I Samuel 15
LORD commands utter destruction of Amalekitesverses 1-3
Samuel also said to Saul
The LORD sent me to anoint you to be king over HIS people
over Israel – now therefore hearken thou unto the
voice of the words of the LORD
Thus says the LORD of hosts
I remember that which Amalek did to Israel
how he laid wait for him in the way
when he came up from Egypt
Now go and smite Amalek – and utterly destroy ALL that they have
and spare them not – BUT slay both
man and woman – infant and suckling – ox and sheep
camel and ass
Saul gathers army at city of Amalekverses 4-5
And Saul gathered the people together – and numbered them in Telaim
two hundred thousand footmen – ten thousand men of Judah
And Saul came to a city of Amalek – and laid wait in the valley
Saul tells Kenites to leave areaverse 6
And Saul said unto the Kenites
Go – depart – get you down from among the Amalekites
lest I destroy you with them
FOR ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel
when they came up out of Egypt
So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites
Saul smites Amalekites but spares spoilsverses 7-9
And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until you come to Shur
that is over against Egypt
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive
and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword
BUT Saul and the people SPARED Agag
and the best of the sheep – oxen – fatlings – lambs
and all that was good – and would not utterly destroy them
BUT every thing that was vile and refuse
that they destroyed utterly
LORD informs Samuel of Saul’s disobedienceverses 10-11
Then came the word of the LORD to Samuel
saying
It repents ME that I have set up Saul to be king
FOR he is turned back from following ME
and has not performed MY commandments
And it grieved Samuel
and he cried to the LORD all night
Samuel confronts Saulverses 12-19
And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning
it was told Samuel
saying
Saul came to Carmel – and BEHOLD – he set him up a place
and is gone about – and passed on
and gone down to Gilgal
And Samuel came to Saul – and Saul said to him
Blessed be you of the LORD
I have performed the commandment of the LORD
And Samuel said
What means then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears
and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
And Saul
said
They have brought them from the Amalekites
FOR the people SPARED the best of the sheep and of the oxen
to sacrifice unto the LORD your God
And the rest we have utterly destroyed
Then Samuel
said to Saul
Stay – and I will tell you what the LORD
has said to me this night
And he said to him
Say on
And Samuel
said
When you was little in your own sight
was you not made the head of the tribes of Israel
and the LORD anointed you king over Israel?
And the LORD sent you on a journey
and said
Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites
and fight against them until they be consumed
Wherefore then did you not OBEY the voice of the LORD
BUT did fly on the spoil
and did evil in the sight of the LORD?
Saul stated that he did obey the LORDverses 20-21
And Saul
said to Samuel
Yea – I have OBEYED the voice of the LORD
and have gone the way which the LORD sent me
and have brought Agag the king of Amalek
and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites
BUT the people took of the spoil – sheep and oxen
the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed
to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal
Samuel states that he did not obeyverses 22-23
And Samuel
said
Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as in OBEYING the voice of the LORD?
BEHOLD – to OBEY is BETTER THAN sacrifice
and to HEARKEN than the fat of rams
FOR REBELLION is as the sin of witchcraft
and STUBBORNESS is as iniquity and idolatry
BECAUSE you have REJECTED the word of the LORD
HE has also REJECTED you from being king
Saul agrees with Samuel that he had sinnedverses 24-25
And Saul
said to Samuel
I have sinned – FOR I have transgressed
the commandment of the LORD and your words
BECAUSE I feared the people
and obeyed their voice
NOW therefore I pray you pardon my sin
and turn again with me
that I may worship the LORD
Samuel tries to leaveverses 26-29
And Samuel
said to Saul
I will not return with you
FOR you have REJECTED the word of the LORD
and the LORD has REJECTED you from being
king over Israel
And as Samuel turned about to go away
he laid hold on the skirt of his mantle – and it rent
And Samuel
said to him
The LORD has rent the kingdom of Israel from you this day
and has given it to a neighbor of yours
that is better than you
And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repeat
FOR HE is not a man that HE should repent
Saul makes final pleaverses 30-31
Then he
said
I have sinned – yet honor me now – I pray you
before the elders of my people – and before Israel
and turn again with me
that I may worship the LORD your God
So Samuel turned again after Saul
and Saul worshiped the LORD
Samuel kills Agagverses 32-33
THEN said Samuel
Bring you hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites
And Agag came to him delicately
and Agag said
Surely the bitterness of death is past
And Samuel
said
As your sword has made women childless
so shall your mother be childless among women
And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal
Samuel goes homeverses 34-35
Then Samuel went to Ramah
and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul
And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death
nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul
and the LORD repented that HE had made
Saul king over Israel
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 6 And Saul said to the Kenites. Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. (2617 “kindness” [checed] means mercy, lovingkindness, goodness, faithfulness, loyal love, benevolence, solidarity, or favor)
DEVOTION: Moses father-in-law was a Kenite. He helped Moses when it came to making decisions regarding judging the children of Israel. He told his son-in-law that it was too much for him to judge all of the children of Israel. Instead he suggested that he chose judges to take care of the smaller cases and he would take care of the big cases. We base our court system today on his suggestion to Moses.
Now the Kenites were a nomadic tribe that were in the same area as the Amalekites and Saul warned them to move, so that, they were not killed during the battle by accident. They moved out of the area before the battle began.
It was because of the lovingkindness that the Kenites showed the children of Israel while they were leaving Egypt that he also wanted to warn time to move. So they were related to Moses and they helped the children of Israel as they left Egypt while the other tribes tried to go to war with them instead of helping them.
We are told to love one another in the New Testament. This mainly applies to Christians loving fellow believers. One of the characteristics of the Christian church should be that everyone who is a believer can enter the church without fear of people not showing them the love of Jesus Christ.
When you enter the church you are presently attending do you feel the genuine love of other believers or is there a sense that it is a group of strangers getting together in one place who don’t care to know one another? If this is the case, those believers in that church are not obeying the command of God.
CHALLENGE: Make sure those around you know that you genuinely care about what is happening in their life especially those who are fellow believers.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said to him, Blessed be you of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. (6965 “performed” [quwm] means to put into effect, establish, to come to fruition, set up, erect, to cause to stand, to make binding, to raise up one fallen down, or to raise up to someone a name)
DEVOTION: Here is Saul lying to Samuel about what he had done. He thought he could get away with keeping the best of the spoils and not have to give them to the LORD. He also didn’t kill the king of the Amalekites.
So what happens when you lie to the servant of the LORD? It is just like lying to the LORD. It never works. Samuel already knew the truth because the LORD had revealed it to him the night before and he had not obeyed the HIS command.
What was Samuel to do? He had to confront Saul regarding his lie and he had to tell Saul that the LORD was displeased with his service. He also had to deal with the problem in front of the people so they understood that the LORD doesn’t like disobedience. HE wants obedience over any type of sacrifice to HIM.
Never try to lie to God. You will never get away with it. HE knows the truth always and like here HE can reveal it to others, so that, they can confront you about your service to the LORD.
It is not because the LORD doesn’t love you that HE wants to deal with your sin but because HE does love you that HE wants to deal with your sin. HE wants you to have all the blessing HE can provide but HE can’t provide them to a disobedient servant. Again we know that there are believers who don’t confess their sins to the LORD and HE has to warn them and then deal with them.
Our goal is to keep real short accounts with the LORD. We don’t have to wait for the next communion service before we confess our sins. We can do it on a daily basis. Once they are confessed there could be consequences but HE does bury them in the deepest sea. HE does deal with them and then doesn’t bring them up again.
CHALLENGE: Our enemy, Satan, likes to bring up our past sins but we should do what the LORD did. Tell him to get away!!!
: 19 Wherefore then did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but did fly on the spoil, and did evil in the sight of the LORD? (7998 “spoil” [shalal] means prey, plunder, gain, valuables taken violence, profit, war-booty, or objects taken by victor)
DEVOTION: The command of the LORD was to utterly destroy all the possessions of the enemy. Saul thought that he could take the best of the spoils of war for himself and for his men.
However, Samuel met them on their way home with the best of the animals that were taken in war for themselves. Saul thought he could talk his way out of the disobedience by telling Samuel that he took it for the LORD and not himself.
This was a lie. He had taken it for himself to keep. He even encouraged his army to take the best to keep for themselves. This was not what the LORD wanted them to do. It was a sin to be disobedient to the LORD but Saul was only thinking of himself.
The LORD confronts us when we do things that are wrong in HIS eyes. HE wants us to realize that we need to obey HIM completely not partially to our liking. Compromise is not good in the eyes of the LORD. HE wants complete obedience to HIS every command.
What could be the reason for Saul’s disobedience? He wanted to increase his wealth. He wanted to be important in the eyes of man rather than in the eyes of the LORD. He wanted to feel good about himself.
All this failed when he disobeyed the LORD. The LORD will confront us when we do wrong in HIS eyes. Sometimes HE uses other people as in this case with Samuel. Other times HE will convict us through our conscience. HE wants us to realize that once HE gives a command and makes it plain to us we are to be obedient if we want HIS blessing on our life.
CHALLENGE: Are we being partially obedient to the LORD instead of completely obedient to HIM? Only we can answer this question.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal. (2076 “sacrifice” [zabach] means to slaughter, butcher, offer, to make a sacrifice of, to slaughter in religious ritual, or offer a sacrifice by killing a living thing.)
DEVOTION: The blame game is still going on today. It was going on when Adam and Eve were confronted by the LORD. It is going on here when Samuel is confronting Saul. There is always someone else to blame for our sins.
Today many people blame their parents for not bring them up right for their sins. It is true that many parents don’t train their children right especially if they don’t know the LORD but even Christian parents can be preoccupied with other things and neglect their children’s training. But can adults blame their parents or do they have to take responsibility for their actions?
The LORD holds those who sin responsible for their actions. Saul wanted to blame the people for taking the plunder from the battle but it didn’t wash because he was in control of the people. He saw what was taken and what was destroyed.
We have to learn a lesson from the life of Saul. He started out well with a humble spirit but soon it became a rebellious spirit. He wanted what he wanted instead of what the LORD wanted him to do.
Can this happen to each of us? YES!!! We can say we believe in the Word of God but in practice we can go out and do as we please because we think we deserve it. God doesn’t see it that way. HE wants obedience even when it hurts us.
Why? Because HE sent HIS Son to die for our sins, so that, we can spend eternity in HIS presence.
CHALLENGE: LORD gave a direct command to Saul to kill everything. He disobeyed and then gave an excuse. Are we doing the same today?
: 29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent. (5962 “repent” [nacham] means to sigh, breathe strongly, to pity, comfort oneself, ease oneself, or to be sorry.)
DEVOTION: The word is used in verses 11 and 35. Here we find a word that has caused some problems over the years.
Now we have a group that believe in Open Theism. They say that God knows the past and the present but not the future. They challenge the omniscience of God. They challenge the Sovereignty of God. They say that these verse show that God didn’t know the outcome of HIS choice of Saul.
If we read this present verse right, God never is sorry for any decision HE makes. Does this word mean that HE made a mistake? Do verses 11 and 35 mean that HE didn’t know what HE was doing? Does verses 11 and 35 mean that HE didn’t know what Saul would do? NO!!! HE knows the beginning from the end. HE knows the future.
Then what does verses 11 and 35 mean? They mean that God knows the outcome but it still hurts. God does not lie. God always tells the truth. God does not lie or say HE is sorry. The New Testament mentions the fact that we can grieve and quench the Holy Spirit. What grieves the Holy Spirit? Our sin is what grieves the Holy Spirit. All those who are followers of Christ are not to live in sin. Our sin causes us to lose the filling of the Holy Spirit, but not the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit came and went from individuals. Saul had the Holy Spirit come upon him at times. Here we find the LORD being grieved by the actions of Saul.
We know the outcome when we tell our children not to do something they want to do. The do it. It hurts us. Does that mean we should not have told them not to do it? NO!
God always does the right thing. God never makes a mistake. God is never surprised. Does God know we are going to sin before we sin? Yes!! Does HE like it? NO!!! Let us learn from the example of Christ. We need to be obedient. We need to serve the LORD with all our heart. Are we going to fail? YES!! Does that displease God? YES!! Will HE forgive us? YES!!! Should we increase our sin so we can be forgiven more? NO!!
Saul had a choice. He chose to disobey. Did this displease the LORD? YES!! Was HE surprised? NO!! Does God sigh over some of the decisions we make? YES!! Does HE sign over any of the decisions HE makes? NO!!! This is a hard concept to understand but there are no contradictions in the Bible. There is no contradiction between verses 11 and 35 and verse 29.
CHALLENGE: Dig into the word of God to understand some of the hard concepts that are found in it. Those concepts we don’t understand we have to ask the LORD to reveal to us HIS truth. Some things fall under the category of Deuteronomy 29:29.)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Samuel prayed all nightverse 11
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Sacrificeverses 21, 22
Burnt offeringsverse 22
Worship the LORDverses 25, 30, 31
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORDverses 10, 23, 26
Commandment of the LORD verses 13, 24
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 1, 2, 10, 11, 13, 15-26, 28, 30, 31, 33, 35
Voice of the words of the LORD verse 1
LORD of hostsverse 2
Word of the LORDverses 10, 23, 26
LORD relentsverses 11, 29, 35
Commandment of the LORD verses 13, 24
God – Elohim (Creator)verse 15
LORD thy Godverses 15, 21, 30
LORD anointed Saul kingverse 17
Sight of the LORDverse 19
Voice of the LORDverses 19, 20, 22
Worship the LORDverse 25
Strength of Israelverse 29
Not repentverse 29
LORD repented he made Saul kingverse 35
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Amalekverses 2, 3, 5-8, 15, 18, 20
City of Amalek
Sinners
Egyptverses 2, 6, 7
Kenites showed kindness to Israelverse 6
Agag – king of the Amalekitesverses 9, 20, 32, 33
Utterly destroyed
Samuel hewed him in pieces
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Spared Agagverse 9
Spared best of the animalsverses 9, 15
Turned back from following LORDverse 11
Not performing commandment of the LORDverse 11
Lie of Saulverses 13-15
Sinnersverse 18
Not obey the command of LORDverse 19
Evilverse 19
Disobeyedverse 20
Blamed othersverse 21
Rebellionverse 23
Witchcraftverse 23
Stubbornnessverse 23
Iniquityverse 23
Idolatryverse 23
Rejected the word of the LORDverses 23, 26
Sinnedverses 24, 25, 30
Transgressedverse 24
Fearing people over Godverse 24
Obeyed voice of peopleverse 24
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Anointverses 1, 17
Kindnessverse 6
Little in your own eyesverse 17
Obedienceverse 22
Hearkening to voice of the LORDverse 22
Pardonverse 25
Worship the LORDverses 25, 30, 31
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Samuelverses 1-3, 10-35
Anointed Saul by order of LORD
Receives word of the LORD
Cried to the LORD all night
Confronts Saul
Told Saul the LORD has rent kingdom from him
Saw Saul no more
Mourned for SAul
Saulverses 1, 3-35
Ordered to smite Amalek
Ordered to utterly destroy all
Gathered army together at Telaim
200,000
10,000 men of Judah
Warns Kenites to get away from Amalek
Spared Agag and took best of spoils
Turned back from following LORD
Confronted by Samuel
Said he performed the commandment of LORD: lie
Spared the best for himself
Told to consume Amalekites and all they had
Said he obeyed the command of the LORD
Rejected as king because of disobedience
Asked for pardon of sin
Rejected the word of the LORD
LORD rejected him
Rent Samuel’s skirt
Wanted to worship the LORD
House in Gibeah
Israelverses 1, 2, 17
Kingdom of Israelverse 28
Prediction of David being kingverse 28
One better than Saul
Elders of Israelverse 30
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
32–35 There was one piece of business still to take care of, however. Using the language common to the ritual procedure of sacrifice (v.32), Samuel said, “Bring me [a verbatim echo of the same Heb. phrase in 13:9] Agag”—whom he then further describes as “king of the Amalekites,” thus again underscoring Saul’s failure to destroy them completely. In Samuel’s mind Agag is an offering to be sacrificed to the Lord. Whatever Agag’s physical condition or state of mind (he is brought before Samuel maʿaḏannōṯ which probably means “in chains” [see Notes for details]; the NIV renders “confidently”; NIV mg., “trembling”), he apparently feels that his life will be spared—although “Surely the bitterness of death is past” could perhaps be understood as a statement of resignation to his fate.
Quickly dispelling whatever optimism Agag might have felt, Samuel’s couplet (which rhymes in Heb.) applies the lex talionis to the Amalekite king (cf. similarly Judg 1:7 and the statement of Jesus in Matt 7:2) and reminds him that bloodshed begets bloodshed (Gen 9:6; for a contrasting application of “like for like,” cf. David’s statement to Saul in 26:24). Without further ado Samuel then executes Agag, probably by hacking him in pieces (see Notes; for the treaty violation implications of such an act, cf. 11:12 and comment). Following the death of Agag, Samuel and Saul go their separate ways—Samuel to his hometown of Ramah (v.34), just as he does after anointing David (16:13), and Saul to his hometown of Gibeah. “Until the day of [one’s] death” or its equivalent often has negative connotations in the OT, as here in the case of Saul (v.35) and in 2 Samuel 6:23 in the case of Saul’s daughter Michal. Although after this time Saul would go to see Samuel again on more than one occasion (19:23–24; 28:10–11), never again would Samuel initiate such a meeting. Samuel nonetheless “mourned” for Saul (cf. also 16:1), the narrator using the verb that is normally used for lamenting for the dead (ʾbl). Gunn observes, “As far as Samuel is concerned, Saul is a dead man” (The Fate of King Saul, p. 147).
The chapter ends with a doleful echo of v.11: “The Lord was grieved that he had made Saul king.” Saul’s rejection of God’s word through his prophet had led to God’s rejection of Saul’s rule over his people. To end this part of our discussion on a relatively positive note, however, we do well to remember, with Fretheim (“Divine Foreknowledge,” p. 597), that the divine rejection of the kingship of Saul does not imply a rejection of the person of Saul. (Youngblood, R. F. (1992). 1, 2 Samuel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 679). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
The result for Saul was the Lord’s rejection of 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). Rather, 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 (cf. 16:14), and Samuel executed Agag (15:32–33). The finality of it all was not missed by Samuel for from that day Samuel never visited the king again (v. 35). The estrangement between Samuel and Saul represents that which now existed in permanent form between the Lord Himself and the disobedient king. Though God had permitted Saul to reign in response to the demand of the people, that very concession now grieved the heart of the Lord (v. 35). (Merrill, E. H. (1985). 1 Samuel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 447). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Saul is rejected by Samuel (1 Sam. 15:30–35). The Word of God simply did not penetrate Saul’s mind and heart, and he continued to worry about maintaining his reputation rather than getting right with the Lord. Why Samuel changed his mind and decided to worship with Saul is a bit of a mystery, but the prophet’s actions after that left no doubt where Samuel stood with reference to the king. Samuel publicly butchered King Agag and in that way let it be known that the king had failed to fulfill his commission. Samuel returned to his home in Ramah and Saul to his home in Gibeah, and Samuel made no more trips to see the king, either publicly or privately. Saul did visit Samuel once in Ramah (19:23–24).
Our hearts go out to Samuel who certainly suffered much because of the people and the king they so desperately wanted. When the kingdom was introduced in Israel, Samuel was replaced by a leader who was inferior to him in every way. Samuel did his best to advise the king and strengthen the kingdom, but Saul insisted on having his own way. Each time Saul was assigned a task, he failed, and when he was confronted, he lied and blamed others. When Israel experienced victories, it was usually Jonathan who led the way. It was a difficult time for Samuel, but God was still on the throne and had His true king waiting to be anointed.
King Saul had lost his dynasty, his character, and his throne and crown. He had also lost a godly friend. When David appears on the scene, Saul will lose his self-control and his good sense, and eventually he will lose his last battle—and his life. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2001). Be successful (p. 83). Colorado Springs, CO: Victor/Cook Communications.)
15:35 Samuel did not see Saul again … grieved. Samuel never went to visit the rejected King Saul again in his life (cf. 1Sa 28:11–19). On at least one further occasion, Saul sought Samuel (cf. 19:24). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (1 Sa 15:35). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 35. And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death, &c.] Or added not to see him; not that he saw him no more, he saw him afterwards, ch. 19:24. but it was accidentally, he did not go to see him, but Saul came to him; and Abarbinel supposes he might not see him then, but hid his face from him; and he observes that it is said, until the day of his death; which intimates, he thinks, that he saw him after his death, when raised up by the witch of Endor; but that Samuel was then really raised, and was seen wants proof. The meaning of the expression here is no more than this, that Samuel afterwards did not visit Saul as he used to do; he did not go to him, to give him his advice and counsel, as he wanted: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul; because of his sin, his impenitence, and hypocrisy; and because of the loss of the kingdom to him, and to his posterity; and he might be concerned also about his eternal welfare; for he appears to have a natural affection for him, and was far from envying him as his rival, and rejoicing at his fall: and the Lord repented that he made Saul king over Israel; nor was his mind altered, neither by the hypocritical confession of Saul, nor by the cordial prayers and tears of Samuel; see ver. 11. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 492). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
To the vain talk about honoring God by sacrifice, Samuel opposes the great principle which was the special message committed to every prophet in Israel, and which was repeated all through its history, side by side with the divinely appointed sacrificial system. In the intensity of his spiritual emotion, Samuel speaks in lyric strains, in the measured parallelism which was the Hebrew dress of poetry, and gives forth in words ‘which will live forever’ the great truth that God delights in obedience more than in sacrifice. Whilst, on the one hand, he lifts the surrender of the will, and the consequent submission of the life, high above all mere ritual, on the other hand, by the same process, he sinks the rebellion of the will and the stubbornness of the nature, unsubdued either by kindness or threats, as Saul was showing his to be, to the level of actual idolatry.
‘Rebellion is divination, and stubbornness is idols and teraphim.’
Then comes the stern sentence of rejection. Why was Saul thus irrevocably set aside? Was it not a harsh punishment for such a crime? As we have already remarked, Saul’s act is not to be judged as an isolated deed, but as the outcome of a deep tendency in him, which meant revolt from God. It was not because of the single act, but because of that which it showed him to be, that he was set aside. The sentence is pronounced, not because ‘thou didst spare Amalek,’ but because ‘thou didst reject the word of the Lord.’ Further, it is to be remembered that the punishment was but the carrying out of his act. His own hand had cut the bond between him and God, and had disqualified himself for the office which he filled. Saul had said, ‘I will reign by myself.’ God said, ‘Be it so! By thyself thou shalt reign.’ For the consequence of his deposition was not outward change in his royalty. David indeed was anointed but in secret, so Samuel consented to honor Saul before the people. All the external difference was that Samuel never saw him again, and he was relieved from the incubus of the prophet’s ‘interference’; that is to say, he ceased to be God’s king, and became a phantom, ruling only by his own will and power, as he had wished to do. How profound may be the difference while all externals remain unchanged! When we set up ourselves as our own lords, and shake off God’s rule, we cast away His sanction and help in all the deeds of our self-will, however unaltered their outward appearance may remain.
But God left him to ‘walk in his own ways, and be filled with the fruit of his own devices,’ by no irrevocable abandonment, however the decree of rejection from the kingship was irrevocable. The gates of repentance stood open for him; and the very sentence that came stern and laconic from Samuel’s lips, rightly accepted, might have drawn him in true penitence to a forgiving God. His subsequent confession was rejected because it expressed no real contrition; and the worship which he proceeded to offer, without the sanction of the prophet’s presence, was as unreal as his protestation of obedience, and showed how little he had learned the lesson of the great words, ‘To obey is better than sacrifice.’ (MacLaren, A. (2009). Expositions of Holy Scripture: Deuteronomy-1 Samuel (pp. 330–332). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
Before initiating an attack, however, Saul warned the Kenites, a nearby nomadic tribe with whom the Israelites had friendly dealings (cf. Judg 1:16; 4:11), to evacuate the area, which they did. Saul’s consideration for the Kenites was motivated by their “kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt” (v. 6). Although this incident is not recounted anywhere in Scripture, the issue was an important one for Israel since they remembered those peoples who had refused them passage through their land (e.g., Edom, Moab, etc.). (Bergen, R. D. (1996). 1, 2 Samuel (Vol. 7, p. 169). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
The Kenites had been closely connected with Israel since the time of Moses, and had settled in the Negeb of Judah (Judg. 1:16; cf. Exod. 2:15b–22; 3:1; 4:18–20; 18:1–5; Num. 10:29–32). Though they were independent, they were allies of Israel, hence Saul’s reluctance to involve them inadvertently when he attacked Amalek. They appear to have been experts in metal work (the name means ‘smith’), and to have settled down among other peoples as craft specialists; but, heeding Saul’s warnings, they moved away from the Amalekites and avoided defeat in battle. (Baldwin, J. G. (1988). 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 8, p. 122). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
Deuteronomy 5
Moses reviews the Ten Commandments with the children of Israel.
INSIGHT
David writes that the Law of the Lord is perfect, and in keeping it, there is great reward. Part of that great reward is spelled out in chapter 5. Moses says that if the children of Israel will keep God’s commandments, it will go well with them and with their sons forever! In addition, the Lord promises that they will live and that they may prolong their days in the land.
Holiness is not expensive. In fact, all the deepest longings of a child of God are met only in holiness. Could we consistently believe this, our lives would be more holy. Like the Israelites, we think that we are missing something by serving God. We are missing no more than the Israelites missed of Egypt. (Quiet Walk)
We’re Not God
In the pride of your heart you say, “I am a god.”
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THE WORK HAS BEEN DONE
It is finished. John 19:30
We need to be delivered from the power of the devil, we need death and the grave to be conquered—and our Lord Jesus Christ has done it all. And beyond all that, we need a new nature, because we need not only forgiveness of sins, but to be made fit to have communion and fellowship with God. We need to have a nature that can stand before God, for “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all”(1 John 1:5). And Christ has come and given Himself, His own nature, the eternal life of which he speaks in John 17:1-5. So here, looking at it all, He can say, “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (verse 4).
He has done everything that is necessary for man to be reconciled to God. Have you realized, my friends, that this work is finished? Have you realized that it is finished as far as you are concerned? You are asked whether you are a Christian, and you reply that you are hoping to be, but that you need to do this, that, and the other. No! Christ says, “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” The work has been done, and what proves whether we are truly Christians or not is whether we know and realize that the work has been done and that we then rest, and rest only, upon the finished work of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If we see it all in Him and the work done and completed in Him, it means we are Christians.
The way for you to know God and to be reconciled to Him is wide-open in the Lord Jesus Christ and His perfect work on your behalf. If you have never entered in before, enter in now, rest upon the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and begin to rejoice, immediately, in your great salvation.
A Thought to Ponder
The way for you to know God, and to be reconciled to Him, is wide-open in the Lord Jesus Christ. (From Saved in Eternity, pp. 105-106, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
With Christ
“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:2-3)
The apostle Paul, looking forward to the time when we shall “ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17), wrote: “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you” (Philippians 1:23-24).
The fact is, however, that we can be “with Christ” even while still abiding in the flesh, as Paul himself emphasized. This is the great principle called positional truth. “Positionally,” we are already “with Christ,” for that is where God sees us and how He relates to us. He has “raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).
Before we could be raised up with Christ, however, we first had to die with Him. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20). God even saw us as buried with Christ when He was buried, and this is the great truth symbolized in our baptism. “We are buried with him by baptism into death” (Romans 6:4).
“Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more” (Romans 6:8-9). He died for us, so our deserved death became His substitutionary death, and His victorious resurrection becomes our own unmerited deliverance from death in eternal resurrection life. This is our position now, and our assured everlasting possession then, for we are with Christ, who “dieth no more.”
This truth is not only a wonderful doctrine, but as we see in our text, a focus for our thoughts, and real incentive for godly living.
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
Faith and Bible based ministry that encourages the faithfulness of the local church and their leaders to the LORD.
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