Series in I Samuel
July 28, 2024
1 Samuel 15:1–23
“Does character REALLY matter?”
INTRO: Does a person’s Character matter? We all know the right answer to this question, but sometimes, we seem to ignore it. We look at someone and see that they are handsome, or talented, or wealthy, or smooth in the way that they act and we seem to be able to ignore whether they are a person of character or not.
We’ve all probably “held our nose” and voted for someone that we didn’t care much for, but their policies were more in line with our beliefs than the other person. In politics, sometimes, you have to choose the lesser of two evils.
Saul had some good points. He was a warrior who led his army in the defense of his homeland. Apparently he was pretty good at it. But when it came to character, or the lack thereof, Saul was not the man he should have been.
In the passage today we see Saul, yet again, proving that he is lacking in character.
1 Samuel 15:1–3 Then Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD.
2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt.
3 ‘Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”
- Kill everyone and everything in Amelek!
- Why would a loving God insist they do this?
- Because God is a God of Justice, not just love.
- Israel was used by God as a tool for executing His divine Justice.
- Amalek had attacked Israel, without provocation, with no warning, right after they crossed the red sea.
- God pronounced judgement on the nation then.
- Amalek was an idolatrous nation.
- They sacrificed their babies to Baal.
- God had given them a long time to repent, but they continued in their old ways.
1 Samuel 15:33 But Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hewed Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal.
- This was also a test for Israel, and Israel’s King.
- This would be a terrible thing to have to do for a number of reasons.
- Killing everyone… not an easy thing.
- Killing perfectly good animals with no way to use the meat or hides.
- Killing their king seems to have been something that other nations did not do.
- Agag doesn’t seem worried about his life being taken from him.
- Samuel reminds Saul that God had him anointed King, and Saul has a responsibility to do what God says.
- The people of Israel gather for the battle.
I Samuel 15:4-8 Then Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah.
5 Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley.
6 Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7 So Saul defeated the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, which is east of Egypt.
8 He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
- Saul does great… as far as he goes.
- He summons the people.
- They really show up!
- 210,000 of them in fact!
- Saul has truly become a leader.
- They get ready to ambush the Amalekites.
- They are nomadic, this is probably the only way to get to them.
- They warn people they have no problem with to get out of the area to be safe from harm.
- The Kenites take their advice and go.
- They defeat and destroy the Amalekites, just as God said for them to do.
- But Saul only did what Saul wanted to do.
I Samuel 9: But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to destroy them utterly; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
- Saul doesn’t follow the WHOLE plan.
- He spares the king, Agag.
- Why?
- Maybe he wants to be like other kings.
- Maybe he wants to keep him around like a living trophy from the battle.
- Maybe some other reason.
- But he doesn’t kill Agag.
- He doesn’t kill the best of the sheep, oxen, the young fat cows and sheep.
- If they didn’t want it, they did what God said and destroyed it!
- They followed the instructions that they felt like following. Saul allows / encourages this.
- Saul even sets up a monument to himself.
- Once again, Saul makes excuses!
10 Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying,
11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all night.
12 Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal.”
13 Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the LORD! I have carried out the command of the LORD.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”
15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed.”
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait, and let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”
17 Samuel said, “Is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed you king over Israel,
18 and the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.’
19 “Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD?”
20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I did obey the voice of the LORD, and went on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
21 “But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”
22 Samuel said, “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.”
- God is NOT happy!
- I regret making Saul the King.
- The place where God’s Omniscience and human free will is a place we don’t have time to go today.
- Even if we did have the time, we would probably not come to a satisfying conclusion anyway.
- Saul claims that he has done what God said for him to do.
- “I have carried out the command of the LORD.”
- Samuel corrects him.
- Why do I hear animals making noise?
- Saul begins blaming the people.
- They took the animals.
- He is implying that he had no way to stop them from doing this.
- “They kept them so they could sacrifice them to the Lord.”
- “We didn’t obey, but our hearts were in the right place.”
- As if God would be fooled by this lie.
- God would much rather they do what He says than to offer sacrifices.
“Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.”
- Rebellion is every bit as bad as consulting with demons.
- Defying God is as bad as worshipping idols.
- Saul is reminded that God has rejected him as the king of Israel!
- It’s only a matter of time….
Conclusion: What should we take home with us today from this event in the Bible?
- God is still a God of Justice!
- He has MANY attributes.
- He Loves.
- He forgives.
- He keeps His promises.
- He expects us to keep our promises.
- He cannot lie because it is not in His nature to do so.
- But He is also a God of Justice, and some day that Justice will be fulfilled, once and for all!
- God still expects His people to carry out His commands.
- There are things God tells us to do.
- There are things God tells us absolutely not to do.
- We don’t get to “pick and choose” which commands of God we will and will not follow!
- Some commands are easy to follow, others, not so much!
- He’s the King and I’m not!
- sacrifice is not as good as obedience!
- Character matters.
- Who am I when I am in front of others?
- Who am I when I am all alone?
- Who am I when I’m at church functions?
- Who am I when I’m out with friends who are not Christians?
https://www.youtube.com/live/XvdxzB-N234?si=dn48J3mkAunlcjxB
