The Lord Rejects Saul as king

Topic: Disobedience
Passage: 1 Samuel 15:1–35

January 22, 2021

Commentary

Saul was given specific instructions, through Samuel, to utterly destroy the Amalekites (vv. 1-3). Saul and his men smote the Amalekites but he did not utterly destroy them, as God had commanded (vv. 4-7). He spared Agag, the king, and kept the best of the spoil (vv. 8-9). Saul had no right to spare Agag. Neither did he have the right to save from destruction the best of the cattle and other animals. He thought he had won a great victory but God saw it as a great failure. Saul had disobeyed Him and then he lied to Samuel about the results of the battle. Samuel had chosen Saul, along with the people, but now he regretted his choice (vv. 10-11). Samuel loved Saul and wanted him to be a good king. He may have wanted Saul, even more than David, to be successful. But God had rejected Saul. When Samuel arrived on the scene, he could see and hear the evidence of Saul’s wrong actions (vv. 12-13). Then when he was confronted, Saul said he only kept these choice animals to sacrifice them to God (vv. 14-15). This was, of course, an attempt to cover up his disobedience with a pious pretense. Saul has been disobedient and judgment is coming.

Samuel told Saul that he had a message for him from the Lord, and Saul told him to speak (v. 16). Samuel told him that the Lord anointed him king over Israel (v. 17) and sent him on a mission to destroy the Amalekites until they were all killed (v. 18). Samuel questions Saul as to why he did evil by taking the spoil and not obeying the voice of the Lord (v. 19). Saul tried to justify his disobedience by claiming that the animals were taken to use as a sacrifice to the Lord, and were brought because of the insistence of the soldiers (vv. 20-21). But Samuel responded with a statement of principle that is timeless in its application: “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams” (v. 22). In addition to disobeying, Saul was guilty of rebellion, arrogance, and rejecting God’s word (v. 23). Saul said he was afraid of the people and so he obeyed their wishes (v. 24). He wanted to please everyone. Saul confessed his transgression, but his repentance was not genuine (v. 25). The result for Saul was the Lord rejecting him as king (v. 26), symbolized by Saul’s tearing of Samuel’s robe (vv. 27-28). This repudiation of Saul and selection of a replacement (David) did not mean that God had misled Samuel or even changed His mind (v. 29). Saul has sinned and so God must deal with him accordingly (vv. 30-31). God had from the beginning chosen another, one who would be “after His own heart” (cf. 13:14; 16:1). Though still recognized by the people as their king for about 15 more years, Saul was deposed by the Lord right then, and Samuel executed Agag (vv. 32-33). The finality of it all was not missed by Samuel for from that day Samuel never visited the king again (vv. 34-35). Samuel mourned for Saul when God told him he was taking his kingdom away.

Application

If I try to gloss over sin in order to protect what I have or for material gain, I am not being smart but simply disobeying God, which is sin. Selective obedience is just another form of disobedience.

1 Samuel 15:1– 35 (NET)

1 Then Samuel said to Saul, “I was the one the Lord sent to anoint you as king over his people Israel. Now listen to what the Lord says. 2 Here is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said: ‘I carefully observed how the Amalekites opposed Israel along the way when Israel came up from Egypt. 3 So go now and strike down the Amalekites. Destroy everything they have. Don’t spare them. Put them to death—man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and donkey alike.’”

4 So Saul assembled the army and mustered them at Telaim. There were 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. 5 Saul proceeded to the city of Amalek, where he set an ambush in the wadi. 6 Saul said to the Kenites, “Go on and leave! Go down from among the Amalekites. Otherwise I will sweep you away with them. After all, you were kind to all the Israelites when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites withdrew from among the Amalekites.

7 Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, which is next to Egypt. 8 He captured King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he executed all Agag’s people with the sword. 9 However, Saul and the army spared Agag, along with the best of the flock, the cattle, the fatlings, and the lambs, as well as everything else that was of value. They were not willing to slaughter them. But they did slaughter everything that was despised and worthless.

10 Then the Lord’s message came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from me and has not done what I told him to do.” Samuel became angry and he cried out to the Lord all that night.

12 Then Samuel got up early to meet Saul the next morning. But Samuel was informed, “Saul has gone to Carmel where he is setting up a monument for himself.” Then Samuel left and went down to Gilgal. 13 When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, “May the Lord bless you! I have fulfilled the Lord’s orders.”

14 Samuel replied, “If that is the case, then what is this sound of sheep in my ears and the sound of cattle that I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They were brought from the Amalekites; the army spared the best of the flocks and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord our God. But everything else we slaughtered.”

16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait a minute! Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” Saul said to him, “Tell me.” 17 Samuel said, “Is it not true that when you were insignificant in your own eyes, you became head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord chose you as king over Israel. 18 The Lord sent you on a campaign saying, ‘Go and exterminate those sinful Amalekites! Fight against them until you have destroyed them.’ 19 Why haven’t you obeyed the Lord? Instead you have greedily rushed upon the plunder! You have done what is wrong in the Lord’s estimation.”

20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the Lord! I went on the campaign the Lord sent me on. I brought back King Agag of the Amalekites after exterminating the Amalekites. 21 But the army took from the plunder some of the sheep and cattle—the best of what was to be slaughtered—to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”

22 Then Samuel said, “Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as he does in obedience? Certainly, obedience is better than sacrifice; paying attention is better than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and presumption is like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the Lord’s orders, he has rejected you from being king.”

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have disobeyed what the Lord commanded and your words as well. For I was afraid of the army, and I obeyed their voice. 25 Now please forgive my sin. Go back with me so I can worship the Lord.”

26 Samuel said to Saul, “I will not go back with you, for you have rejected the Lord’s orders, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel!”

27 When Samuel turned to leave, Saul grabbed the edge of his robe and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to one of your colleagues who is better than you! 29 The Preeminent One of Israel does not go back on his word or change his mind, for he is not a human being who changes his mind.” 30 Saul again replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel. Go back with me so I may worship the Lord your God.” 31 So Samuel followed Saul back, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me King Agag of the Amalekites.” So Agag came to him trembling, thinking to himself, “Surely death is bitter!” 33 Samuel said, “Just as your sword left women childless, so your mother will be the most bereaved among women.” Then Samuel hacked Agag to pieces there in Gilgal before the Lord.

34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, while Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. 35 Until the day he died, Samuel did not see Saul again. Samuel did, however, mourn for Saul, but the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.