1 Sam session 9
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Generally believed to have been mostly written by Samuel. Round figures, his ministry was around 1,000 BC.
The events happen after the Exodus, after Joshua. You remember God allowed some enemy nations to remain in the land to test Israel, to see if they would remain faithful.
During Judges we see every time Israel fell into sin and idolatry, every time they forgot God, these belligerent nations would rise up against Israel.
Israel would eventually repent and seek God, Who would respond by providing a judge - think warrior/leader/commander in addition to judge - to rescue them.
Samuel was one of those Judges - actually the final one.
God’s plan was to give them a king - a king of His choosing - but the people demanded one early. Samuel installed Saul - a man who looked awesome to the people, and whom God did command to install.
He had early success, but in the last couple of chapters we saw him be very presumptuous and offer sacrifices to God. Oh, he had his reasons and excuses, but it was sin. It was Saul choosing to disregard what God had said and do what he thought best. Good intentions do not excuse wanton sin.
So Samuel said to him:
But Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly! You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for the Lord would now have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
Saul could have had a dynasty that lasted through the ages. His son Jonathan was a great man, godly, brave, inspirational, powerful, yet we’ll see that he was also humble and unassuming. He would have made a great king.
But it will not be. And in today’s text we see another failure by Saul, which leads to him being declared unfit to reign.
Three Themes
Three Themes
There are 3 key points that derive from today’s text.
First, we have to face into the difficult subject of God commanding the deaths of the Amalekites, men, women and children. Not easy, but I’ll share with you my understanding of how we should view it.
Second, we consider the danger of self-deception. We’ll see King Saul genuinely believe he’s done the will of God, and yet he is badly in error. What does this mean for us?
Last, we will consider this fascinating theme of God’s repentance. Can God change His mind? How do we understand this chapter, which asserts both that He does and does not change His mind!
And all in 50 minutes...
Reading
Reading
Then Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the Lord. This is what the Lord of armies says: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, in that he obstructed him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and completely destroy everything that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”
Samuel has orders for Saul.
I want you to observe and take note: who is king here? Saul. But who is giving the orders? Samuel.
The relationship between Samuel and Saul remains such that Samuel is in authority. Authority we see again when Samuel rebukes Saul, and Saul pleads that Samuel honour him.
But, of course, the authority is the LORD’s. And the LORD of Armies says it’s time to punish Amalek.
Amalek Background
Amalek Background
Who is Amalek?
Reading Genesis 36:9ff we learn he was a grandson of Esau. He becomes one of several “chiefs” of the Edomites.
We just read Amalek opposed Israel during the Exodus. The story is in Exodus 17:8-16.
Amalek came out to fight Israel at a place called Rephidim. Joshua goes out to fight, while Aaron and Hur hold Moses’ hands up in prayer all day until Amalek is defeated. A short story showing how prayer is key to victory in battle.
But the key bit is Ex 17:14-16, which says:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly wipe out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner; and he said, “Because the Lord has sworn, the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.”
So God Himself said: write it down. There will be a reckoning; I will utterly wipe out the memory of Amalek. Moses reminds the people:
“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way when you came out of Egypt, how he confronted you on the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God. So it shall come about, when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your surrounding enemies in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, that you shall wipe out the mention of the name Amalek from under heaven; you must not forget.
The Amalekites were enemies to Israel all through the Judges. They were one of the nations that terrified the spies, causing Israel to wander 40 years.
But under Saul, in the last chapter we read 1 Sam 14:48
And he acted valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, and saved Israel from the hands of those who plundered them.
So they are weakened, and God says, through Samuel, it’s time to fulfil the prophesy: wipe them out.
Genocide…?
Genocide…?
“completely destroy everything that he has.” “Put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”
I wonder what you think about this command.
First, if you’re thinking: “God can’t do that!” - then you have an incorrect view of God.
Earlier in our text, Hannah said:
“The Lord puts to death and makes alive;
He brings down to Sheol and brings up.
“The Lord makes poor and rich;
He humbles, He also exalts.
When we studied that I made the point that God has full authority over life and death. God is God! The Creator and Sustainer of the whole universe. It’s HIS breath in everyone’s lungs.
King Nebuchadnezzar said:
“All the inhabitants of the earth are of no account,
But He does according to His will among the army of heaven
And among the inhabitants of earth;
And no one can fend off His hand
Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’
Isaiah 45 is another key passage on the authority of God. Is 45:9:
“Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker—
A piece of pottery among the other earthenware pottery pieces!
Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’
Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?
The person who thinks or says “how dare God do this or that” is starting off in the wrong place entirely.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. If we want wisdom to understand these things, we have to come at it from a place of awe over who God is.
There are things that, if we did it, it would be an outrageous and wicked thing. Because we do not have authority.
God does. He is the Master, and humans are created for His pleasure.
Second, you must realise that every person who has sinned has forsaken their right to life, and rather has chosen the path that leads to death. “The soul that sins shall die,” God said through the prophet Ezekiel. From God’s perspective, there is no such thing as the “right to life” because the wages of sin is death.
Now when does a person accrue enough sin to be worthy of death? Well, David wrote Ps 51:5
Behold, I was brought forth in guilt,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
And Ephesians 2:3 says that human beings are “by nature children of wrath.”
So it gets worse. There is no human who isn’t worthy to be put to death. Not me, not you. None of the Amalekites, and none of the Jews either.
Rom 3:23 = “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
I hasten to add that God is not willing that ANY should perish, but wills for everyone to come to repentance, according to 2 Pet 3:9.
The heart of God is to save. John 3:17
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.
Hence why God gave the Jews the sacrificial system: the blood of sacrifice when offered in faith would atone for sins. Pointing forward to the blood of Jesus Christ which saves ultimately.
It’s rare for God to command this kind of thing. Because God is so good and merciful. That’s why, when we read it, we’re like .. what?!
But step back and consider the state of mankind before God, and the wonder is not that God commands this community be put to death; it is that He spares anybody. And He does so, only in the hope that some may repent and be saved.
Third, this is an example of communal judgement. It is judgement on the collective nation of Amalek, rather than the specific individuals. God says, it is time for this whole community to receive punishment they’re due.
Now on that very occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus responded and said to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans just because they have suffered this fate? No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you think that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse offenders than all the other people who live in Jerusalem? No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
God does this. Whether we are talking about the Flood of Noah, or Sodom and Gomorrah, right through to the seal, bowl and trumpet judgements of Revelation, God does bring judgement upon groups of people in one. Young and old alike.
Abraham has a fascinating conversation with God in Genesis 18, how many righteous have to be in a city in order for it to be spared. He haggles down as far as ten. Ten righteous in a city are enough for God to spare it.
But then the inference from Lot, whom the angels have to physically remove, is that actually, just one is enough.
It’s hard stuff. When you read through Revelation, the severe judgements, you can just feel, man… but then you get to Revelation 16:5-7. God has afflicted those with the Mark of the Beast with sores. God has caused all the rivers and springs to turn to blood.
And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, the One who is and who was, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”
In the end, we have to accept that God alone knows what severity is appropriate.
The Amalekites, like the Canaanites, they were committed to abomination. And again like the Canaanites, they each had the opportunity to walk away from their nation. Rahab in Jericho is an example of this. Those who remained within the land were those who were committed to the sins of their community.
Why was it necessary to completely wipe the Amalekites out? Well, I don’t know; we have to leave this in God’s hands and trust He has good reasons.
But I do wonder what they taught their children. Israel’s enemies seem have a history of teaching their children to hate.
A study published in 2020 concluded that “Palestinian children are being systematically taught to hate Jewish Israelis and violently resist a Jewish presence in Israel.” The report argued that Palestinian children are being primed for "a continuous and long-range confrontation against the State of Israel."
Actually, even here in UK. I read yesterday the London based charity Metroland Cultures ran a workshop where children as young as 6 were making badges that celebrated the intifada, “death and the armed struggle against Israel.”
Teaching children to hate Israel.
I wonder if it was similar with the Amalekites.
Whatever God’s reasons, we can trust they are good, righteous and just. Because God is righteous in everything He does.
I hope that is helpful.
Reading
Reading
Then Saul summoned the people and counted them in Telaim: two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the wadi. But Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, get away, go down from among the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they went up from Egypt.” So the Kenites got away from among the Amalekites.
The Kenites are related to Moses’ father-in-law Jethro. In contrast to the Amalekites, he was a blessing to Israel during the Exodus, but they lived in the midst of the land occupied by the Amalekites.
Then Saul defeated the Amalekites, from Havilah going toward Shur, which is east of Egypt. He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the more valuable animals, the lambs, and everything that was good, and were unwilling to destroy them completely; but everything despicable and weak, that they completely destroyed.
Havilah to Shur. How far is that? Well, it’s a big region. Multiple cities. Josephus the historian wrote about how some of them Saul besieged, some he had the walls scaled, some he used “warlike machines” whatever they are. It was a massive campaign, stretching over some time.
And so Saul, let’s say, 95% obedient.
Let’s see what God thinks of Saul’s performance.
Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was furious and cried out to the Lord all night.
Partial Obedience = Disobedience
Partial Obedience = Disobedience
God’s assessment is “he has turned back from following me.” He hasn’t done it!
Samuel is described as furious. He is angry that Saul, a man with so much potential, whom God installed as king, who initially displayed good traits like humility, could throw it away.
God says “I regret that I made Saul king.”
That’s the 3rd big theme for the chapter; I want to leave a discussion of this to the end.
Reading
Reading
Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was reported to Samuel, saying, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal.” So Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the bellowing of the oxen which I hear?” Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God; but the rest we have completely destroyed.” Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop, and let me inform you of what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”
So Samuel said, “Is it not true, though you were insignificant in your own eyes, that you became the head of the tribes of Israel? For the Lord anointed you as king over Israel. And the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are eliminated.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Instead, you loudly rushed upon the spoils and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord!”
Then Saul said to Samuel, “I did obey the voice of the Lord, for I went on the mission on which the Lord sent me; and I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have completely destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took some of the spoils, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things designated for destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
The Danger of Self-Deception
The Danger of Self-Deception
Saul genuinely thinks he has been obedient. Blessed are you of the LORD! I carried out the command! I did obey the voice of the LORD.
It reminds me of another Saul, 2,000 years later. Saul ofTarsus, who became Paul the Apostle, was a very zealous Jew.
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the Law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons,
You see, for this Saul, he also fully believed he was doing God’s will, even as he imprisoned and murdered Christians. Later, he says to Timothy:
even though I was previously a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.
With hindsight, he sees he was acting ignorantly in unbelief.
He didn’t know, because he didn’t believe.
I suspect a similar situation for King Saul, too. He seemed to believe in God, but it’s the LORD your God, he says to Samuel. Saul seems to lack a relationship with God. In unbelief, he is acting ignorantly.
Now we have seen the Spirit of the LORD rush on Saul so that he prophesies, even “changing his heart” according to 1 Sam 10:9; and we’ve seen his victory over the Ammonites and other enemies of Israel.
But have we seen him pray? Or repent? Or seek the LORD for guidance?
Kinda, sorta, but not really.
We haven’t seen genuine faith from Saul. At best, he is a man of compromise. Of maybe, sort-of obedience.
Saul is a man who had a religious experience, but doesn’t follow through with a commitment to repentance and faithfulness towards God. How many people today does that describe...
Saul has deceived himself. “I carried out the command of the LORD.”
Really? So what’s this bleating sound? What’s all this mooing?
The evidence of Saul’s disobedience is right there, but he seems convinced he has done right.
There is a warning here. Self-deception.
I suspect self-deception is the worst kind.
If I stand here and teach you incorrectly, if I deceive you, someone else can correct it, or you can discover the truth for yourself.
But how do you correct self-deception? When you have convinced yourself of something untrue? If the voice that is deceiving you is your own inner monologue?
The Dangers
The Dangers
Jeremiah 17:9 says our own hearts are deceptive. “more deceitful than all else.” Heart in the sense of “inner person.” Heart to our ears can connote emotions and feelings only, but in Hebrew it’s more comprehensive, including our thoughts and decisions too.
Your own thoughts, your inner dialog and perception of the world, it can be deceptive!
Perhaps the most heart-breaking example of self-deception is to believe you are doing God’s work and are right in His eyes, while being far from Him in reality.
Saul of Tarsus is an example. The Jews throughout history are an example, where they do their religious obligations while their hearts are set on their own fleshly priorities.
And Jesus taught:
Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
So a severe danger is to think you are right with God. To tell yourself God is okay with your lifestyle.
Gospel
Gospel
The remediation to this is the gospel!
Again, remembering that we are children of wrath by nature. Worthy of death.
The only way we can approach Him is by accepting the free gift of salvation that Jesus Christ offers, and we accept that by faith - believing in His death and resurrection on our behalf.
You are acceptable to God ONLY if you accept that is true. And that is a humiliating thing. But if you don’t start there, you cannot do anything to please God. Romans 8:7-8
Romans 8:7–8 (NASB 2020)
... the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
For Christians
For Christians
OK, but I believe. I am a Christian. Am I immediately cured?
Well, in 1 Sam 10:9 after Saul met Samuel, we read “God changed his heart.” I honestly do not know what that means, but certainly even with a changed heart, he was still vulnerable to this self-deception we’ve seen today.
Also the Church is vulnerable. Perhaps the most grievous example of this is the church in Laodicea. Rev 3:15-18
‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have no need of anything,” and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to apply to your eyes so that you may see.
The church is deceived about the value of riches. Which I think they have deceived themselves.
What do we do?
What do we do?
First and foremost, it’s critical we spend time in the Word of God, and we spend time with Jesus.
Jesus said of Himself that He is “the truth.”
The Bible is a light to our feet and a lamp to our path.
If we had just one thing to wield in a battle against deception, whether self-deception or otherwise, that’s first. Time with the Word of God. Time in the Word of God. We must let God’s word correct us where we are deceived.
Second, we need to seek wisdom and counsel from one another.
Jesus asked why we look at the speck in our brother’s eye, and miss the log in our own. The fact is we much more readily see where others are astray than where we are astray.
In the church, we are given to one another. Twice, Romans 12:5 and Eph 4:25, the Bible says we are “members of one another.” Proverbs 15:22 says
Without consultation, plans are frustrated,
But with many counselors they succeed.
Others will see more quickly if we’re deceived, or if we’re self-deceived. So it’s a great idea to share plans and thoughts with one another. Hey, this is my situation. Here are the facts I know; here are the things I suspect; this is how I interpret it. What do you think?
Bringing it back to the text
Bringing it back to the text
So Saul argues: “I did obey the voice of the LORD” — except for Agag. And except for all these people, because they brought the best to sacrifice to God.
Reading
Reading
Samuel said,
“Does the Lord have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than a sacrifice,
And to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.
“For rebellion is as reprehensible as the sin of divination,
And insubordination is as reprehensible as false religion and idolatry.
Since you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He has also rejected you from being king.”
Can you imagine, if somebody robbed a bank, but then tithed 10%, is God pleased??
Consider for a moment. Why do burnt offerings and sacrifices even exist? What is the purpose of shedding blood?
God doesn’t love shed blood, and therefore He created humans to shed blood to please Him!
No, God created humans to be in perfect relationship with Him. Obedience! And when we fail, in mercy God appointed sacrifice as a means of forgiving sins.
Which ultimately pointed forward to the Cross of Jesus Christ, the perfect sacrifice that finally deals with sin.
So of course God finds obedience better than the the thing He created to fix disobedience!!
We have this poetic couplet:
“Rebellion is as divination (or, witchcraft)”
“Insubordination (possibly arrogance, or presumption (lit. “pushing back”)) is as idolatry”
Divination is using occult means to try and discern the future, or to make decisions about what to do next.
Why is rebellion like that? I think, because only one can tell the future: God. Is 46:9-10
“Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My plan will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
Divination is turning away from God, who really can tell us the future, and to demons, who are liars and deceivers.
It’s rebellion! Rebelling against the true God and turning to His enemies.
Similarly, insubordination: pushing back against God’s command. Has God really said? No, you can do it your way, that’s fine. That’s like idolatry. That’s just setting up your own god to worship.
And then the poetic justice: as you have rejected God’s word, He has rejected you.
The thing that struck me here is that 95% obedience is counted as disobedience. Saul did nearly everything he was asked. But you have to watch that nearly.
Reading
Reading
Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have violated the command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice. Now then, please pardon my sin and return with me, so that I may worship the Lord.” 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.” Then Samuel turned to go, but Saul grasped the edge of his robe, and it tore off. So Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you. Also the Glory of Israel will not lie nor change His mind; for He is not a man, that He would change His mind.” Then Saul said, “I have sinned; but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before all Israel, and go back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.” So Samuel went back following Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
Saul’s Repentance
Saul’s Repentance
To what extent is Saul’s repentance valid? Many commentators regard Saul’s repentance as insincere. And, to be honest, it probably is. Why?
First, because it only comes after the pronouncement that the kingdom is being torn away.
Second, because in v30, his priority seems to be that Samuel “honour him.” Saul is concerned about his reputation rather than righteousness.
Third, because, if we’ve read ahead, we know the trajectory of Saul’s life and the sins yet to come. His future is not what would characterise a repentant man.
If Saul’s repentance had been genuine, it would have made no difference to the pronouncement: he would have lost the kingdom. BUT, he would have had peace with God.
When we repent and turn to Christ, we still have to face the consequences of our sins. The criminal who comes to Christ does not commute his sentence!
In this text, we read that wonderful declaration from Samuel: “the Glory of Israel will not lie nor change His mind.” I want to come back to that at the end.
Reading
Reading
Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag, the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is gone!” But Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.
Agag is chopped to bits by the ageing Samuel.
There are some challenges in the Hebrew text here. NASB states Agag comes cheerfully, expecting to be spared death. NET Bible analyses the same Hebrew and puts:
“So Agag came to him trembling, thinking to himself ‘surely death is bitter!’”
The LXX writers interpreted it that same way: i.e. Saul was lenient; Samuel will not be.
Is this the end of the Amalekites? It is not! It is not, because it turns out Saul did not wipe them all out. He only clear from Havilah towards Shur. Samuel said: “you were supposed to eliminate them completely, but you got distracted and loudly rushed on the spoils.” He didn’t complete the mission, and more than just Agag were left. How do I know?
In chapter 30, the Amalekites have captured Ziklag from David.
And who will take credit for Saul’s death? In 2 Samuel 1 we will learn it is an Amalekite.
Saul did not complete the extermination of the Amalekites.
So did God’s word through Moses fail? What do you think??
1 Chr 4:42-43 states that in the days of King Hezekiah, the sons of Simeon will finally wipe out the remnant of the Amalekites.
You may know that in the Book of Esther we encounter one Haman the Agagite. If 1 Chr 4 is correct, he cannot be a descendent of king Agag.
Last bit
Last bit
Then Samuel went to Ramah, but Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, though Samuel mourned for Saul. And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
And so these two, whose lives were so closely intertwined become estranged. Samuel mourns for Saul, and yet they are not reconciled. Sometimes, reconciliation just cannot happen.
Can the LORD Regret?
Can the LORD Regret?
OK, let’s deal with this. As a reminder, we have the following verses to consider:
“I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was furious and cried out to the Lord all night.
Also the Glory of Israel will not lie nor change His mind; for He is not a man, that He would change His mind.”
And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, though Samuel mourned for Saul. And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
In each case, the Hebrew verb is nacham. Twice, we read that God “nacham-ed” that He’d made Saul king. And in the middle, Samuel delivers clear theology: the Glory of Israel will not lie nor “nacham.”
A contradiction, then?
Word Study
Word Study
Nacham originally carried the meaning of “breathing deeply” and thus described the appearance of one’s emotions. Grief, sorrow, or even comfort.
In our context here, we should understand it to mean changing plans. Changing approach.
i.e. “I’m changing my plans about making Saul king.”
“God does not lie, and He doesn’t change His plans.”
“The LORD’s changed His plans regarding making Saul king over Israel.”
But that doesn’t help much, does it. We still have what appears to be a contradiction.
Understanding
Understanding
Does God change His plans, or doesn’t He?
To put it simply, it depends on your point of view.
From a human perspective, it does appear that God’s plans change in response to human behaviour. And actually, there are many examples of this.
The Ninevites in the Book of Jonah. “Go to Ninevah and cry out against it.” Says God. Go proclaim the message I’ll tell you.” What’s that? “40 days, and you’re overthrown.” There are no ifs or buts. This is how it’s going to happen. You know the story: the king pronounces a fast and repentance. “Who knows, God may turn and nacham.” Says the king. And God does.
From the perspective of man, God changed His plan.
But God, always wanted to have compassion on Ninevah. And He knew the best way to lead them to repentance.
Perhaps the most significant example though, is that of Messiah coming to Israel. Messiah is coming to you. The prophesy in Daniel 9 about the 70 weeks of years. All the Christmas prophesies about the advent of Messiah. Gabriel says to Mary “your Son will be great, the LORD GOD will give Him the throne of His father David.” The Messianic promise! The ushering in of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is upon you. The miracles to signify it were done: cleansed lepers, healing of those born blind.
But we’ve read it in Matthew. The Jewish leadership rejected Jesus as Messiah and crucified Him. Jesus says Matthew 23:37-39
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”
As a result of that rejection, we’re now in this interval called the Church Age. Paul said Acts 13:46
Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. Since you repudiate it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
I ask you: did God’s plans change?
Well, yes, because in response to Jewish rejection, the invitation was extended to Gentiles.
Well, NO, because according to Eph 1:4 He CHOSE US in Christ before the foundation of the world.
Contradiction? No. What’s happening is our finite understanding reaches its limit.
If you look at things from our human perspective that experiences cause and effect, it appears that God does change His plans based on human activity.
But God knows the end from the beginning!
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My plan will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
God cannot learn. It’s impossible for Him to discover new data. He sits outside of time itself, and is fully conscious of past, present and future.
So He knew how Saul’s reign would go. He knew how the Ninevites would respond to the message. He knew that the Jews at the time of Christ’s first coming would reject Him.
So when God says: “I regret that I made Saul king” it doesn’t mean God is kicking Himself, man, I didn’t see that coming.
Of course He did. The people of God asked for a king early. Samuel wasn’t happy about it. God wasn’t happy about it. It wasn’t time yet. God knew how it was going to go.
But He gave them Saul so he could be a lesson to them. Saul was the best available. Looked great, tall, valiant. God gave him to show that the best of man is not good enough: we need God.
God’s plan all along was to install David.
This can seem a bit abstract.
So let me bring it home a little.
Why do you pray?
Is it because God doesn’t know what you need, and you need to tell Him? No: in Matthew 6:8 Jesus taught us that “your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
So what need of prayer is there? He already knew what I needed, and He already knew what I was about to ask.
Because we are bound by time. Prayer is how we, the ones who experience past, present and future, can relate to God, the one outside of time, who knows everything. And He delights to come and meet with us, even with our limitations.
So, Saul.
Did God regret installing Saul? No, of course He didn’t. He is God. He cannot change His mind, it’s impossible. He decreed that Saul should be installed as king to show Israel how the best of them would reign. Saul had free will to choose how he would rule. He chose to rule in a way that grieved God. But God already knew that’s how Saul would act.
Conclusion
Conclusion
We worship a perfect, eternal, timeless God. His ways are far, far beyond us, because His knowledge and wisdom is infinite. He had His reasons for commanding the elimination of the Amalekites. He has provided us His Word as our defence againt deception and error, even that which comes from within.
And He knows the end from the beginning, so we can fully trust and commit ourselves to Him.
Next time, we’ll shift gears and see Samuel heading to a little village called Bethlehem.
