Commentary - 1 Samuel 15:1-9

Bird's-eye view

In this chapter, we come to the pivotal and tragic moment of Saul's final rejection as king. The narrative is stark and the command from God is severe. Samuel confronts Saul with a direct command from Yahweh, rooted in an ancient crime committed by the Amalekites against Israel. The command is for total annihilation, a form of holy war known as herem. Saul's response to this command is the central issue. He obeys, but only partially. He carries out the military task but cuts corners where it suits him, sparing the enemy king and the best of the livestock. This act of selective obedience is revealed to be total disobedience in the sight of God. It is an act of rebellion born from pride, greed, and a desire for the approval of men over the approval of God. This chapter serves as a permanent warning against the leaven of compromised obedience and sets the stage for God's choice of a new king, a man after His own heart.

Outline

Context In 1 Samuel

This event does not occur in a vacuum. It follows Saul's previous act of presumptuous disobedience at Gilgal (1 Samuel 13), where he offered a sacrifice unlawfully. There, Samuel had already warned him that his kingdom would not endure. This episode with the Amalekites is, in effect, Saul's final exam. It is a clear, unambiguous test of his willingness to submit to the word of God, delivered through the prophet Samuel. His failure here is not a minor slip up; it is the confirmation of a heart that is fundamentally rebellious. The sin is not simply in the act itself but in what it reveals about Saul's character and his fitness to be the Lord's anointed. The chapter is therefore the climax of Saul's downfall and the theological justification for the rise of David.

Key Issues

The Justice of Herem Warfare

Modern sensibilities are immediately troubled by the command in verse 3. We must resist the temptation to judge God by the standards of our sentimental and secular age. The command to "devote to destruction" (herem) everything and everyone was not an act of capricious genocide. First, God, as the Creator of all life, retains the sovereign right to take it. All life is on loan from Him. Second, this was a specific, targeted act of divine judgment. The Amalekites were not an innocent people group. They were the first nation to viciously attack Israel without provocation as they came out of Egypt (Ex. 17:8-16). For this, God pronounced a curse upon them, promising to one day blot out their memory. This is that day. Their culture was so saturated with wickedness that it had to be excised like a cancer, lest it infect God's people. This was not about plunder for Israel; it was about consecrating a wicked nation to God's holy justice.

Commentary

15:1 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Yahweh sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; so now, obey the voice of the words of Yahweh.

Samuel begins by reminding Saul of the foundation of his authority. He was not made king by a popular vote or by his own military prowess. He was king because Yahweh, through His prophet, anointed him. The oil on his head was a sign of a divine commission. Therefore, the logical consequence, the "so now," is straightforward: obey. The one who made you king has the absolute right to command you. The issue is not whether the command is palatable or popular, but whether it is from "the voice of the words of Yahweh." This sets the stage. The test is one of pure obedience to a direct revelation from God.

15:2 Thus says Yahweh 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.

Here is the basis for the command. This is not random. God has a long memory, and His justice does not expire. Centuries earlier, when Israel was at its most vulnerable, a newborn nation in the wilderness, Amalek ambushed them, picking off the stragglers at the rear (Deut. 25:17-18). This was an act of profound evil, an attack on God's redemptive plan at its inception. God swore then that He would be at war with Amalek from generation to generation (Ex. 17:16). Now, the bill is coming due. This is the execution of a long-standing sentence. Saul is being called to be the instrument of God's covenantal justice.

15:3 Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, infant and nursing baby, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

The command is brutally specific to prevent any loopholes. "Devote to destruction" is the language of herem. Everything associated with Amalek was to be consecrated to God through its destruction. Nothing was to be taken as plunder. Nothing was to be spared. The inclusion of infants and livestock is jarring to us, but it underscores the principle of corporate solidarity. The entire nation, down to its youngest members and its material substance, was under the ban. It was a culture so corrupt that it had to be utterly wiped out. This was not a punitive raid; it was a holy execution. Saul's job was not to edit the sentence, but to carry it out.

15:4-5 Then Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. And Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley.

Saul is an able military commander. He musters a massive army, showing that he has the power and resources to fulfill God's command completely. He is not lacking in manpower. He executes a sound military strategy, approaching the city and setting an ambush. From a human perspective, everything is proceeding according to plan. He looks the part of a competent king.

15:6 And Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; you showed lovingkindness to all the sons of Israel when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

This is a crucial detail. Just as God remembers the sin of Amalek, He also remembers the kindness (hesed) of the Kenites. This group, related to Moses' father-in-law, had helped Israel in the wilderness. Saul, acting on this knowledge, separates them out so they will not be caught in the judgment. This demonstrates two things. First, God's judgment is not indiscriminate. He is just and distinguishes between the wicked and those who have shown covenant faithfulness. Second, it shows that Saul is perfectly capable of understanding and following detailed instructions. He can make distinctions when it suits him. This makes his later failure all the more culpable.

15:7-8 So Saul struck the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, which is east of Egypt. And he seized Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword.

The military campaign is a resounding success. He defeats the Amalekites across a wide territory. But here, in the flush of victory, the first crack of disobedience appears. He "seized Agag the king of the Amalekites alive." The command was to spare no one. But a captured king was the ultimate trophy in the ancient world. To parade Agag back home would be a massive boost to Saul's ego and prestige. This was an act of self-glorification. He was putting his own triumph on display, rather than simply executing God's judgment. He obeyed the command regarding "all the people," but made a self-serving exception for the one man who would bring him the most glory.

15:9 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 they were not willing to devote them to destruction; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

Here the disobedience metastasizes. It was not just Saul; "Saul and the people" are complicit. They look at the spoils of war not as something consecrated to God for destruction, but as a collection of assets to be evaluated. They apply their own wisdom, their own economic calculus, to God's command. They spare "the best," the valuable animals, "all that was good." And what did they destroy? "Everything despised and worthless." This is the very definition of compromised, self-serving religion. They obey God only when it costs them nothing. They give God the trash and keep the treasure for themselves. They were "not willing" to obey fully. Their will was set against God's will. This is not a slight misstep; it is rebellion, plain and simple.

Application

The sin of Saul is a perennial temptation for the people of God. We are often willing to obey God in the broad strokes, but we reserve the right to make exceptions in the details, particularly when full obedience would cost us something we value, whether it be wealth, prestige, or comfort. We are tempted to destroy the "despised and worthless" sins in our lives, the ones that are easy to part with, while keeping the "best of the sheep," our respectable, pet sins that we are not willing to devote to destruction.

This passage calls us to examine the nature of our obedience. Is it partial or total? Is it driven by a desire to glorify ourselves, like Saul sparing Agag, or to glorify God? Do we treat God's Word as an absolute command to be followed, or as a set of helpful suggestions to be considered and adapted to our own wisdom? Saul's failure reminds us that partial obedience is just a pretty mask for rebellion. It is an attempt to serve two masters, God and self, which is impossible.

Ultimately, Saul's failure as king points us to our need for a perfect King. Saul spared the enemy whom God had commanded him to kill. But God, in His perfect justice and mercy, did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. Jesus Christ is the King who obeyed perfectly, even unto death on a cross. He did not keep the best for Himself but gave it all. Through His perfect obedience, we who are guilty of Saul's sin can be forgiven and empowered by His Spirit to offer up a true and total obedience from a heart of gratitude.