Prophet Samuel (Message 5)

Two Thoughts for This Series:

In each generation, there are a FEW people who live differently than those around them, who TRUST God, and who therefore make an enormously positive IMPACT.

A Christian life is not measured by success or failure but by a Godly CHARACTER.

The Order to Destroy

1Sam. 15:1 Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. 2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ” 4 So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim—two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand from Judah. 5 Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. 6 Then he said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites. 7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt. 8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword.

Why would a loving God order the DESTRUCTION of a group of people? (This chapter covers many months.)

— He is GOD (This punishment belongs ONLY to Him.)

— He had WAITED hundreds of years to punish these people.

— The Amalekites had tried to DESTROY God’s people.

Deut. 25:17 Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. 18 When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God. 19 When the LORD your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!

In the midst of destruction, there is also GRACE (Kenites).

The Failure to Obey

1Sam. 15: 9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed. . . . 12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.” 13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD’S instructions.” 14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” 15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.” 16 “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul replied. 17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?” 20 “But I did obey the LORD,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”

Saul did not completely FOLLOW the Lord’s command, which was his FIRST sin of many. Sin is a “SLIPPERY SLOPE”.
— He became PROUD (a monument).
— He LIED about the mission.

In the midst of Saul’s lying, Samuel confronted him with the TRUTH (Why can I hear the animals if you killed them?)

Saul’s response is quite TYPICAL of people caught in sin.

— We BLAME others (the soldiers did it).

— We say we did it for GOD (to sacrifice to Him).

— We claim to have followed MOST of the instructions (destroyed the rest).

— We even suggest that God might be WRONG (but I did).

The Importance of Obedience

1Sam. 15:22 But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.” 24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the LORD’S command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. 25 Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD.” 26 But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!” 27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you. . . . 30 Saul replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God.” 31 So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.

More than ANYTHING else, God wants our OBEDIENCE!

When we fail to obey and also fail to deal HONESTLY with our sin, God can no longer USE us in the same way. (Note: God did not reject Saul as His follower, but as a KING.)

Saul’s only concern was PUBLIC opinion.

Samuel is to be ADMIRED for confronting a king.

Understanding God’s Regret

1Sam. 15:10 Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the LORD all that night.
1Sam. 15:35 Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

TWICE in this passage we are told that God “regretted” his decision to make Saul king. The word for regret is נָחַם, nâcham, and it means to be SORRY or “to sigh or breathe strongly”.

Anyone could regret making a particular decision even if they were nearly CERTAIN what the outcome would be before making that decision. Regret does not PRECLUDE foreknowledge.

The AUTHOR of 1 Samuel was concerned that people would jump to the WRONG conclusions, and so a reminder of God’s nature is placed in the CENTER of the story.

1Sam. 15:29 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.”