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Commentary on 1 Samuel 15 verses 10–23
Saul is here called to account by Samuel concerning the execution of his commission against the Amalekites; and remarkable instances we are here furnished with of the strictness of the justice of God and the treachery and deceitfulness of the heart of man. We are here told,
I. What passed between God and Samuel, in secret, upon this occasion, Sa1 15:10, Sa1 15:11. 1. God determines Saul's rejection, and acquaints Samuel with it: It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king. Repentance in God is not, as it is in us, a change of his mind, but a change of his method or dispensation. He does not alter his will, but wills an alteration. The change was in Saul: He has turned back from following me; this construction God put upon the partiality of his obedience, and the prevalency of his covetousness. And hereby he did himself make God his enemy. God repented that he had given Saul the kingdom and the honour and power that belonged to it: but he never repented that he had given any man wisdom and grace, and his fear and love; these gifts and callings of God are without repentance. 2. Samuel laments and deprecates it. It grieved Samuel that Saul had forfeited God's favour, and that God had resolved to cast him off; and he cried unto the Lord all night, spent a whole night in interceding for him, that this decree might not go forth against him. When others were in their beds sleeping, he was upon his knees praying and wrestling with God. He did not thus deprecate his own exclusion from the government; nor was he secretly pleased, as many a one would have been, that Saul, who succeeded him, was so soon laid aside, but on the contrary prayed earnestly for his establishment, so far was he from desiring that woeful day. The rejection of sinners is the grief of good people; God delights not in their death, nor should we.
II. What passed between Samuel and Saul in public. Samuel, being sent of God to him with these heavy tidings, went, as Ezekiel, in bitterness of soul, to meet him, perhaps according to an appointment when Saul went forth on this expedition, for Saul had come to Gilgal (Sa1 15:12), the place where he was made king (Sa1 11:15), and were now he would have been confirmed if he had approved himself well in the trial of his obedience. But Samuel was informed that Saul had set up a triumphal arch, or some monument of his victory, at Carmel, a city in the mountains of Judah, seeking his own honour more than the honour of God, for he set up this place (or hand, as the word is) for himself (he had more need to have been repenting of his sin and making his peace with God than boasting of his victory), and also that he had marched in great state to Gilgal, for this seems to be intimated in the manner of expression: He has gone about, and passed on, and gone down, with a great deal of pomp and parade. There Samuel gave him the meeting, and,
1.Saul makes his boast to Samuel of his obedience, because that was the thing by which he was now to signalize himself (Sa1 15:13): "Blessed be thou of the Lord, for thou sendest me upon a good errand, in which I have had great success, and I have performed the commandment of the Lord." It is very likely, if his conscience had now flown in his face at this time and charged him with disobedience, he would not have been so forward to proclaim his disobedience; for by this he hoped to prevent Samuel's reproving him. Thus sinners think, by justifying themselves, to escape being judged of the Lord; whereas the only way to do that is by judging ourselves. Those that boast most of their religion may be suspected of partiality and hypocrisy in it.
2.Samuel convicts him by a plain demonstration of his disobedience. "Hast thou performed the commandment of the Lord? What means then the bleating of the sheep?" Sa1 15:14. Saul would needs have it thought than God Almighty was wonderfully beholden to him for the good service he had done; but Samuel shows him that God was so far from being a debtor to him that he had just cause of action against him, and produces for evidence the bleating of the sheep, and the lowing of the oxen, which perhaps Saul appointed to bring up the rear of his triumph, but Samuel appears to them as witnesses against him. He needed not go far to disprove his professions. The noise the cattle made (like the rust of silver, Jam 5:3) would be a witness against him. Note, It is no new thing for the plausible professions and protestations of hypocrites to be contradicted and disproved by the most plain and undeniable evidence. Many boast of their obedience to the command of God; but what mean then their indulgence of the flesh, their love of the world, their passion and uncharitableness, and their neglect of holy duties, which witness against them?
3.Saul insists upon his own justification against this charge, Sa1 15:15. The fact he cannot deny; the sheep and oxen were brought from the Amalekites. But, (1.) It was not his fault, for the people spared them; as if they durst have done it without the express orders of Saul, when they knew it was against the express orders of Samuel. Note, Those that are willing to justify themselves are commonly very forward to condemn others, and to lay the blame upon any rather than take it to themselves. Sin is a brat that nobody cares to have laid at his doors. It is the sorry subterfuge of an impenitent heart, that will not confess its guilt, to lay the blame on those that were tempters, or partners, or only followers in it. (2.) It was with a good intention: "It was to sacrifice to the Lord thy God. He is thy God, and thou wilt not be against any thing that is done, as this is, for his honour." This was a false plea, for both Saul and the people designed their own profit in sparing the cattle. But, if it had been true, it would still have been frivolous, for God hates robbery for burnt-offering. God appointed these cattle to be sacrificed to him in the field, and therefore will give those no thanks that bring them to be sacrificed at his altar; for he will be served in his own way, and according to the rule he himself has prescribed. Nor will a good intention justify a bad action.
4.Samuel overrules, or rather overlooks, his plea, and proceeds, in God's name, to give judgment against him. He premises his authority. What he was about to say was what the Lord had said to him (Sa1 15:16), otherwise he would have been far from passing so severe a censure upon him. Those who complain that their ministers are too harsh with them should remember that, while they keep to the word of God, they are but messengers, and must say as they are bidden, and therefore be willing, as Saul himself here was, that they should say on. Samuel delivers his message faithfully. (1.) He reminds Saul of the honour of God had done him in making him king (Sa1 15:17), when he was little in his own sight. God regarded the lowness of his state and rewarded the lowliness of his spirit. Note, Those that are advanced to honour and wealth ought often to remember their mean beginnings, that they may never think highly of themselves, but always study to do great things for the God that had advanced them. (2.) He lays before him the plainness of the orders he was to execute (Sa1 15:18): The Lord sent thee on a journey; so easy was the service, and so certain the success, that it was rather to be called a journey than a war. The work was honourable, to destroy the sworn enemies of God and Israel; and had he denied himself, and set aside the consideration of his own profit so far as to have destroyed all that belonged to Amalek, he would have been no loser by it at last, nor have gone this warfare on his own charges. God would no doubt have made it up to him, so that he should have no need of spoil. And therefore, (3.) He shows him how inexcusable he was in aiming to make a profit of this expedition, and to enrich himself by it (Sa1 15:19): "Wherefore then didst thou fly upon the spoil, and convert that to thy own use which was to have been destroyed for God's honour?" See what evil the love of money is the root of; but see what is the sinfulness of sin, and that in it which above any thing else makes it evil in the sight of the Lord. It is disobedience: Thou didst not obey the voice of the Lord.
5.Saul repeats his vindication of himself, as that which, in defiance of conviction, he resolved to abide by, Sa1 15:20, Sa1 15:21. He denies the charge (Sa1 15:20): "Yea, I have obeyed, I have done all I should do;" for he had done all which he thought he needed to do, so much wiser was he in his own eyes than God himself. God bade him kill all, and yet he puts in among the instances of his obedience that he brought Agag alive, which he thought was as good as if he had killed him. Thus carnal deceitful hearts think to excuse themselves from God's commandments with their own equivalents. He insists upon it that he has utterly destroyed the Amalekites themselves, which was the main thing intended; but, as to the spoil, he owns it should have been utterly destroyed; so that he knew his Lord's will, and was under no mistake about the command. But he thought that would be wilful waste; the cattle of the Midianites was taken for a prey in Moses's time (Num 31:32, etc.), and why not the cattle of the Amalekites now? Better it should be prey to the Israelites than to the fowls of the air and the wild beasts; and therefore he connived at the people's carrying it away. But it was their doing and not his; and, besides, it was for sacrifice to the Lord here at Gilgal, whither they were now bringing them. See what a hard thing it is to convince the children of disobedience of their sin and to strip them of their fig-leaves.
6.Samuel gives a full answer to his apology, since he did insist upon it, Sa1 15:22, Sa1 15:23. He appeals to his own conscience: Has the Lord as great delight in sacrifices as in obedience? Though Saul was not a man of any great acquaintance with religion, yet he could not but know this, (1.) That nothing is so pleasing to God as obedience, no, not sacrifice and offering, and the fat of rams. See here what we should seek and aim at in all the exercises of religion, even acceptance with God, that he may delight in what we do. If God be well pleased with us and our services, we are happy, we have gained our point, but otherwise to what purpose is it? Isa 1:11. Now here we are plainly told that humble, sincere, and conscientious obedience to the will of God, is more pleasing and acceptable to him than all burnt-offerings and sacrifices. A careful conformity to moral precepts recommends us to God more than all ceremonial observances, Mic 6:6-8; Hos 6:6. Obedience is enjoyed by the eternal law of nature, but sacrifice only by a positive law. Obedience was the law of innocency, but sacrifice supposes sin come into the world, and is but a feeble attempt to take that away which obedience would have prevented. God is more glorified and self more denied by obedience than by sacrifice. It is much easier to bring a bullock or lamb to be burnt upon the altar than to bring every high thought into obedience to God and the will subject to his will. Obedience is the glory of angels (Psa 103:20), and it will be ours. (2.) That nothing is so provoking to God as disobedience, setting up our wills in competition with his. This is here called rebellion and stubbornness, and is said to be as bad as witchcraft and idolatry, Sa1 15:23. It is as bad to set up other gods as to live in disobedience to the true God. Those that are governed by their own corrupt inclinations, in opposition to the command of God, do, in effect, consult the teraphim (as the word here is for idolatry) or the diviners. It was disobedience that made us all sinners (Rom 5:19), and this is the malignity of sin, that it is the transgression of the law, and consequently it is enmity to God, Rom 8:7. Saul was a king, but if he disobey the command of God, his royal dignity and power will not excuse him from the guilt of rebellion and stubbornness. It is not the rebellion of the people against their prince, but of a prince against God, that this text speaks of.
7.He reads his doom: in short, "Because thou has rejected the word of the Lord, hast despised it (so the Chaldee), hast made nothing of it (so the Septuagint), hast cast off the government of it, therefore he has rejected thee, despised and made nothing of thee, but cast thee off from being king. He that made thee king has determined to unmake thee again." Those are unfit and unworthy to rule over men who are not willing that God should rule over them.
And when Saul was charged with negligence and a breach of the law, he did not benefit his cause by alleging his conduct on other matters. For a defense on one count will not operate to obtain an acquittal on another count. But if all things should be done according to law and justice, one must defend himself in those particulars wherein he is accused and must either disprove the past or else confess it with the promise that he will desist and do so no more. But if he is guilty of the crime and will not confess, but in order to conceal the truth speaks on other points instead of the one in question, he shows plainly that he has acted amiss and is conscious of his delinquency.
Finally, because he never had this eye of discretion, he who by God’s judgment first deserved to rule over the people of Israel was cast out of his kingdom like something dark out of a healthy body. Having been deceived by the darkness and error of this light, he decided that his own sacrifices were more acceptable to God than obedience to Samuel’s command, and in the very act by which he had hoped that he would propitiate the divine majesty he committed sin instead.
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SUMMARY
Samuel's piercing question directly confronts King Saul's profound and willful disobedience to the LORD's explicit command regarding the Amalekites. It exposes Saul's failure to execute the divine judgment of herem (utter destruction) on the enemy and their possessions, revealing instead his covetous decision to seize valuable plunder. This verse encapsulates the prophet's indictment, highlighting Saul's self-serving actions as a direct affront to God's authority and a grave act of evil in the divine sight, marking a critical turning point in his reign.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Samuel's rebuke in 1 Samuel 15:19 masterfully employs several literary devices to underscore Saul's profound failure. The verse opens with a Rhetorical Question ("Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD?"), which is not seeking information but rather emphasizing the self-evident nature of Saul's transgression and the lack of any justifiable excuse. This question immediately places Saul on the defensive and highlights his clear culpability. Furthermore, the phrase "didst fly upon the spoil" utilizes striking Imagery and Metaphor. The verb "fly upon" (Hebrew ʻîyṭ) evokes the predatory swoop of a bird of prey, vividly portraying the eager, unrestrained, and covetous manner in which Saul and his men seized the forbidden plunder. This imagery contrasts sharply with the expected disciplined obedience of God's chosen king. Finally, the verse employs Juxtaposition by placing Saul's failure to "obey the voice of the LORD" directly against his eagerness to "fly upon the spoil," highlighting the stark choice he made between divine command and personal gain. The repeated "didst" also adds a subtle Emphasis, underscoring Saul's active and deliberate role in his disobedience.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
1 Samuel 15:19 stands as a stark reminder that God demands complete and unreserved obedience, valuing the integrity of the heart over outward religious performance or human rationalizations. Saul's failure to obey the LORD's clear command, coupled with his eager seizure of forbidden spoil, reveals a foundational flaw in his kingship: a self-serving spirit that prioritized personal gain and popular approval over divine will. This incident underscores the biblical principle that partial obedience is, in God's eyes, complete disobedience, and that motives matter profoundly to God. It highlights the danger of covetousness and the deceptive nature of self-justification when confronted with divine truth. This narrative serves as a timeless warning against the spiritual consequences of compromising God's word for perceived benefits or convenience, emphasizing that true devotion is demonstrated through humble submission to every aspect of His revealed will.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The profound lesson of 1 Samuel 15:19 resonates deeply in the life of every believer, challenging us to examine the sincerity and completeness of our obedience to God. Like Saul, we often face situations where God's commands seem inconvenient, costly, or contrary to our immediate desires or perceived benefits. This verse calls us to confront the temptation to engage in "partial obedience"—doing what is easy or beneficial while neglecting what is difficult or sacrificial. It exposes the insidious nature of rationalization, where we attempt to justify our disobedience with seemingly good intentions, much like Saul claimed to spare the livestock for sacrifices. The phrase "didst fly upon the spoil" serves as a powerful metaphor for our own tendencies to eagerly seize what God has forbidden, whether it be material possessions, illicit desires, or even our own perceived wisdom over His divine instruction. This passage compels us to ask: Are we truly submitting our entire lives to the "voice of the LORD," or are there areas where we are "flying upon the spoil," prioritizing our own will and gain over His clear commands? True spiritual growth and favor come from wholehearted, joyful, and immediate obedience, recognizing that God sees not only our actions but also the deepest motives of our hearts.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was God's command to utterly destroy the Amalekites so severe?
Answer: The command for utter destruction (Hebrew: herem) was a unique divine judgment against the Amalekites, not a general rule for warfare. The Amalekites were a persistently hostile people who had attacked Israel without provocation shortly after the Exodus, as detailed in Exodus 17:8-16, demonstrating a deep-seated animosity towards God's chosen people. God had sworn to blot out their memory, a command found in Deuteronomy 25:17-19. The severity of the command reflected God's holy justice against a people whose wickedness was complete and whose existence posed a continuous spiritual and physical threat to Israel. It was a specific act of divine retribution, intended to purify the land and demonstrate God's absolute sovereignty and judgment over evil, rather than a precedent for human cruelty.
What does "fly upon the spoil" mean in a modern context?
Answer: In a modern context, "to fly upon the spoil" signifies eagerly and greedily seizing something that is forbidden, ill-gotten, or that distracts from a clear divine command. It represents prioritizing personal gain, comfort, or desire over God's explicit will. This could manifest as cutting corners ethically in business for profit, indulging in sinful pleasures, clinging to material possessions when God calls for generosity, or pursuing personal ambition at the expense of spiritual integrity. It highlights a covetous spirit that, like Saul's, values what it can acquire for itself more than it values complete obedience to the LORD. It's about a lack of self-control and a readiness to compromise one's faith for immediate gratification or perceived advantage.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
1 Samuel 15:19, with its sharp indictment of Saul's disobedience and covetousness, powerfully foreshadows the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ. Where Saul "didst not obey the voice of the LORD" and "didst fly upon the spoil," Christ perfectly fulfilled the Father's will, demonstrating complete and unwavering submission. Jesus did not seek His own gain or "fly upon the spoil" of worldly power or material wealth; instead, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant and humbling Himself even to death on a cross, as described in Philippians 2:6-8. His life was marked by absolute obedience, declaring, "I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but to do the will of him who sent me," as recorded in John 6:38. The ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the cross was the supreme act of obedience, better than any animal sacrifice, perfectly atoning for humanity's disobedience, including the kind of rebellion exemplified by Saul, as explained in Hebrews 10:5-10. Through His perfect obedience, Christ became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, a truth proclaimed in Hebrews 5:8-9. Believers are now called to follow Christ's example, empowered by His Spirit to live lives of humble, wholehearted obedience, not out of fear of rejection, but out of love and gratitude for the One who perfectly obeyed on our behalf, as affirmed in Romans 5:19.