1 Samuel Chapter 15 - Importance of Obedience

 1 Samuel Chapter 15 - Importance of Obedience

v1-9: Saul's Compromised Obedience

Over 400 years ago, the Amalekites attacked the Israelites as they were escaping from Egypt. God made a promise at that time that He will one day wipe out the Amalekites. Samuel gave specific instructions to Saul to not let anything live be it adults, children or animals. 

Saul advanced with 210,000 troops to the city of Amalek. However he let the Kenites in the city to leave, as they had never done anything evil to the Israelites. 

Saul had a great victory, but left the king Agag alive and took all the best of the sheep and oxen. Saul compromised the instructions of God to eliminate every living thing. Does that mean that Saul was right to show mercy, when God did not?

While it is a usual thing to allow the enemy's king to live as a prisoner, and to take the abundance of the enemy's assets, it was made clear that this is not just a war, but to fulfill God's promise to destroy the Amalekites :  "Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”  (Exodus 17:14-16)

While the Amalekites took advantage of the weak Israelites hundreds of years ago, they have not changed their ways even in Samuel's days, for in v33, Samuel judged Agag that : "“As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women."  

The Amalekites were descendants of Esau, who had rejected God. They are not just a common enemy fighting over land, such as the Philistine. They are devoted to the destruction of Israel. An example was Haman, the person who tried to engineer the genocide of Jews during the time of Esther and King Xerces. He was an Agagite, a descendant of Agag, and said: “When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.” (Esther 3:5–6)

The judgement was final and fatal, just like it was for Sodom and Gomorrah, or the Noah's flood, for those who have totally rejected God's ways and redemption plan.  

God wants faithful leaders to follow his orders to the hilt as he is always righteous in His judgement. We are not to use our own reasoning or fear of people to compromise. 

v10-21 Saul's Excuse

God told Samuel that he regretted making Saul the king, as he kept disobeying Him. Samuel was so angry with Saul and he cried to God all night. Next morning, he found out that Saul had set up a monument of himself in Carmel - an evidence of the pride he has. 

Saul is not just proud, but also boastful, saying to Samuel that he had fulfilled the commandment of the Lord before Samuel had a word out. He further made excuses that it was the soldiers who took the animals for a good reason - in order to sacrifice to "the Lord your God". This is probably a lie as they wanted them for their own. He did not even address God as his own God. 

Samuel told him off by reminding him that he is the leader of the tribes and king of Israel, and the people would not have done it if he did not approved it. However, Saul kept insisting that he had obeyed God, and it is not his fault. 

v22-31 Too Little, Too Late

Samuel said this distinguished statement to Saul: "“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.  For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry." (v22,23a)

Rebellion is as great a sin as divination (witchcraft); being presumption (stubbornness) is as bad as idolatry. If I am not 100% obeying God, I am like a non-believer who believes in himself more that he believes in God.

Samuel made it clear that God has rejected Saul as king as rejected His word. Saul finally admit that he was afraid of the people's voice and gave in to them. This is not what a good leader should be. He asked Samuel to forgive him and to continue to support him. Samuel said "no" and as he turned away, Saul grab his robe and it tore. Samuel told Saul that this as a symbol that God has also torn away Saul's kingdom from him.

Saul's next statement emphasize again that he is very proud and afraid of "losing face". Instead of repenting, he just want Samuel to "honor" him before the elders and the people of Israel, by returning with him. Samuel relent, but as he said, "the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” (v29)

We keep seeing that Saul's failure was contributed by personal pride and fear of his people. 

v32-35: Departure of Samuel

Samuel killed Agag, the king of the Amalekites, by chopping him up into pieces. Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went home to Gibeah. Though they are only 16 KM apart, they never met again until the day of his death. (We assume this refers to Samuel's death as it was estimated to be 1012 BC, as compared to Saul's death in 1010 BC.)

However, two persons kept suffering because of Saul - Samuel were grieved and the Lord were regretful he made him king.