15:2,3Why did God command such utter destruction? The Amalekites were a band of guerrilla terrorists. They lived by attacking other nations and carrying off their wealth and their families. They were the first to attack the Israelites as they entered the Promised Land, and they continued to raid Israelite camps at every Opportunity. God knew that the Israelites could never live peacefully in the Promised Land as long as the Amalekites existed. He also knew that their corrupt, idolatrous religious practices threatened Israel’s relationship with him. The only way to protect the Israelites’ bodies and souls was to utterly destroy the people of this warlike nation and all their possessions, including their idols.
Life Application Study Bible1 SamuelChapter 15
1 Samuel 15
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 433, 434, 435
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
151 Samuel 15
Saul Destroys the Amalekites
1One day Samuel said to Saul, “It was the LORD who told me to anoint you as king of his people, Israel. Now listen to this message from the LORD! 2This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies has declared: I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt. 3Now go and completely destroy* the entire Amalekite nation—men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys.” 4So Saul mobilized his army at Telaim. There were 200,000 soldiers from Israel and 10,000 men from Judah. 5Then Saul and his army went to a town of the Amalekites and lay in wait in the valley. ®Saul sent this warning to the Kenites: 6Move away from where the Amalekites live, or you will die with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites packed up and left. 7Then Saul slaughtered the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. 8He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else. 9Saul and his men spared Agag’s life and kept the best of the sheep and goats, the cattle, the fat calves, and the lambs—everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality.
The LORD Rejects Saul
1010Then the LORD said to Samuel, 11“I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command.” Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the LORD all night. 12Early the next morning Samuel went to find Saul. Someone told him, “Saul went to the town of Carmel to set up a monument to himself; then he went on to Gilgal.” 13When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. “May the LORD bless you,” he said. “I have carried out the LORD’s command!” 14“Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel demanded. 15“It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle,” Saul admitted. “But they are going to sacrifice them to the LORD your God. We have destroyed everything else.” 16Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! Listen to what the LORD told me last night!” “What did he tell you?” Saul asked. 17And Samuel told him, “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The LORD has anointed you king of Israel. *8And the LORD sent you on a mission and told you, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.’?Why haven't you obeyed the LORD? Why did you rush for the plunder and do what was evil in the LORD’s sight?” 20“But I did obey the LORD,” Saul insisted. “I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. 2 Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.”
22But Samuel replied,“What is more pleasing to the LORD:your burnt offerings and sacrificesor your obedience to his voice?Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
23Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.So because you have rejected the command of the LORD,he has rejected you as king.”
Saul Pleads for Forgiveness
2424Then Saul admitted to Samuel, “ Yes, Ihave sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the LORD’s command, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded. 25But now, please forgive my sin and come back with me so that I may worship the LORD.” 26But Samuel replied, “I will not go back with you! Since you have rejected the LORD's command, he has rejected you as king of Israel.” 27As Samuel turned to go, Saul tried to hold him back and tore the hem of his robe. 28And Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to someone else—one who is better than you. 29And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!” 30Then Saul pleaded again, “I know I have sinned. But please, at least honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel by coming back with me so that I may worship the LORD your God.” 31So Samuel finally agreed and went back with him, and Saul worshiped the LORD.
Samuel Executes King Agag
3232Then Samuel said, “Bring King Agag to me.” Agag arrived full of hope, for he thought, “Surely the worst is over, and I have been spared!’* 33But Samuel said, “As your sword has killed the sons of many mothers, now your mother will be childless.” And Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal. 34Then Samuel went home to Ramah, and Saul returned to his house at Gibeah of Saul. 35Samuel never went to meet with Saul again, but he mourned constantly for him. And the LORD was sorry he had ever made Saul king of Israel.
C. SAUL AND DAVID (16:1—31:13)
While Saul is still on the throne, Samuel anoints David as Israel’s next king. Young David then
bravely conquers Goliath, the Philistine champion, and establishes a lifelong friendship with Jonathan, Saul’s son. When Saul realizes that David will become king one day, he grows very jealous and tries to kill David on several occasions. David escapes into Philistine territory until Saul is killed in battle. When treated unjustly, we should not take matters into our own hands. God, who is faithful and just, sees all that is happening and will judge all evil.
Textual footnotes
- refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lor, either by destroying them or by giving them
- as an offering; also in 15:8, 9, 15, 18, 20, 21.
- 15:3 The Hebrew term used here
- 15:32 Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version read Agag arrived hesitantly, for he thought, “Surely this is the bitterness
Life Application Notes 9 notes
15:9Saul and his men did not destroy all the plunder fram the battle as God commanded (15:3). The law of devoting something—setting it aside—entirely for destruction was well known to the Israelites. Anything under God’s ban was to be completely destroyed (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). This was set up in order to prevent idolatry from taking hold in Israel because many of the valuables were idols. To break this law was punishable by death (Joshua 7). It showed disrespect and disregard for God because it directly violated his command. When we gloss over sin in order to protect what we have or for material gain, we aren’t being shrewd; we are disobeying God's law. Selective obedience is just another form of disobedience.
15:11When God said he was sorry that he had made Saul king, was he saying he had made a mistake? God’s comment was an expression of sorrow, not an admission of error (Genesis 6:5-7). An omniscient God cannot make a mistake (15:29); therefore, God did not change his mind. He did, however, change his attitude toward Sau} when Saul changed. Saul’s heart no longer belonged to God but to his own interests.
15:12Saul built a monument in honor of himself. What a contrast to Moses and Joshua, who gave ail the credit to God.
15:13,14Saul thought he had won a great victory over the Amatekites, but God saw it as a great failure because Saul had disobeyed him and then lied to Samuel about the results of the battle. Saul may have thought his lie wouldn't be detected, or that what he did was not wrong. Saul was deceiving himself. Dishonest people soon begin to believe the lies they construct around themselves. Then they lose the ability to tell the difference between truth and lies. By believing your own lies, you deceive yourself, you alienate yourself from God, and you lose credibility in all your relationships. In the long run, honesty wins out.
15:22,23This is the first of numerous places in the Bible where the theme “obedience is better than sacrifice” is stated (Psalms 40:6-8; 51:16, 17; Proverbs 21:3; Isaiah 1:11-17; Jeremiah 7:21- 23; Hosea 6:6: Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 12:7; Mark 12:33; Hebrews 10:8, 9). Was Samuel saying that sacrifice is unimportant? No, he was urging Saul to look at his reasons for making the sacrifice rather than at the sacrifice itself. A sacrifice was a ritual transaction between a person and God that physically demonstrated a relationship between them. But if the person's heart was not truly repentant or if he did not truly love God, the sacrifice was a hollow ritual. Religious ceremonies or rituals are empty unless they are performed with an attitude of love and obedience. “Being religious” (going to church, serving on a committee, giving to charity) is not enough if we do not act out of devotion and obedience to God.
15:23Rebellion and stubbornness are serious sins. They involve far more than being independent and strong-minded. Scripture equates them with witchcraft and idolatry, sins worthy of death (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 20:6; Deuteronomy 13:12-15; 18:10; Micah 5:10-14). Saul became both rebellious and stubborn, so it is little wonder that God finally rejected him and took away his kingdom. Rebellion against God is perhaps the most serious sin of all because as long as a person rebels, he or she closes the door to forgiveness and restoration with God.
15:26Saul’s excuses had come to an end. It was the time of reckoning. God wasn’t rejecting Saul as a person; the king could still seek forgiveness and restore his relationship with God, but it was too late to get his kingdom back. If you do not act responsibly with what God has entrusted to you, eventually you will run out of excuses. All of us must one day give an account for our actions (Romans 14:12: Revelation 22:12).
15:30Saul was more concerned about what others would think of him than he was about the status of his relationship with God (15:24). He begged Samuel to go with him to worship as a public demonstration that Samuel stil supported him. If Samuel had refused, the people probably would have lost all confidence in Saul.