Saul destroys Amalek and loses his kingdom

1 Samuel Chapter 15

Samuel said to Saul that the Lord told him to have Saul and his army settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came out of Egypt. He told Saul to go destroy the entire nation of Amalek- every person. Then Saul mobilized his army and lay in wait in a valley near the city. He sent a message to the Kenites to move away from the Amalekites or they would also die. So the Kenites moved and Saul slaughtered the Amalekites and captured Agag, their king. He kept all the best livestock for himself and destroyed the poor quality ones.

The Lord told Samuel he was sorry he ever made Saul king, for he was not loyal and had refused again to obey God. Samuel cried all night at this news. In the morning he went to find Saul and was told he was at Carmel setting up a monument to himself. When Samuel found him,Saul greeted Samuel saying that he had carried out the Lord's command. But Samuel could hear the bleating of the livestock and asked what was going on. Saul admitted his army took the best of the livestock, but justified his actions because they would have been sacrificed anyway.

Samuel told Saul to stop lying and told him the Lord paid a visit the night before. The Lord said Saul was not the leader of the tribes of Israel, but was king of Israel. The Lord, Samuel said, told Saul to destroy all the Amalekites. Saul said he did obey the Lord and carried out his mission. He brought back King Agag, but destroyed everyone else. Then he brought back the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord in Gilgal.

Samuel asked Saul, "What is more pleasing to the Lord; your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to him is much better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you from being king."

Saul admitted he disobeyed the Lord's instructions because he did what his people demanded. He asked for forgiveness of his sin and asked that Samuel go with him to worship the Lord. But Samuel would not. As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed him to hold him back and tore his robe. At that Samuel said, "See? The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and have given it it to someone else-one who is better than you. And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie nor change his mind, for he is not human that he could change his mind."

Saul pleaded again and begged Samuel to at least go with him to go before his people and worship the Lord. Samuel finally agreed. Afterward, Samuel asked that King Agag be brought to him. Agag was full of smiles because he thought the worst was over and he had been spared. But Samuel told Agag that his sword had killed the sons of many mothers and now his mother would be childless and Samuel proceeded to cut Agag to pieces before the Lord. Then Samuel went home to Ramah and Saul returned to Gibeah and Samuel never met with him again, but mourned for him and the Lord was sorry he had ever made Saul king of Israel.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: Saul was arrogant and selfish enough to build a momument to himself and fail to follow through on the instructions of the Lord. Dishonest people begin to believe their own lies. This chapter is the first place in the Bible where the theme "obedience is better than sacrifice" is stated. Was Samuel saying that sacrifice was unimportant? No, he was urging Saul to look at his reasons for sacrifice rather than the act of doing it. Otherwise it becomes a hollow ritual. As Saul's excuses came to an end, we need to realize God wasn't rejecting him as a person, because he could still seek forgiveness, but it was too late to get his kingdom back. As Saul asked Samuel to go worship with him, his motive was to look good in front of the nations. His ego was his enemy.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? How many liars do you know? Don't you begin to see a pattern, that they lose the ability to tell the difference between truth and lies? Pray that you don't become a liar like Saul.He only wanted Samuel to worship with him so the public would think Samuel still supported him. Excuses too all come to an end. We all must act responsible for what God has entrusted us to do. All of us must one day give an account for our actions(Rev. 22:12). Pray that you can do what the Lord asks without lies or excuses. Pray to return his confidence in you with love and obedience.

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH: Gabe, Wanda, Janice Long’s parents, Arlene’s nephew David, Lori (who suffered a terrible accident)and her family and my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life. Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, is now able to speak and is working on rehab for paralysis. Pray for Robert Sargent with lung cancer and Marthaline Sargent with serious health issues. Update on Stella: She is 10 weeks old and has her own room at the hospital. The doctors continue to experiment with respirators, but her parents can see progress in her lung activity. Pray also for healing of Mark after brain surgery and my friend Elaine who underwent surgery. Pray also for Craig who is undergoing heart tests. These folks need your prayers so badly. Let’s all raise our voices to God to hear our prayers.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, those who need jobs, those who are about to lose or have lost their homes. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.