Saul was going around taking any young man that seemed capable into his army. He was trying to be the king that he thought he should be in the way he thought a king should behave.
God wanted a king over His people that would listen to His direction and do things His way. He was going to give Saul one more chance to prove that he could obey.
I Samuel 15:1-3- 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. 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. 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.
God told Saul that He wanted him to kill all the Amalekites. Not only was he to kill the people, but he was also to kill their animals.
I Samuel 15:4-7- And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
Saul's army had grown from a small band of 600 men to around 210,000 men. He now a large army.
Saul took his army and went to the city of the Amalekites. He told the Kenites (Moses' father-in-law's people) to get out of town so they wouldn't be destroyed. And then he attacked.
Do you think he obeyed God?
I Samuel 15:8-9- And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 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.
No. King Saul had failed God's test. He saved the Amalekite king and all the animals that he thought were good. He did what he thought was right instead of obeying God.
I Samuel 15:10-11- Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, 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.
God told Samuel that Saul had failed the test. This was not easy for Samuel to hear. He was very hopeful that Saul would remain that humble young man who was obeying his own father looking for the family donkeys he had met so long ago. But, he had grown into this proud, self satisfying man who would not obey the Lord God Almighty.
Samuel now had to go tell Saul what the Lord had decided about him.
I Samuel 15:12-13- 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. And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
When Samuel found Saul, Saul was trying to pretend like he had obeyed the Lord. He told Samuel that he did what the Lord had asked of him.
But, Samuel knew better. He looked around at all the new cattle that Saul had. He knew by that alone that Saul hadn't killed everything.
I Samuel 15:14-15- And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 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.
Samuel asked Saul if he had obeyed God then why did he have a bunch of new live stock? Guess what! Saul didn't repent or accept the blame. Instead, he blamed the people and tried to sound spiritual.
He said that the people kept the animals so they could offer them as a sacrifice to the Lord. If that were true, then why did Saul have the animals? And why was Agag still alive? It had been at least one day since the battle ended, and the king of the Amalekites was still breathing.
I Samuel 15:16-19- 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. 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? 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. 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?
Samuel was hoping that by pointing out Saul's sin Saul would repent and confess. But, Saul had become too proud, too self righteous. He didn't think doing what he thought was right could possibly be wrong- even if he was directly disobeying God.
I Samuel 15:20-21- 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. 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 still thought he did right. He kept Agag alive, but he killed all the others. And it wasn't him that kept the animals it was the people. And they kept them for a good cause!
But, God didn't say it was okay to disobey for a good cause.
I Samuel 15:22-23- 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. 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.
Samuel said that disobeying God was the same as worshiping the devil! And because Saul wouldn't listen to God's Word, God wouldn't accept Saul as the king.
I Samuel 15:24-25- 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. Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.
Was Saul really repenting? Samuel didn't think so, and he wasn't going to go with Saul.
I Samuel 15:26- 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.
Do you think Saul was upset by the fact that he had sinned and disobeyed God? Not really. He just wanted to look good in front of the people. All he cared about now was being treated like a king.
I Samuel 15:27-30- And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. 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. And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent. 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 ripped Samuel's coat as he tried to walk away. He wanted Samuel to honor him in front of the people.
I Samuel 15:31-33- So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD. 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. 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.
Samuel went finish what Saul couldn't. Samuel killed the king of the Amalekites, like the Lord asked Saul to do.
This was the last time Samuel would see Saul while on this earth. God had rejected Saul as the leader of the Israelites. And now, Samuel had to reject him, also.
I Samuel 15:34-35- Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.
Samuel knew that he had to obey the Lord no matter what. It broke his heart to have to reject Saul, but Samuel had learned that obedience to God was worth more than having what you want.
Now, God was going to search for a king who would do things His way.
