2023-11-26 - 1 Samuel 15

1 Samuel 15 (NKJV)

1 Samuel also said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord.

2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt.

3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

If God hadn’t made it clear by saying utterly destroy them all, He follows it up with AND DO NOT SPARE THEM. And again He tells them in a detailed list, kill them all!

4 So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah.

5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley.

6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, get 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.

7 And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt.

8 He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

Two Groups of People:

The Kenites: Moses’s Father in Law was a kenites, they were friendly to the Israelites.

They were told when they run into them, warn them to leave, let them go. And they did.

The Amalekites:

Vs. 2-3 Long before the time of Saul, in the days of the wilderness wandering, Israel had been savagely attacked from the rear by the Amalekites, a deed the Lord had promised to avenge someday (Ex. 17:8–16). The time had now come, so Samuel commanded Saul to destroy the Amalekites totally, that is, to “place them under the ban (ḥērem) of holy war” - TBKC

The Amalekites were a nomadic wandering people that attacked the Israelites after they fled Egypt.

Anyone even today that attacks Israel, puts themselves on God’s bad side. (Watch out Iran, Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah, Russia, China, etc.)

Vs. 2-3 However, Saul was to spare the Kenites since they had shown kindness to Israel in the wilderness wandering (1 Sam. 15:6; cf. Ex. 18:9–10 [Jethro was a Kenite, Jud. 1:16]) - TBKC

Vs. 2-3 Why did Sual spare Agag & some of the finest livestock? Vs. 12 makes it very clear, He was focused on his own self, he was disobeying the Lord by being selfish and wanting the glory that belonged to God.

Vs. 14:52 Tells us this: 1 Samuel 14:52 “Now there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man, he took him for himself.”

That ones mine, hes on my team. Probably b/c of the fierce fighting that was constantly happening b/c he didn’t finish the job. Also maybe to look better on the battle field b/c of what he’d done wrong to this point.

Vs. 2-3 Now he’s trying to make a better name for himself at the expense of disobeying what God had commanded Him to do.

Vs. 2-3 Utterly destroy. God gave Saul an opportunity to redeem himself with obedience. The judgment was to be a complete and total annihilation of anything that breathed. God’s judgment was severe on those who would destroy His people. It was equally severe to those who disobeyed - John McArthur

To help us better understand the phrase Utterly Destoyed:

Utterly Destroyed: 15:3, 8, 9, 15, 18, 20—refers to the “setting apart” of inappropriate things, usually because of defilement associated with idol worship. In the ancient world, anything sacred or defiled was considered inappropriate for common use and was therefore subject to complete destruction. According to Deuteronomy 13:12–15, Israel was to destroy everyone and everything that was wicked enough to be considered defiled. Violation of this command cost Achan his life (Josh. 7) and Saul his throne (15:9–11). Paul reminds us that we are all wicked, and as a result are defiled and deserve destruction. Yet God in His mercy has chosen to save those who place their trust in Jesus (Rom. 3:10–26). - John F. MacArthur

Vs. 8-9 Saul keep Agag, as a trophy of war, this would have been common and he wanted to do it, he wanted to bring him back as a public exhibit of his leadership.

---------The Lord Speaks To Samuel About Saul--------------

10 Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying,

11 “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night.

The word for Grieved here is the Hebrew word Khaw-raw. Meaning to glow warm, to blaze up, of anger, be angry, burn, etc.

-------------The Dialog------------

12 So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal.”

13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.”

Saul had the audacity to lie to the man of God, a bold faced lie.

14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”

As if Samuel said, well then, if that’s the case then why do i hear all those animal noises? If you Utterly Destroyed them, then why do I hear them?

We can’t redefine God or His commands to fit our wants, our way of life and have it be OK.

Take it from Saul, if he couldn't and it wasn't OK, then what makes us think we can and it will be OK?

15 And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”

Finger pointing time, “The Devil Made Me Do It.” or They did it, it wasn’t me!

16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Be quiet ( Hebrew ree-faw, Cease from talking, Stop) And I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak on.”

17 So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel?

18 Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’

19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?”

Again Samuel spells out his sin.

20 And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

21 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”

No, it wasn’t me! I UTTERLY DESTROYED

They didn’t, it’s their fault, bu they did it b/c they love God, so Samuel it should be OK with God, b/c they will be destroyed eventually!

Saul knew what the phrase Utterly Destroyed means, in his culture and that wordage, he would have known!

22 So 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 heed than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”

Saul rebelled against God, he was playing with the Devil and as God’s anointed, that was not OK!

You and I are also like Saul in the since that we are set apart for God, we too must make sure we don’t play with the Devil and do what he wants as opposed to what God wants.

24 Then 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.

25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.”

A concern of consequence not out of remorse for his sin, and God saw right through it.

26 But 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.”

27 And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore.

28 So Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.

The MacArthur Bible Commentary 3. The Rejection of Saul (15:1–35)

Saul’s judgment was a settled matter on the day of his disobedience with the Amalekites. Samuel used the illustration as it vividly portrayed how God would take the kingdom from Saul as he had just torn Samuel’s robe. a neighbor of yours. This was a reference to David

29 And also the Strength of Israel (Unique name for God) will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent.”

30 Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.”

31 So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

32 Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me.” So Agag came to him cautiously. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”

33 But Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.

34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul.

35 And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.

Mourned - Hebrew Aw-bal, meaning lament, mourn