Rejected Repentance?

Up to this point, every new section of 1 Samuel has been introduced through a crisis and looming disaster for Israel. It started with Hophni and Phinehas, and it happened again when the people demanded a king and rejected God’s rule. Finally, in chapter 15, we see fleshed out YHWH’s rejection of Saul. This final crisis genuinely moves both Samuel and God, but sets the stage for the next great movement of God in salvation history.

As it starts, Saul is charged to “listen to the words of the Lord” (vs.1). It’s more than just audible processing — it’s a call to listen with the intent to obey, and it actually appears 8 x’s in the Hebrew, though they’re not all discernible in English (v.1, 4, 14, 19, 20, 22 twice, and 24). What a reminder that God’s king, and by extension — all His people — must submit to His will. This — submission to God’s will — is the the IT of chapter 15.

Is God Vengeful? (v.1-9, 18, 32-33)

Interpretation:

As we begin reading this passage, we see the command of God — 1 Samuel 15:3 “Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”” Saul’s charge is to “listen and obey” God’s word, and he partially does. But, “the people spared Agag and the best” of the spoils of war (v.9). The disparity between what YHWH commanded and what happened is clear: God said destroy it all, but they only destroyed what was “despised and worthless” (v.9). That’s…disobedience. And, it should bother us, but it’s interesting how often the severity of God’s command gets the lion’s share of attention in this passage. So, how should we respond?

First, YHWH’s command is severe. It’s shocking, but remember that “our claim is only that Scripture is true, not that it is sanitized.” Sometimes God says some hard things, but that doesn’t negate what He says. And, His word must be interpreted in light of His character — good, wise, righteous, and just. Therefore, we should disregard His severe command if it is virtuous…if His judgment is just.

So, is His judgment on Amalek just? Here’s His reasoning: 1 Samuel 15:2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt.” Further, they used dirty tactics, attacking Israel when they were faint, cutting off the ones who lagged behind (Deut.25:18). And, there was no fear of God from Amalek. God’s promised response to this was to wipe out the Amalekites (see Ex.17:14-16; Deut.25:19).

But, we may contend, “Is God holding Amalek’s descendants responsible for his sin? Well, yes, but no. True, there have been generations of Amalekites since then, but little has changed. They’re described in vs.18 as “sinners,” and their king Agag is accused by Samuel of war crimes — he “has made women childless” (v.33), so it’s status quo for the Amalekites. If anything, this passage only shows the slowness and kindness of YHWH, allowing some three hundred years or so for the Amalekites to repent.

And, this passage should actually serve as a great comfort, for we see that our God does not forget the suffering of His people — how we’ve been hated and crushed and persecuted by a hateful world. As a matter of fact, this is a key theme repeated throughout the Babylon/Day of the Lord cycles in Scripture. One of the great hopes of Revelation is that the martyrs crying out from under the throne will finally be avenged. Davis notes,

“…the good new in all its completeness, always proclaims both the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God.”

God’s people enjoy His favor forever, while His enemies receive His vengeance, full and fierce.

Illustration:

In the National Parks, there are frequent signs, reminders that you shouldn’t remove any of the plants or harm any of the wildlife, the proverbial take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints rule. The sign that hangs over God’s people reads, “Beware of Butchering the Sheep,” for the penalty is to suffer the same fate.

Application:

May we rejoice that the Lord sees every tear, hears every cry, and is mindful of every martyr who has suffered for the faith. It is not our to take revenge, but to heed the words of

Isaiah 35:4 ESV

Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

Is God vengeful? No, God is just, and let all His people rejoice.

Is Obedience Important? (v.10-23)

Interpretation:

God’s response to Saul’s incomplete obedience is, “I am sorry that I made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me, and…has not carried out my words” (v.11). Whenever we see a sovereign and all-knowing God say He’s sorry for something He did, it’s perplexing to us. What do we do with that?

Well, we have to pay attention to God’s assessment of the situation — Saul has turned is back on God. This is deeper than just failure. It’s rebellion. Saul has turned his back on the ways of God. I actually think this answers some questions even about Saul’s relationship to YHWH in the first place. Remember when we first meet Saul, when he first speaks of God back in chapter 9, he doesn’t use God’s covenant name. He doesn’t speak of YHWH, but Elohim. Again, a perfectly fine name for God, but I think the distinction is intentional. I think this point is highlighted by the fact that in chapter 14, whenever Jonathan speaks about God, he DOES use YHWH, God’s covenant name. And, we noted last week how Jonathan appears to be more fit for the role of king than Saul does. Finally, on three separate occasions in this passage, when Saul does use YHWH, he says that YHWH is Samuel’s God (see vv.15, 21, 30). Has Saul ever truly personally embraced YHWH? The answer seems implied in these texts: NO.

Then, note Samuel’s response in verse 11 — “Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night.” We’re not privy to the prayer, but we see how distraught Samuel was. And seriously, think about it. Samuel was used by God to put Saul in power. But, this leader, chosen by an omniscient and sovereign God, has now changed His mind? And, what will become of Israel? It seems the country is her worst place yet.

Still, we should be able to understand, because if we pray, “Thy kingdom come…” and truly desire His reign and rule here and now, then wouldn’t we be similarly saddened whenever is seems His sovereignty is sabotaged?

As this is happening behind the scenes, Saul is be-bopping right along, as oblivious as he is upbeat. When Samuel meets him, Saul’s like, “Hey…did what you told us!” (v.13). Meanwhile, Samuel’s like, “Where is that baa and moo I hear coming from?!” (v.14). Saul’s response? “Well, the people saved the best…they’re going to kill them for YHWH, your God!” (v.15) Samuel, he’s still like, “You don’t get it. See, here’s what God told me last night.” (v.16). Samuel announces God’s judgment, and Saul pleads with him — I’ve gone on the mission, and yeah the people kept the spoil, but they were going to sacrifice them on Gilgal. Samuel’s response in vv.22-23 is the kicker, though, and he starts it with a question we all MUST wrestle with:

1 Samuel 15:22 ESV

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 listen than the fat of rams.

Samuel’s question echoes throughout Scripture. And, he’s not negating sacrifice altogether. I mean, where would we be without sacrifice? But, he’s saying that the formality of worship can’t replace of a life of surrender. We can’t trade external actions for internal submission. A German translation of the Bible, called the Berleburg Bible, which included tons of notes about living the spiritual life, sums up Samuel’s reasoning:

“In sacrifices a man offers only the strange flesh of irrational animals, whereas in obedience he offers his own will, which is rational or spiritual in worship.”

And, Samuel explains his reasoning in verse 23 — the rejection of God’s voice is the same thing as open rebellion and outright idolatry. It’s a sin that seeps deeper than the surface.

Illustration:

Imagine purchasing a house only to find out that the internal studs, the frame of the house, every load-bearing wall…all of it is dry rotted and termite infested. And, imagine your solution to the matter is to simply slap a new coat of paint over it. Does it address the issue? Not at all. At the end of the day, the core is still rotten.

Application:

If we want to think rightly about sin, be it Saul’s or more importantly ours, then we must see beyond the surface. Saul didn’t obey God’s clear command. It was rebellion and arrogance and outright idolatry, and rejecting God’s word is rejecting God Himself. This is why God so steadfastly rejected Saul as king. And let us head the warning:

“All the smoke and fat on Gilgal’s altar would never replace the pleasure God could have had from the living sacrifice of Saul’s will.”

Is obedience important? Absolutely, so let us die daily that we might live for the glory of God.

Who is Repenting? (v.11, 29, 35)

Interpretation:

This seems an odd question to ask, but trust me, it’s legitimate. And, there are two “answers,” if you will. First, we’ll consider God. In verses 11 and 35, God says that He “regrets” making Saul king. Now the root of that word is the root for the word repent. Bear this in mind, because the same Hebrew root is found in verse 29 where God says that He “will not…regret” his actions. Again, same root. It can be understood as repent. This is actually how the RSV translates this verse originally. So, God repents but will not repent. God regrets but will not regret. How do we interpret what’s going on here?

First, hear the text. God, the One who reigns with unsearchable wisdom and who makes known the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end, regrets making Saul king. It troubles us a little, but God says this nearly 30 times in the OT. The first instance is:

Genesis 6:6 ESV

And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

When we hear something like this, scholars will begin to explain God’s emotions in a theological manner — called anthropomorphism — where human attributes are given to God so that we can somehow relate and understand deity. But, there is a danger is simply explaining this aspect of God away through theological terms. Is God beyond what our finite minds can fathom? Absolutely, no question about it. But at the same time, this is how God is described. And, notice the end of the first time it appears in Genesis 6 — the parallel is that it grieved God to His heart.

I think we’d do well to also embrace the tragedy of what Scripture is telling us here. Why is God described in these terms? Because Saul refuses to follow YHWH. And God, He’s not a “You win some and you lose some” god. YHWH is not fickle in His purpose as we might be in danger of explaining away. Rather, He is genuinely sorrowful over sin. Again, Davis hits the nail on the head:

“…the God of the Bible is no cold slab of concrete impervious to our carefully defended apostasies.”

So, God genuinely regrets — He is filled with sorrow over Saul’s rebellion. But, at the same time, God will not repent. So we ask, “In what regard?” Here’s the thing: Samuel says this about God when he tells Saul that the kingdom has been torn from him (v.28). God’s decision in this is immovable. There is not turning back from God’s decision — what has been decreed will be done.

As we understand the “sorrowful-yet-immovable” nature of God, it should draw us to worship. God isn’t wishy-washy — He says what He means, but He is also not indifferent, making cold-hearted decisions. He is both, and He rules with both “firmness and feeling.”

The second character in the story is Saul, and we wrestle with Saul’s “repentance” as well. It seems that Saul recognizes His wrong in verse 24, but it comes a little too easy and his apology still shifts the blame: “I feared the people and obeyed their voice,” so really not my fault. First, beware of making decisions in life when people are big and God is small! So, Saul reasons, “Alright, so I was wrong. Now, let’s just get back to normal.” That seems to be the emphasis of verse 25.

Samuel’s response though? Saul, you can’t just say I’m sorry and expect things to go back to normal. You rejected God’s word and so God has rejected you.

Out of desperation, Saul grabs Samuel’s robe, tearing it in the process, and Samuel basically says, “This proves my point: God has torn the kingdom from you, and He’s not turning back.”

After hearing this, we really do get a glimpse of Saul’s heart. “I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders…” (v. 30). Basically, let’s just keep up appearances. There is some strategic sense to this — don’t let the nation see any cracks in the crown, because that could lead to civil unrest. But, still I think we get a glimpse of Saul’s heart…it’s as if he says, “Well, there’s sin, but there’s also politics.” What dominates his heart is not sorrow for sin, but fear…not worship, but worry…not holiness before God but honor before men.

To say the least, Saul’s sorrow and repentance is superficial at best. But, let us be wary of picking up the first stone, for how often have we been numbered among those who love the praise of men more than the glory of God?

I hate to mention this so briefly, but vv.32-33 show Samuel finishing Saul’s unfinished business and hacking Agag to pieces as he’s like, “Let’s just let by-gone’s be by-gone’s.” God’s servant finishes the obedience.

And finally, Samuel and Saul separate. It’s a big deal. It seems like just a detail, “Eh, they both went home.” But, Saul has been judged and now finds himself isolated from God’s prophet, separated from God’s word.

It leaves us with this unsettling question:

“What can be more sad than to be cut off from God’s word?”

How does this happen in a Christian’s life? Two ways:

We grieve the Holy Spirit. How do we grieve the Spirit? We grieve God’s Spirit when there are things in life that God convicts us of that we refuse to deal with.

We quench the Holy Spirit. We quench God’s Spirit when we take certain sins and idols off the table from the get-go, either out of self-righteousness or comfort with our sin.

When we grieve the Spirit by refusing to deal with conviction, and when we silence the Spirit by outright refusing to open all of us to all of Him, then number three happens: We are not filled with the Spirit. And when we aren’t filled with the Spirit, we’re not keeping step with the will of God. The only solution is not petty and pretend “I’m sorry’s,” but outright repentance…letting go of that sin, opening that hard part of your life to Spirit’s working, and walking in full obedience to the Word of the Lord.

Illustration:

Application: