This will probably be my final story in this series on King Saul.
This section begins in I Samuel 14:47.
King Saul's army has been very busy. It seems that being like everyone else and having a king, means that everyone wants a turn at testing just how strong your kingdom is.
Saul's army was undefeated. in every battle, in every war, they came out on top.
Our story begins when one day, Samuel came to visit Saul. It was time to remember a group of people whom God had been waiting to punish. Patiently giving them time to turn from their evil ways, the infamous Amalekites!
This is a tough story for me to write. How can I rejoice when people are destroyed? Even if they are 'bad guys'?
My perspective of God is that He is a God of mercy. His will is that no one will perish. But He also doesn't force people to obey Him. Psalm 83 uses some strong language to describe what will happen to the enemies of God and His people. But the last two verses explain the reason. The goal is that the people will realize the power of God that is above all other powers. And that they will turn to Him and seek him. Sometimes a gentle whisper, a dream, or miracle turns people to God. Sometimes it takes war. I hate war. But the purpose is the same. That people will come to a realization that God exists.
Before I talk more about the Amalekites, I want to go back to Jericho. You see, Jericho had a day when its time was up also. But, Rahab, and her family were spared. Why? Because they acknowledged two things. One: God is the one true God. He is greater than all other gods. Two: God has given Israel the land. Maybe I am ignorant, but I believe the story of Rahab proves that, here in I Samuel, if an Amalekite decided they agreed with those two truths, they would also have been spared.
Another hint that backs up this theory is in I Samuel 15:6. Samuel warned the Kenites to leave the camp of the Amalekites. They had been kind to Israel and were spared. But evidently the Amalekites were too hard-hearted to take this warning for themselves as well. This wasn't a surprise attack. They had been warned, since the time of Moses, that this day was coming. But it is still very sad that it came.
Amalekite means, one who licks blood. Go ahead, google it! These nomadic people lived to steal, kill and destroy. Unlike the Philistines, who sent out their strongest warriors to fight the strongest men of their enemies, the Amalekites attacked the weakest and most vulnerable.
The first time the Israelites met them was in the wilderness. The children of Israel had recently left Egypt. They were hungry and thirsty and hot. The weakest people lagged behind the caravan of newly escaped slaves, stopping frequently to rest. The bloodthirsty (literally) Amalekites watched from behind rocks and thickets, like jackals, ready to pounce. The Israelites posed no threat to them. They had nothing to offer them. They were both nomadic people at that time, traveling through a desert region. The Amalekites brutally attacked the weak people. The ones who couldn't defend themselves.
There are bad guys and then there are truly evil people.
Bad guys steal money. Evil people steal family pictures and burn them in front of their victims. They don't need, or even want the pictures, they just want to be cruel.
The Amalekites were evil. For some reason they decided to settle close to the same area as the Israelites did. As far as I know, Joshua wasn't instructed to destroy them. None of the prophets between Joshua and Saul were instructed to punish the Amalekites. Yet, often they were there, breathing down the backs of the people of God. Attacking when people were least expecting them too. Agag was the king of the Amalekites during the reign of Saul. King Agag was responsible for cruelly attacking many innocent people in the area -not just Israelites. Many mothers were grieving the loss of their children, because of King Agag. His name brought fear into the hearts of many in that region.
So, when Samuel, the prophet of God, told King Saul that it was time to punish the Amalekites, Saul was ready to do just that. The goal of this battle was that no one would identify themselves as a bloodthirsty Amalekite anymore. The cultural traditions of killing the most vulnerable for the thrill of it would be destroyed. Every. Single. Item. Was to be destroyed.
But King Saul didn't go into this battle to defend the weak and vulnerable people whom King Agag had tortured. He didn't attack Amalek to avenge the blood of the innocent. He went into battle thinking of himself. Another trophy on the wall. Another conquered king to add to his collection. He came back with booty and King Agag in chains. He proudly paraded them all the way home.
King Saul's army destroyed the disgusting, creepy things they found, but some stuff was good. And some of the animals were in good shape, so they brought those along too. That sounds reasonable. It makes sense to not destroy useful things. But somehow, I am reminded of something I read somewhere. Maybe it was Abraham who said it, "That you won't be able to say, 'I made him rich.'"
We follow this same concept today. Morally, would it be right to use money that was taken from drug dealers? Of course not. That money represents people's lives destroyed by destructive habits.
Samuel saw the situation through spiritual lenses. When he heard the parade of animals, he felt sick. King Saul, the charming young man whom he had anointed king, the first king of Israel, had fallen in love with himself. This was not the first time in his life Samuel had had to go to someone he loved very much and tell them God was not pleased with their choices. But, unlike Eli, who had agreed that he deserved the bad news, Saul defended his choices. He argued and explained and whined. He blamed the people. He cried. But Samuel didn't budge.
"To obey is better than sacrifice (I Samuel 15:22b)." Samuel told him. And then came the final blow. "Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king (I Samuel 15:23)."
More tears and pleading from the big king. Then begging Samuel to just come with him and pretend everything was okay so the people wouldn't know.
Finally, Samuel says, "Saul. I can't go with you. You have rejected the word of the God, so He has rejected you from being king."
With that Samuel turned to walk away. Saul grabbed Samuel to stop him from leaving and a piece of cloth tore off in his hand. Saul stood there holding the torn cloth. Samuel turned to face him, more sad than angry. "Just like that the Lord has torn the kingdom from you and given it to a neighbor who is better than you."
Saul seemed to start off right. He sought God and listened to advice at first. But as he got more comfortable in his role as king, he forgot the purpose of the Kingdom of Israel. He made choices to exalt the name of Saul instead of the name of the LORD. So, God looked for someone else who had a better memory. David made some really, really bad decisions also. But David never lost sight of God's plan. He had a heart after God.
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