Ck – God Rejects Sha’ul First Samuel 15: 1-35

God Rejects Sha’ul
First Samuel 15: 1-35

God rejects Sha’ul DIG: Why did Sha’ul make a burnt offering to the LORD? Why did Samuel react in anger? Why did Sha’ul not kill the king of the Amalekites? Why did he keep the plunder? Why were these things sinful? Why did Ha’Shem demand the complete destruction of the Amalekites, including their possessions? What does this reveal about the character of God? Did ADONAI change His mind regarding Sha’ul? What does this reveal about God’s expectations for those in authority over His people? In what ways did Sha’ul make expedience more important than obedience?

REFLECT: The people thought Sha’ul had won a great victory, but in God’s sight Sha’ul was a failure. What was the key difference? When you see how Samuel dealt with Agag, what lessons can be drawn from that example concerning how believers should deal with compromise and sin in their own lives? In what ways are you more like Sha’ul than Samuel? In what ways are you more like Samuel than Sha’ul? Is your life characterized by obedience or by expedience? What area of obedience might the LORD be asking of you this coming week? How can we make sure not to be a failure in God’s sight?

To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

This is a pivotal chapter in the life of Sha’ul. ADONAI gave him another chance to prove himself, but he failed again, lied about it, and was judged. Sha’ul had a habit of substituting saying for doing and of making excuses instead of confessing his sins. No matter what happened, it was always somebody else’s fault. He was more concerned about looking good before people than being good before God. Consider the five stages in this event that cost Sha’ul the kingdom, and eventually his life.³²³

1. Disobeying God (1:11): When Samuel appeared suddenly to Sha’ul, it was to point out to him that he was king, not by popular demand, but the LORD’s choosing. Samuel said to Sha’ul, “ADONAI sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Isra’el. Now listen to what ADONAI has to say. Sha’ul’s duty was to carry out God’s commands. Here is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot says: I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Isra’el, how they fought against Isra’el when they were coming up from Egypt. Now go and attack the Amalekites, and completely destroy (Hebrew: cherem) everything they have. Do not spare them, kill all the men and women, children and babies, cows and sheep, camels and donkeys (15:1-3).

It was an ancient injustice, not a recent one, that Sha’ul was sent to avenge. The Amalekites were descendants of Esau, the unbelieving brother of Jacob (Genesis 35:19-26), inhabiting the desert between the southern borders of Judah, south of Beersheba, and Egypt, but extending south to the Sinai Peninsula. It was in this last region that they had tried to prevent Isra’el from reaching the Sinai after their miraculous crossing of the Sea of Reeds (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Cv – The Amalekites Attacked the Israelites at Rephidim). And for that opposition to God’s saving purpose, the Amalekites were doomed to destruction (Numbers 24:20 and Deuteronomy 25:17-19).

It fell on Sha’ul to carry out the sentence of Ha’Shem. This made the king’s assignment quite different from all the other battles that he led (see Cj – The Summary of Sha’ul’s Wars). He was to engage in a holy war.³²⁴ Some people find it difficult to believe that the LORD would command an entire nation to be destroyed just because of what their ancestors had done (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Ag – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). Some of these critics, however, may rely more on sentiment than on biblical truth, not realizing how long-suffering YHVH had been with those nations and how unspeakably wicked they were (First Samuel 15:18 and 33). God’s covenant with the Jewish nation includes the promise: I will curse those who curse you (Genesis 12:3). And God always keeps His word!³²⁵

It was to be a war carried out on Ha’Shem’s behalf. The victory was to be the LORD’s, so there was nothing to be gained for the army. All the spoils of war would belong to ADONAI because they were holy. People and property alike were put under the cherem ban (see Leviticus Ff – Cherem), and set apart for destruction. No one was to take possession of them. It would be easy to understand the viewpoint of the soldiers who would be tempted to complain that they had put their lives on the line for nothing. Nevertheless, the principle was well understood, for it had operated in the battles against Jericho (see the commentary on Joshua Bd – The Sin of Achan) and Ai (see Joshua Be – The Defeat at Ai), and underlay the conquest of Canaan.

As a result, it came about that the sinful nation of Isra’el (see Bq – Give Us a King) became the agent of ADONAI in defeating another sinful nation. It was a necessary stage in the progressive revelation of God to bring about the salvation of mankind, and we need to see it in that light, not forgetting that Isra’el’s unfaithfulness met a similar, though less total, destruction at the hands of the Assyrians (see the commentary on the Life of Solomon Dn – The Kings of Isra’el) and Babylonians (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule). This incident is a reminder that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31).³²⁶

So Sha’ul responded immediately by rallying the fighting men and mustering them at Telaim — 200,000 foot soldiers, and another 10,000 men from Judah. Sha’ul arrived at the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. Sha’ul said to the Kenites (see the commentary on Numbers Dy – Balaam’s Sixth Oracle), “Go away, withdraw, leave your homes there with the Amalekites. Otherwise, I might destroy you along with them, even though you were kind to the Israelites when they came out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from among the Amalekites. Then Sha’ul attacked the Amalekites, starting at Havilah, and continuing toward Shur, at the border of Egypt (15:4-7).

While we admire Sha’ul for being careful to protect the Kenites, he wasn’t so careful to obey God’s will. He completely destroyed the Amalekites, putting them to the sword, but he took Agag their king captive. Not only that, Sha’ul’s army took the best of their sheep and cattle, also the fat of calves and lambs . . . everything that was good. There is a clear hint that Sha’ul wanted to keep on the right side of popular opinion with his troops. The Amalekite people were dispensable, but it seemed to be a pity to destroy such excellent stock!³²⁷ But everything that was worthless or weak they completely destroyed (15:8-9). Sha’ul committed the same sin as Achan by stealing things that were dedicated to YHVH; however, Achan stole only a few articles, while Sha’ul stole on a large scale. What’s worse, he led his whole army into sin.³²⁸

Then the word of ADONAI came to Samuel, saying: I am grieved (Hebrew: nacham, carrying the idea of comfort and consolation, often in the context of grief or distress) that I have made Sha’ul king, because he has turned back from following Me and hasn’t obeyed My commands (15:10-11a). Did YHVH change His mind? Heaven forbid! The Bible teaches us that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, we must conclude that God doesn’t change . . . people do, situations do; however, God still achieves His ultimate aims. We can see this in a positive light how Ha’Shem dealt with the Ninevites (see the commentary on Jonah Ax – The Ninevites Believed in God). Jonah was sent to the cruel, violent city of Nineveh to proclaim God’s message. If they did not repent, God was going to wipe them out. But, when God saw that they had turned from their evil (Hebrew: ra’ah) ways, He relented (Hebrew: nhm) with compassion and did not bring on them the destruction (ra’ah) He had threatened (Jonah 3:10).

A human being repenting normally suggests that he or she has sinned and needs to turn from wickedness (Hebrew: ra’ah). Since we know that Ha’Shem is free from sin, the idea of His repenting seems contradictory until we discover that the Hebrew verb relent (nhm) can also be translated moved to pity. Therefore, when Scripture speaks of God relenting, it doesn’t mean that He’s done something wrong or made a mistake; rather, that He’s chosen a compassionate response as a result of another’s decision. God really hadn’t changed His mind . . . the Ninevites had.³²⁹ Furthermore, as Jeremiah 18:7-8 makes clear, prophetic pronouncements of judgment were not absolute, but conditional: At one time, I may speak about uprooting, breaking down and destroying a nation or kingdom; but if that nation turns from their evil, which prompted Me to speak against it, then I relent concerning the disaster I had planned to inflict on it.

So, what we see in a positive light regarding the Ninevites, we see in a negative light concerning Sha’ul. ADONAI had promised an eternal kingdom for Sha’ul if only he would obey. Sha’ul had experienced the LORD’s favor in defeating the Ammonites (see Bz – The Ammonite War), but at the first sign of adversity, he failed the test. The penalty was severe. Samuel said to Sha’ul, “You did a foolish thing. You didn’t observe the mitzvah of ADONAI (making a sacrifice without being a priest), which He gave you. If you had obeyed, Ha’Shem would have set up your kingship over Isra’el forever (13:13). So, God didn’t change, Sha’ul disobeyed, and was rejected. The LORD does not change His mind in the sense that His purposes change, but He could no longer use Sha’ul, who was fully responsible for his attitudes and actions. The sovereign God is so fully in control that He takes in stride the sin of human beings and adjusts His plans when necessary.³³⁰ God would still achieve His ultimate purpose, as far as Isra’el is concerned, only with David as king.

This made Samuel very sad, and he cried to ADONAI all night (15:11b). What exactly was it that caused Samuel to be so very sad (even angry)? In the first place, Samuel’s theology was being put into question. Against his better judgment he had cooperated in king-making, announcing that Sha’ul was the one whom the LORD had chosen (First Samuel 10:1, 24 and 11:15). Now it appeared to him that Ha’Shem had changed His mind, and Samuel couldn’t come to terms with this challenge to God’s sovereignty. In the second place, what was to become of the leadership of Isra’el? Now, the nation was in worse shape than ever. Last but not least, Samuel was torn within himself by the Divine Word, and needed to settle his own turmoil before the LORD. The personal cost of ministry is seen in the life of Samuel, and in this passage in particular.³³¹

2. Sha’ul lies to Samuel (15:12-15): In the eyes of the soldiers and the Jewish people, Sha’ul had won a great victory over a long-time enemy, but in God’s eyes he was a failure. Expecting that Sha’ul would still be in the Negev, Samuel set off southwards, only to find that he had gone the wrong direction. Early the next morning Samuel got up and went to meet Sha’ul; however, Samuel was told, “Sha’ul went to Carmel to set up a monument for his own honor (in Judah, not the Carmel on the upper Mediterranean coast), but now he has left and is on his way down to Gilgal” (15:12). The king was so impressed with himself that he went to Carmel and erected a stone monument in his own honor and then went to Gilgal, where he had previously failed God and Samuel (see Cc – Samuel Rebukes Sha’ul). Was he trying to avoid Samuel? Perhaps, but he failed. It was fifteen miles from Samuel’s home in Ramah to Gilgal, perhaps a day’s journey for the old prophet.

When Samuel reached him, Sha’ul said: May ADONAI bless you! Sha’ul’s greeting was sheer hypocrisy. He had no blessing to give Samuel, and he had not obeyed the LORD. First, he lied to himself in thinking he could get away with lying, saying: I have carried out ADONAI’s commands (15:13). Then he lied to Samuel who already knew the truth. But Samuel answered, “If so, why do I hear sheep bleating and cows mooing?” Sha’ul answered: The soldiers spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to ADONAI your God. But we completely destroyed the rest (15:14-15). He even tried to lie to God by saying he would use the spared animals for sacrifices (First John 1:5-10)! Sha’ul even blamed his own troops for sparing the spoils, saying: The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites. It was always somebody else’s fault.³³²

Sha’ul’s behavior reminds us that spiritual leaders who would seek God’s blessing must be willing to obey the Bible’s commands even when they are unpopular. Paul encouraged Timothy that along with false teachers and imposters, the Church would be plagued with people who will not endure sound doctrine, but having itching ears they will gather for themselves teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths (Second Timothy 4:3-4). Timothy, however, should continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed (First Timothy 3:14), and faithfully preach the Word (First Timothy 4:2). Sha’ul would have obeyed ADONAI if only he had killed Agag and forbidden his soldiers from taking the Amalekites’ sheep and cattle. Then things would have been done according to Ha’Shem’s actual commands. The same is true of messianic rabbis, pastors, parents and individual believers today, who obey the Lord when they insist that all things be done in accordance with God’s clear commands in His Word.³³³

3. Sha’ul argues with Samuel (15:16-23a): Sha’ul might have discounted the significance of his compromises, but to YHVH, his disobedience had the gravest of repercussions. Then Samuel said to Sha’ul, “Stop! I’m going to tell you what ADONAI said to me last night.” “Tell me,” replied Sha’ul. Samuel then said: Although you were once small in your own eyes (9:21), did you not become the head of the tribes of Isra’el? ADONAI anointed you king over Isra’el! Now He sent you on a mission and told you, “Go and completely destroy those wicked Amalekites; keep making war on them until they have been exterminated.” Why did you not obey ADONAI? Why did you seize the spoils and do evil in the eyes of ADONAI” (15:16-19)?

But Sha’ul began to argue with God’s servant, and lied a second time when he declared: “I did obey ADONAI,” Sha’ul said. “I carried out the mission that ADONIA assigned to me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. And for the second time blamed his army saying that the soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder. And for the second time he used the feeble excuse of dedicating the best the animals to God, in order to sacrifice them to ADONAI in Gilgal (15:20-21).³³⁴

But Samuel replied: Does ADONAI delight in burnt offerings (see the commentary on Leviticus Ai – The Burnt Offering: Accepted by God) and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? In a memorable prophetic utterance, Samuel pronounces for all time the futility of attempting to rely on ritual sacrifice when what is required is obedience. No ritual can make up for a rebellious heart towards God and His commandments, because obstinate resistance to YHVH elevates self-will to the place of authority, which only belongs to ADONAI.³³⁵ To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of sorcery, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry (15:22-23a). In other words, to flagrantly reject the clear teaching of God’s Word is practical apostasy. Sha’ul might well have gone to occult mystics to gain divine revelation, as he later will do (see Dj – Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor), if he was going to follow his own inventions. Sha’ul’s will was his real god. In practice, he had dethroned God from his heart.

The ultimate contrast with Sha’ul is the true King of God’s people, the righteous Lord Messiah. When Yeshua presented Himself to YHVH at the end of His earthly ministry, He gave a report very different from King Sha’ul’s. I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave Me to do (John 17:4). Perfect obedience was the memorial that our Lord erected in His life. This is why God the Father accepted Yeshua and His ministry on behalf of all those who trust in Him. When Messiah came into the world, He said: Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for Me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings You were not pleased. Then I said, “Here I am – it is written about me in the scroll – I have come to do Your will, My God” (Hebrews 10:5-7, quoting Psalm 40:6-8).

What, then, do we give in gratitude to ADONAI who already has everything? Does God need sheep or cattle from us? Does He need our money, or songs, or prayers? We should no doubt offer these to God in thanks and love. But if we really want to please YHVH (and what could be more worthwhile than that!), we will do His will, as it is written in His Book, in the name of Yeshua Messiah, the true and righteous King who offered no other sacrifice to God than His own obedient life, shedding His precious blood for our sins.³³⁶

4. Sha’ul is rejected by God (15:23b-26): Because you have rejected the word of ADONAI, He has rejected you as king. In the face of Samuel’s blistering rebukes, Sha’ul finally realized that he must admit what should have been obvious: Then Sha’ul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated ADONAI’s commandment and your instructions also. I was afraid of the soldiers and listened to what they said. Still failing to understand the gravity of his sin, Sha’ul pleaded for pardon and restoration. Now, I beg you, forgive my sin; and come back with me, so that I can worship ADONAI.” But Samuel repeated his statement of Sha’ul’s rejection, which could not be reversed. Sha’ul needed to live with the results of his own decisions. The prophet said to him, “I will not go back with you, because you have rejected the word of ADONAI, and ADONAI has rejected you as king over Isra’el.”

5. Sha’ul is rejected by Samuel (15:27-35): As Samuel was turning around to leave, Sha’ul took hold of the tzit-zit of his robe in an attempt to salvage some shred of his reputation, but he it tore (see the commentary on Numbers Cl – Tzit-zit and Blue Thread). This provided a vivid picture of the kingdom being torn from Sha’ul. Samuel said to him, “ADONAI has torn the kingdom of Isra’el away from you today and given it to a fellow countryman – one better than you. Moreover, the Eternal One of Isra’el will not lie or change his mind, because he isn’t a mere human being subject to changing his mind.” But Sha’ul, unwilling to lose face in front of everyone, begged Samuel, saying: I have sinned; but in spite of that, please show me respect now before the leaders of my people and before Isra’el by coming back with me, so that I can worship ADONAI. So Samuel relented, and followed Sha’ul back, and Sha’ul worshiped ADONAI (15:27-31).

Samuel had not quite fulfilled his prophetic tasks. Though he was old (8:1) and so far as we know had never killed anyone in his life, he needed to complete what Sha’ul had left undone, and devote Agag, the Amalekite king, to the LORD by putting him to death. Then Samuel declared: Bring me Agag the king of Amalekites. Whereas Sha’ul had torn off the tzit-zit of Samuel’s robe that symbolized obedience to God’s Torah, Samuel showed his spiritual commitment by tearing apart the Amalekite king in fulfillment of Ha’Shem’s command.³³⁷ Agag came to him confidently, thinking, “Surely the passions of the battle have now cooled, and I will be spared.” But Samuel said: Just as your sword has left women childless, so will your mother be left childless among women. Then Samuel cut Agag to pieces before ADONIA in Gilgal (15:32-33).

Then Samuel returned to Ramah, and Sha’ul went up to his house in Gibeah of Sha’ul (15:34). First Samuel 15:35 indicates that Samuel did not see Sha’ul again until the day he died, though Samuel, who knew Sha’ul from his youth, mourned for him. Yet, later on, Sha’ul was with Samuel at Ramah (19:24). The key to this apparent discrepancy is that the Hebrew verb translated to see can mean to give attention to, to take heed, or to regard with interest. The point is that just as ADONAI was through with Sha’ul as king, so was Samuel. The prophet didn’t have any interest in Sha’ul as king for the rest of his life.³³⁸ Thus, ADONAI was grieved that He had made Sha’ul king over Isra’el (15:35). Is it ever too late to repent? Clearly it was for and Sha’ul, just as the writer to the Hebrews says it is possible for people to arrive at the place where they have rejected the light forever (see the commentary on Hebrews Ci – If We Deliberately Keep on Sinning, No Sacrifice For Sins is Left: The Danger of Apostasy). Samuel knew, perhaps by God’s revelation, that Sha’ul was too far gone, so his only recourse was to grieve. Perhaps you are grieving for someone.

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being so wise and loving. You see into all hearts and know when the situation is right for You to show compassion, or when You need to act in discipline or punishment. It is such a comfort to me that the reward for my faith is eternal life, and that I will have an eternal home in heaven with You. Living for the applause of men is so hollow and empty and is over before it has begun. Living for You, even during severe trials, is the wisest thing to do. When I keep my eyes on the future and life with You forever in heaven, it makes the trials seem so small. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). In the Name of Him who sits at Your right hand. Amen