Obedience At All Costs

1 Samuel 15:1–3 KJV 1900

1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord. 2 Thus saith 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. 3 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.

Introduction

Let me ask you three questions as we begin. It’s open book, you can use your Bible if you need to!

Is the order given to Saul a clear order?

Absolutely. Saul is told exactly what to do.

Is there any question or room for him to question what God wants him to do?

None. God’s command is not a suggestion; it is a divine decree.

Would you agree that there is no fault in the command?

No. God is righteous, Samuel is faithful, and Saul is fully informed. The issue is not confusion—it is compliance.

(1Sa 3:19) And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.

Who is the authority?

Not Samuel. Not Saul. The Lord alone.

God’s command to Saul is unmistakably clear. There is no ambiguity, no symbolism, no hidden meaning. God tells Saul exactly what to do, and exactly how to do it. The authority is divine, the instruction is direct, and the expectation is absolute obedience. Saul is not left to interpret, negotiate, or modify the command. His only responsibility is to obey. God is not asking Saul for creativity, opinion, or evaluation—He is demanding obedience. When God speaks, He speaks with perfect clarity and perfect authority.

Not only was God speaking in authority and his command was absolutely clear, God set Saul up for nothing less that absolute success. God gave Saul the guarantee that he would be victorious. Just go do what God told you to do and you cannot go wrong.

The Fact of the Matter (v1–5).

1 Samuel 15:1–5 KJV 1900

1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord. 2 Thus saith 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. 3 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. 4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

Why the extreme surgery in slaying the Amalekites and Agag?

The answer is found in the Book of Esther.

Haman, who almost succeeded in destroying the entire Jewish race, was an Amalekite. God knew the true character of this people, which was first revealed in their unprovoked and malicious attack upon Israel in the wilderness (Exo17:8-16).

These instructions may seem extreme to you if you are not familiar with the history of Amalek. Moses, who was there when it happened, rehearsed the episode for the younger generation in De 25:17-19: “Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.”

If these people had been permitted to live, they would probably have caused more trouble in the future than is imaginable. Apparently Saul spared some of these people, and when we come to the Book of Esther, we will get acquainted with one of them, Haman. He tried to exterminate the Hebrew nation and would have succeeded had not God intervened. When we get God's perspective we understand His immediate action. Very candidly, since you and I are not God and are not obligated to make God's decisions, we cannot pass judgment upon Him.

Saul knew clearly the command of the Lord. This was something that had previously been declared in prophecy.

(Exo 17:14) And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

(De 25:19) Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

God has given us the entirety of His word in all of its completeness and we are without excuse. God speaks to us through His Spirit and we receive instruction of His will through the reading of His word and prayer with Him.

We spend a lot of time making decisions about God's decisions. Saul felt that he had a right to sit in judgment on the commands of God.

Saul based his decision on humanistic logic and reason:

Does it seem practical – It did not seem practical to kill all of the animals. We can sacrifice them, eat them, multiply them, etc.

Does it seem profitable – It did not seem profitable as to them it would be a waste.

Does it seem pleasant – It would not bring happiness and delight to kill the cattle.

Does it seem popular – What would the majority say about doing this? People would think they were crazy for doing these things.

Does it seem preferrable – “What do I prefer? What feels better to me?”

It did seem to fit all of these criteria to kill all of the Amalekites except leaving Agag . So Saul was picking and choosing that of God's commandments that seemed convenient to him.

1. Self‑indulgence in Disobedience / Partial Obedience (vv. 7–9)

1 Samuel 15:7–9 KJV 1900

7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. 8 And he took Agag the 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, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

Saul thought in this moment that he knew better than God. Why in the world would we destroy all of these good things.

Like Saul's early kingship, he was ready to give it all to the Lord while he was small in his own sight, similar are we in our salvation. Early in our salvation we are on fire for God but once we have been kings for a while we deem it proper to keep a little of the world for ourselves. The Lord says to utterly destroy all of it. No matter what you give up for the Lord, He will always give you something better in its place.

The Lord said to go and utterly destroy everything, but Saul chose for himself that which would be worthy to keep. But everything that was vile and refuse he was willing to destroy.

It is so easy for us to read this passage and think to ourselves, Saul, you fool! All that you had to do was destroy it all and yet we are only magnifying the things that we won't "destroy" in our own lives. God stripped the kingdom from Saul for this partial obedience and Saul didn't want that. Will God have to wrend something from us to get our attention as well?

2. Self‑confidence in Disobedience (v. 13)

1 Samuel 15:10–13 KJV 1900

10 Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, 11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night. 12 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. 13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord.

Saul had misplaced his confidence in himself rather than in God. Saul began to believe that he knew even though he had not obeyed God fully that God would say that what he had done instead would be acceptable.

It's not about "the good stuff" that Saul had brought for worship. God wanted a leader that would do this bidding despite the popularity of acceptance.

Saul thinks that because he is an authority that he can make that call.

God needed a man that would lead the children of Israel.

3. Self‑preservation in Disobedience (vv. 15–21)

1 Samuel 15:14–21 KJV 1900

14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 15 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 thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. 16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. 17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel? 18 And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord? 20 And Saul said unto 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. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.

Saul blames the people. Saul would have been much better off if he would have just owned up to the fact that he allowed the people to have their way and that he in fact went right along with it.

There are a lot of times in our lives where we just sit back and allow those in our homes, our families, etc. to just go on and do whatever they want to do when we have the obligation and the duty to take a stand and do not allow ungodliness to prevail.

4. Self‑promoting in Disobedience (v. 24)

1 Samuel 15:22–24 KJV 1900

22 And Samuel said, Hath 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. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king. 24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

Saul tries to write-off his disobedience in promotion of self because he wanted the people to like him. Saul was very concerned with how the people viewed him and how they accepted him and his leadership. Essentially he was telling God "I know what is best for my people". Saul was seeking popularity but at what cost?

5. The Audacity in Disobedience (vv. 25–30)

1 Samuel 15:25–30 KJV 1900

25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord. 26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. 27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. 28 And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. 29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent. 30 Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord thy God.

He then turns right around to blame the people in order to find favor in Samuel. He wanted Samuel to turn with him and pardon his sins and worship God before the people so as to say that Saul was the man that negotiated with God in order to allow the people to be at peace with all the things that they had taken in rebellion.

6. God's Will Fulfilled (vv. 31–33)

1 Samuel 15:31–33 KJV 1900

31 So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the Lord. 32 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. 33 And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.

I want you to notice the end of verse 31, finally we see Saul worships God; however, this is a picture of when it is too late. Saul had already lost the favor and blessing of God. He had every opportunity to be obedient to God, but he waited too late.

Isaiah 45:23 KJV 1900

23 I have sworn by myself, The word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall swear.

Romans 14:11 KJV 1900

11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

God used Samuel to fulfill the command. God's will will be completed. God may move on to someone else to give the blessing to. Be mindful of this in your own life.