seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 Samuel 15:7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt. 8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves(b) and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.
10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
16 “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
“Tell me,” Saul replied.
17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel replied:
10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
16 “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
“Tell me,” Saul replied.
17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel replied:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”
b. 1 Samuel 15:9 Or the grown bulls; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
I don't like the title of this posting.... but... it was the only thing that came to mind.... it reminds me of someone trying to spin a blunder into a good thing. Saul was told.... destroy everything and everyone.... so what did he do? He kept the king and the best livestock. Saul was a rich pretty boy. I'm sure the power of the capture of a king sent warm vibes down his spine. What rich boy wouldn't want to keep the best.... making it too good to be put to death with the other stock. I can also imagine the look on his face when Samuel hollered at him. I figure Samuel was the only person Saul would consider listening to. I'm sure he had a smirk on his face in verse 16.
This is from the easy English site.
In chapters 10 and 11, we see that Saul was a humble man. But Saul became proud. He was proud of his success in the battle. He did not give God honour. Saul probably made the column from stone. Everyone who saw it would give Saul honour.
In verse 13 Saul said, ‘I have obeyed the Lord’s commands’. But this was not true. Saul had not obeyed all the commands. Perhaps he told a lie on purpose. Or perhaps he thought that he had obeyed enough. When Samuel demanded an answer, Saul blamed the soldiers. Saul gave an excuse. He said that the soldiers wanted to sacrifice the animals to God. In fact, the soldiers probably wanted to keep the animals for themselves. Saul led the army. He should have commanded the men to kill all the animals. Saul used the phrase, ‘the Lord your God’. He did not say, ‘the Lord our God’. Saul knew that he did not follow God now. He did not follow him as he used to. God had commanded the Israelites to give him offerings and sacrifices (Leviticus 1-7). This was how God forgave their sins. But God cannot forgive a person who refuses to obey him. If a person did not obey God, their sacrifice had no value.
When a person does not obey God, they sin. The Bible calls this sin ‘rebellion’. Verse 23 gives us a very serious warning. Evil magic comes from the devil. Rebellion is as bad as evil magic. People who worship idols do not give honour to God. They think that the idol is better than God. A proud person thinks that he is the best person. He gives honour to himself. He does not give honour to God or worship him.
In verse 13 Saul said, ‘I have obeyed the Lord’s commands’. But this was not true. Saul had not obeyed all the commands. Perhaps he told a lie on purpose. Or perhaps he thought that he had obeyed enough. When Samuel demanded an answer, Saul blamed the soldiers. Saul gave an excuse. He said that the soldiers wanted to sacrifice the animals to God. In fact, the soldiers probably wanted to keep the animals for themselves. Saul led the army. He should have commanded the men to kill all the animals. Saul used the phrase, ‘the Lord your God’. He did not say, ‘the Lord our God’. Saul knew that he did not follow God now. He did not follow him as he used to. God had commanded the Israelites to give him offerings and sacrifices (Leviticus 1-7). This was how God forgave their sins. But God cannot forgive a person who refuses to obey him. If a person did not obey God, their sacrifice had no value.
When a person does not obey God, they sin. The Bible calls this sin ‘rebellion’. Verse 23 gives us a very serious warning. Evil magic comes from the devil. Rebellion is as bad as evil magic. People who worship idols do not give honour to God. They think that the idol is better than God. A proud person thinks that he is the best person. He gives honour to himself. He does not give honour to God or worship him.
Just in case the reader still thinks that Saul was being a good compassionate king.... should look at the commentary at Bible.org.
Saul’s disobedience does not stem from compassion. We may be tempted to think that Saul disobeys the command of God out of sincere, if misguided, motivation. Perhaps we would look upon Saul’s disobedience differently if we saw him sparing the little Amalekite children. But Saul does not spare one Amalekite child; he spares Agag, the king of the Amalekites. Saul does not disobey God because he is so compassionate, so caring, so kind. He readily slaughters every Amalekite man, woman, and child, save one – the king.
This rich prettyboy saw a chance to increase his personal glory by capturing a king. He figured it would enhance his own image. But... But... that's not what he was crowned to do. He was crowned king to lead the people the way God wanted them to go. All his fancy talk and good looks are inconsequential to God. He was a rich pretty boy but... he's never been accused of being a smart boy...
