Anesti Ministries

Obedience requires complete surrender.

v1-6 At first glance, God’s command to wipe out the Amalekites feels harsh. Why would a loving God command genocide? In order to reconcile God’s command with His character, we must understand the context. The Amalekites were the only nation who attacked the Hebrews after they had just come out of Egypt (Exodus 17:8-16). God declared that He would destroy the Amalekites for what they did to His people. God’s command to Saul is a fulfilment of His word in Deuteronomy 25:17-19. Furthermore, God’s judgment of Agag was severe because of the atrocities he committed (v32-33). God is not unjust but executes righteous judgment only on those who deserve it. He showed mercy to the Kenites because of the kindness that they showed the Hebrews.

v3, 7-9 God’s command to devote to destruction (חֵ֛רֶם) reminds us of Joshua’s conquest of the city of Jericho. Joshua was commanded by God to destroy everything (Joshua 6:17). However one person sinned against the Lord by secretly taking some spoils from the city (Joshua 7:20-21). Unlike Joshua, Saul did not obey the Lord to devote everything to destruction. It seems that Saul could not bear to see good things going to waste. Obedience means obeying God even when you don’t fully understand. Obedience requires a total surrender of everything, including what is most valuable to you. Obedience must transform your value system. Obedience requires you to prioritise what God values over what you deem as valuable.

The price of disobedience.

v10 God’s regret over making Saul king is not the same kind of regret that humans experience. God was not feeling remorse over making a wrong decision but a deep sorrow over how Saul turned out. The same word (נָחַם) is used in Genesis 6:6 to express God’s sorrow as He witnessed humanity spiraling into self-destruction.

v12-21 Saul’s heart drifted further from the Lord. Instead of building an altar to God, Saul built a monument to commemorate his victory over the Amalekites. Instead of giving the glory to God, Saul claimed the glory for himself. Saul did not repent when Samuel confronted him but blamed the people (v15) for disobeying the Lord. Saul insist twice he obeyed the Lord.

v22-23 Samuel’s words teaches us 4 things about obedience that pleases God.

1. God does not desire outward acts that make us look religious but inward obedience to His voice.
2. The animals sacrificed to the Lord were very valuable because they were without blemish. Likewise, the fat of rams was the most prized cut of meat. But learning to listen to God is more valuable than these.
3. Divination is detestable to the Lord (Leviticus 18:10-12). Rebelling against God’s Word is equal to idolatry because we are putting ourselves above God.
4. Those who reject the Lord will also be rejected by Him. Jesus also says that He will acknowledge those who acknowledge Him but deny those who deny Him (Matthew 10:32-33).

The fear of man hinders your relationship with God.

v24-31 The fear of people hinders us from walking in the fear of God. It is difficult to obey God if you are always concerned with people’s opinion of you. When Saul was rejected by the Lord, He should have repented and sought the Lord. Instead he wanted to return to the people with dignity. He cared more about preserving his image before the nation than His relationship with God. Saul addressed God as “the LORD your God”, revealing that he did not have a personal relationship with God. Even though Saul continued to be king over Israel, the Lord had rejected him (1 Samuel 15:28). In the subsequent chapters, we will see how Saul continued to fight against God to keep his throne. Even though God rejected Saul as king, He showed compassionate to Saul by allowing Samuel to return with him.

v29 Why does this verse say that God will not lie or have regret but other verses mention God’s regret (v10, 34)? While verse 10 and 34 refer to God’s grief over Saul, verse 29 expresses the unchanging nature of God’s judgment to remove Saul as king.

v32-35 In contrast to Saul, Samuel is a leader who obeyed the voice of the Lord. Samuel must have been overcome with grief as he witnessed Saul’s decline. Samuel was the one who anointed Saul, witnessed his first victory, instructed Saul in the ways of the Lord, and interceded for him.