 15:1 – 23 “Then Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD. This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘I witnessed what the Amalekites did to the Israelites when they ambushed them on their way up from Egypt. Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction (The Hebrew term refers to giving over things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering) all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
So, Saul summoned the troops and numbered them at Telaim—200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. And he warned the Kenites, “Since you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt, go on and get away from the Amalekites. Otherwise, I will sweep you away with them.” So, the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.
Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt. He captured Agag king of Amalek alive, but devoted all the others to destruction with the sword.
Saul and his troops spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to destroy them, but they devoted to destruction all that was despised and worthless.
Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.”
And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all that night.
Early in the morning Samuel got up to confront Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel, and behold, he has set up a monument for himself and has turned and gone down to Gilgal.”
When Samuel reached him, Saul said to him, “May the LORD bless you. I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.”
But Samuel replied, “Then what is this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?”
Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but the rest we devoted to destruction.”
“Stop!” exclaimed Samuel. “Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul replied.
And Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, have you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel and sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and devote to destruction the sinful Amalekites. Fight against them until you have wiped them out.’ So why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you rush upon the plunder and do evil in the sight of the LORD?”
“But I did obey the LORD,” Saul replied. “I went on the mission that the LORD gave me. I brought back Agag king of Amalek and devoted the Amalekites to destruction. The troops took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of the things devoted to destruction, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”
But Samuel declared:
“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice?
Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.”
God instructed Samuel to order Saul to destroy ALL of the Amalekites, including men, women, children, infants, and all of the animals. Why would a loving God order such annihilation? The only answer that makes sense is that everything in the Amalekite kingdom had already been irrevocably dedicated to demons. Anything or anybody that survived would carry demonic influences with them, and the Israelites had no need of any more demons to add to the ones they were already worshiping. The point was that Saul was given orders, and he failed, compromising and then whining like a small child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“Saul and his troops spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to destroy them, but they devoted to destruction all that was despised and worthless.” Note the phrase “they were unwilling.” God had already given a command; at that point, Saul’s ideas about what should happen were irrelevant. The Nike slogan applied here: “Just do it!” Why did Saul save Agag? What was the point? Did Saul intend to parade Agag through the streets and then kill him? Did Saul intend to execute Agag publicly in a particularly dramatic fashion, thus glorifying himself instead of God? Saul and his men saved “the best of everything else;” in other words, LOOT!!! Not willing to follow God completely or to trust that God would repay them, Saul and his men wanted a quick pay day.
“Saul has gone to Carmel, and behold, he has set up a monument for himself and has turned and gone down to Gilgal.” Carmel is a mountain range overlooking the seacoast, while Gilgal is some distance to the east. Obviously, Saul has become so enamored of himself that he has set up a monument to his victory on the highest place he could find and has now taken off for Gilgal. Unfortunately, that monument is probably the last monument Saul will ever erect due to his insubordination. To confront Saul, Samuel must travel to Gilgal as well.
The saddest part of Saul’s attempts to manipulate Samuel was the repeated use of the phrase “the Lord YOUR God.” Despite the fact that God gave Saul the kingship and that God had preserved Saul’s life for so many years, Saul had never formed a personal relationship with God himself, but was still clinging to Samuel’s spiritual coattails. But if the Lord was not Saul’s God, whom was Saul worshiping? Was Saul clinging to idols and was that part of the reason he was unwilling to totally destroy everything pertaining to the Amalekites?
“For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry.” We know that later on, Saul resorted to divination, but was Saul already employing divination and worshiping idols at the time he failed to completely destroy everything pertaining to the Amalekites? Saul evidently felt the Lord of Israel was a local deity who could be propitiated by elaborate offerings, thus freeing Saul to continue to act as he pleased. (Part of the reason Saul saved the best animals – he hoped to sacrifice a few to the Lord and then to keep everything else for his soldiers and for himself. Perhaps some of Saul’s soldiers also influenced him, “Did Samuel REALLY tell you that you had to destroy everything?”)
APPLICATION: Centuries after Saul’s downfall, the temptation to practice witchcraft remains a potent one. All of witchcraft is aimed at controlling someone or something – individuals, the weather, events, etc. Rebellion is the foundation stone of witchcraft; those practicing witchcraft are refusing to trust God to work things out but choose to take matters into their own hands. In effect, such people are telling God that they know how things should work better than He does, even though God is all – powerful, all – knowing, and all – sufficient. Rebellion and control are the two sides of the witchcraft coin.
Saul lost his kingship because he refused to carry out instructions completely. Incomplete obedience and lying about it still amounts to rebellion. If we were given the same opportunities Saul was given, would we do any better? If our relationship to God is not a personal one, if we view God as some grand old man in the sky to be bought off in some fashion, when the pressure comes, we too will fail miserably.
The question each one of us must answer individually is this: Who do you say God is? Who do you say Jesus Christ is? If you know Jesus Christ to be the only Son of his heavenly Father, empowered by the Holy Spirit and if you are truly following Jesus, then when testing comes, those relationships will preserve you. But if you are trying to ride on the coattails of someone else’s faith, beware! You too can lose!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, let all those who read this devotional truly put their trust in You and in the blood sacrifice made by Jesus Christ for the sins of the whole world. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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