1Sa 15:1 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.
The Lord sent me to anoint thee - This gave him a right to say what immediately follows.
Samuel also said unto Saul - When and where he said to him what follows, it is not easy to determine, perhaps at Gilgal, where they after met again:
now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord - for so great a favor, and such high honor he had conferred on him, laid him under great obligation to obey the commands of the Lord; and whereas he had been deficient in one instance before, for which he had been reproved, he suggests, that now he should take care to observe and do, particularly and punctually, what should be enjoined him.
Samuel also said unto Saul - The account of the war against the Amalekites is a very condensed one, and is restricted to a description of the conduct of Saul on that occasion. Without mentioning either the time or the immediate occasion of the war, the narrative commences with the command of God which Samuel solemnly communicated to Saul, to go and exterminate that people. Samuel commenced with the words, “Jehovah sent me to anoint thee to be king over His people, over Israel,” in order to show to Saul the obligation which rested upon him to receive his commission as coming from God, and to proceed at once to fulfil it. The allusion to the anointing points back not to 1Sa_11:15, but to 1Sa_10:1.
The sentence of condemnation against the Amalekites had gone forth long before, Exo_17:14; Deu_25:19, but they had been spared till they filled up the measure of their sins. We are sure that the righteous Lord does no injustice to any. The remembering the kindness of the ancestors of the Kenites, in favor to them, at the time God was punishing the injuries done by the ancestors of the Amalekites, tended to clear the righteousness of God in this dispensation. It is dangerous to be found in the company of God's enemies, and it is our duty and interest to come out from among them, lest we share in their sins and plagues, Rev_18:4. As the commandment had been express, and a test of Saul's obedience, his conduct evidently was the effect of a proud, rebellious spirit. He destroyed only the refuse, that was good for little. That which was now destroyed was sacrificed to the justice of God.
1Sa 15:2 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.
I remember that which Amalek did - The Amalekites had occupied a tract of country on the frontiers of Egypt and Palestine . They had acted with great cruelty towards the Israelites on their coming out of Egypt . Exo_17:8-14 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out to fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. And Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it happened when Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed. And when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands became heavy. And they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur held up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side. And his hands were steady until the going of the sun. And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people by the mouth of the sword. And the LORD said to Moses, Write this, a memorial in a book, and set it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heavens. They came upon them when they were faint and weary, and smote the hindermost of the people - those who were too weak to keep up with the rest. Deu_25:17-19 Remember what Amalek did to you by the way, when you came forth out of Egypt, how he met you by the way and struck those of you who were behind, all the feeble behind you, when you were faint and weary. And he did not fear God. And it shall be when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your enemies all around in the land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance to possess it, you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heavens. You shall not forget. And God then purposed that Amalek, as a nation, should be blotted out from under heaven; which purpose was now fulfilled by Saul upwards of four hundred years afterwards.
I remember that which Amalek did - Samuel merely mentions this first outbreak of hostility on the part of Amalek towards the people of Israel, because in this the same disposition was already manifested which now made the people ripe for the judgment of extermination. The hostility which they had now displayed, according to 1Sa_15:33, there was no necessity for the prophet to mention particularly, since it was well known to Saul and all Israel .
Thus saith the Lord of hosts - Of the celestial host of angels, and of the army of Israel , yea, of all the armies of the earth: this is premised to engage the attention of Saul:
how he laid wait for him - in the valley of Rephidim, just before they came to Mount Sinai, and fell upon the rear of them, and smote the feeble, and faint, and weary.
Came from Egypt - When he was newly come out of cruel and long bondage, and was now weak, and weary, and faint, and hungry, Deu_25:18, and therefore it was barbarous instead of that pity which even Nature prompted them to afford, to add affliction to the afflicted; it was also horrid impiety to fight against God himself and to lift up their hand in a manner against the Lord's throne, whilst they struck at that people which God had brought forth in so stupendous a way.
Amalek--the powerful tribe which inhabited the country immediately to the eastward of the northern Cushites. Their territory extended over the whole of the eastern portion of the desert of Sinai to Rephidim--the earliest opponent (Deu_25:18; Exo_17:8-16) --the hereditary and restless enemy of Israel Num_14:45 And the Amalekites and the Canaanites who were living in that mountain came down and struck them, and beat them down, to Hormah. Jdg_3:13 And he gathered to him the sons of Ammon and Amalek. And he went forth and struck Israel, and took the city of palm trees. Jdg_6:3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the sons of the east, even they came up against them. Who had not repented 1Sa_14:48 And he gathered an army and struck the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who spoiled them. of their bitter and sleepless hatred during the five hundred years that had elapsed since their doom was pronounced. God, as KING OF ISRAEL, decreed that this public enemy should be removed. Their destruction was to be without reservation or exception.
1Sa 15:3 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.
Utterly destroy all that they have - Rather, “devote to destruction” All were to be devoted to destruction, and nothing remain to be made use of in any way, to any profit and advantage; living creatures were to be put to death, and everything else burnt and destroyed: When a city or people were thus made cherem, everything living was to be destroyed, and no part of the spoil fall to the conquerors. This was done so that it might not be said, this was the spoil of Amalek, otherwise the name and memory of Amalek would not be blotted out.
Slay both man and woman - Neither sex nor age were to be regarded, no mercy and pity shown to any; they had shown none to Israel when weak and feeble, and by the law of retaliation none was to be exercised on them: Nothing could justify such an exterminating decree but the absolute authority of God. This war was not for plunder, for God commanded that all the property as well as all the people should be destroyed.
Now go and smite Amalek - God purposed that Amalek, as a nation, should be blotted out from under heaven; but it had been spared till it had filled up the measure of its iniquities, and now this purpose is carried into effect by Saul, upwards of 400 years afterwards.
1Sa 15:4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
Telaim - Probably the same as “Telem” Jos_15:24, one of the uttermost cities of Judah , toward the coast of Edom . The name means “lambs,” and was probably so called from the numerous flocks.
Two hundred thousand - A wonderful contrast with the six hundred men who composed his whole army before 1Sa_13:15, and a proof how completely for a time the Philistines had been driven back. The separate mention of the men of Judah shows how little union there was between Juduh and Ephraim even at this time; a circumstance which throws light upon the whole after history.
numbered them in Telaim - thought to be the same with Telem, a place in the tribe of Judah, Jos_15:24, the word signifies lambs;"he numbered them as lambs;''and the Jews say, because it was forbid to number the children of Israel, which was the sin of David; therefore every man had a lamb given him, and so the lambs were numbered, by which it was known what was the number of the people; and the Targum says, this was done with the passover lambs, it being now the time of the passover; but the numbering here made was not of the people of the land in general, and so there was no occasion of such a precaution, only a numbering and mustering of the army when got together and rendezvoused in one place: the sum of which is here given:
1Sa 15:5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
Saul came to a city of Amalek - With his army, perhaps the nearest city of it to the land of Israel; though some think that Amalek was the name of the city, and was the metropolis of the nation: and laid wait in the valley; which was near the city, to intercept the inhabitants when they should come out against him:
laid wait in the valley--following the strategic policy of Joshua at Ai (Jos_8:4).
1Sa 15:6 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.
Said unto the Kenites - The Kenites were an ancient people. Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, was a Kenite. Hobab his son (if the same person be not meant) was guide to the Hebrews through the wilderness. They had a portion of the promised land, near to the city Arad . Jdg_1:16 And the sons of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the sons of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad. And they went and lived among the people.
Said unto the Kenites - A people descending from, or nearly related to Jethro, who anciently dwelt in rocks near the Amalekites, Num_24:21, and afterwards some of them dwelt in Judah, Jdg_1:16, whence it is probable they removed, and retired to their old habitation, because of the wars and troubles wherewith Judah was annoyed.
for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel - as Jethro, by the advice he gave to Moses to appoint proper officers in Israel, and Hobab, by being eyes to the people, in conducting them through the wilderness, and accompanying them to the land of Canaan: Though now intermingled with the Amalekites, they were not implicated in the offenses of that wicked race; but for the sake of their ancestors, between whom and those of Israel there had been a league of amity, a timely warning was afforded them to remove from the scene of danger.
1Sa 15:7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
From Havilah to Shur - The district here described would stretch from Havilah on the extreme east to Shur, either near Suez , or further north on the coast road from Gaza to Egypt . From Pelusium in Egypt , unto the Red Sea according to Josephus. But Havilah lay eastward from the Red Sea ; the Amalekites lay between this and the way to Egypt towards Shur. Having routed them in the valley, or in whatsoever place the battle was fought, he pursued them from one end of their country to the other; from Havilah, which lay to the northeast, to Shur, which lay to the southwest, and destroyed all that came in his way between those two points, see Gen_25:18.
And Saul smote the Amalekites - Engaging in battle with them, he overcame them, and beat them, and slew great numbers of them:
1Sa 15:8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive - This name seems to be a common name of the kings of these people, as Pharaoh was of the Egyptians. When this king fell into the hands of Saul, he did not put him to death, as he should have done, but preserved him; for what reasons, are seen in the following verse. This saving Agag alive was in direct violation of the devotion to destruction.
he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive -- This was the common title of the Amalekite kings. He he spared Agag, probably to enjoy the glory of displaying so distinguished a captive, and, in like manner, the most valuable portions of the booty, as the cattle. By this wilful and partial obedience to a positive command [1Sa_15:3], complying with it in some parts and violating it in others, as suited his own taste and humor, Saul showed his selfish, arbitrary temper, and his love of despotic power, and his utter unfitness to perform the duties of a delegated king in Israel.
utterly destroyed all the people - Now they paid dear for the sin of their ancestors. They were themselves guilty of idolatry and numberless sins, for which they deserved to be cut off. Yet when God would reckon with them, he fixes upon this as the ground of his quarrel.
utterly destroyed all the people - all that fell into the hands of the Israelites. For it follows from the very nature of the case that many escaped, and consequently there is nothing striking in the fact that Amalekites are mentioned again at a later period 1Sa_27:8 And David and his men went up and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites. For they were the inhabitants of the land from the past days , as you come into Shur, even into the land of Egypt. 1Sa_30:1 And it happened when David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had invaded the south and Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag, and burned it with fire. 2Sa_8:12 of Syria, and of Moab, and of the sons of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah. The last remnant was destroyed by the Simeonites upon the mountains of Seir in the reign of Hezekiah 1Ch_4:43 And they struck the rest which escaped to Amalek, and lived there until this day.
1Sa 15:9 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.
Saul and all the people spared Agag - Perhaps Saul made the motion to spare him, and the people agreed to it; it may be, out of respect to him as a king; This was against the Lord’s express wishes.
of the fatlings - or "of the second sort", or rather those which shed their two long teeth, as sheep at two years old did when reckoned at their full strength, and fittest for sacrifice.
and the lambs, and all that was good - and would not utterly destroy them as they were commanded by the Lord, but kept them for their own private use and advantage, and this not only the best and fattest of the flocks and herds, but of their household goods:
everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed - Thus they obeyed God only so far as they could without inconvenience to themselves. The reason for sparing the best cattle is very apparent, namely selfishness.
1Sa 15:10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,
1Sa 15:11 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.
It repenteth me that I have set up Saul--Repentance implies grief of heart, and change of counsels, and therefore cannot be in God: but it is ascribed to God when God alters his method of dealing, and treats a person as if be did indeed repent of the kindness he had shewed him. Repentance in God is not a change of mind, as it is in us, but a change of method.
It repenteth me that I have set up Saul - Which is not to be understood of any change of mind, counsel, purpose, or decree in God, which is not consistent with his unchangeable nature; but of a change of dispensation, and outward dealings, and is spoken after the manner of men, who, when they repent of anything, change the course of their conduct and behavior; and so the Lord does without any change of his mind and will, which alters not; and though he changes the outward dispensations of his providence, yet he never changes and alters in the matters and methods of his grace;
It repenteth me that I have set up Saul--Repentance is attributed in Scripture to Him when bad men give Him cause to alter His course and method of procedure, and to treat them as if He did "repent" of kindness shown. To the heart of a man like Samuel, who was above all envious considerations, and really attached to the king, so painful an announcement moved all his pity and led him to pass a sleepless night of earnest intercession.
It repenteth me that I have set up Saul--That this does not express any changeableness in the divine nature, but simply the sorrow of the divine love at the rebellion of sinners, is evident enough from 1Sa_15:29 And also the Glory of Israel will not lie nor repent, for He is not a man that He should repent. Saul would no longer be the follower and servant of the Lord, but would be absolute ruler in Israel . Pride arising from the consciousness of his own strength, led him astray to break the command of God and to go his own ways. This was Saul's real sin.
he cried to Jehovah the whole night – praying either that the Lord would inform him of the particulars wherein Saul had done amiss, or that he would forgive his sin, and not reject him from the kingdom. But it was in vain. This is evident from what follows, where Samuel maintains the cause of his God with strength and decision, after having wrestled with God in prayer. The phrase and the action mark Samuel’s fervent, earnest character.
It grieved Samuel - “Samuel was angry, or displeased,” as Jonah was Jon_4:1, and for a similar reason. Samuel was displeased that the king whom he had anointed should be set aside. It seemed a slur on his prophetic office.
1Sa 15:12 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.
He set up a place - Rather, “a monument.” The Hebrew word yad means a “hand,” but is used in the sense of “monument,” or “trophy,” in 2Sa_18:18 And Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the King's Valley. For he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance. And he called the pillar after his own name. And it is called until this day, Absalom's monument, where we are told that the marble pillar which Absalom set up in his lifetime, was called “Yad Absalom” the hand of Absalom.
he set him up a place--that is, a pillar; literally, a hand, indicating that whatever was the form of the monument, it was surmounted, according to the ancient fashion, by the figure of a hand, the symbol of power and energy. The erection of this vainglorious trophy was an additional act of disobedience. His pride had overborne his sense of duty in first raising this monument to his own honor, and then going to Gilgal to offer sacrifice to God.
Saul came to Carmel - would be on Saul’s line of march on his return from the country of the Amalekites. Not to Carmel where Elijah offered sacrifice, for that was very remote from hence; but to Carmel, a city in the tribe of Judah, which lay in the way of Saul's return from Amalek, Jos_15:55.
and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal - he took a circuit, and moved in great pomp and parade, carrying the king of the Amalekites in triumph with him, and the spoil he had taken and reserves. To Gilgal be went, expecting to meet Samuel there, and offer up peace offerings to the Lord for the victory he had got.
1Sa 15:13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
Saul said unto him - Self-will and rashness had hitherto been Saul’s chief faults. He now seems to add falsehood and hypocrisy.
I have performed the commandment of the Lord - either he was really ignorant that he had done amiss; and thought that his sparing Agag, when he had destroyed all the rest, and reserving some of the best of the cattle for sacrifice, could not be interpreted a breach of the orders given him; or if he was conscious he had broken the commandment of the Lord, this he said to prevent Samuel's reproof of him, and to sooth him with flattering words.
I have performed the commandment of the Lord - Saul was either blinded by a partial and delusive self-love, or he was, in his declaration to Samuel, acting the part of a bold and artful hypocrite. He professed to have fulfilled the divine command, and that the blame of any defects in the execution lay with the people. Samuel saw the real state of the case, and in discharge of the commission he had received before setting out, proceeded to denounce his conduct as characterized by pride, rebellion, and obstinate disobedience. When Saul persisted in declaring that he had obeyed, alleging that the animals, whose bleating was heard, had been reserved for a liberal sacrifice of thanksgiving to God, his shuffling, prevaricating answer called forth a stern rebuke from the prophet. It well deserved it--for the destination of the spoil to the altar was a flimsy pretext--a gross deception, an attempt to conceal the selfishness of the original motive under the cloak of religious zeal and gratitude.
1Sa 15:14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
what meaneth then this bleating of the sheep - For the orders were to destroy all living creatures belonging to the Amalekites, 1Sa_15:3 if therefore Saul had performed the commandment of the Lord, as he said he had, from whence were these sheep Samuel heard bleating? These questions he put to convict him of the falsehood he had delivered; the bleating and lowing of these creatures proved him a liar, and were witnesses of his breach of the divine command; and one would think every bleating and lowing of these must alarm his conscience, unless dreadfully stupefied.
1Sa 15:15 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.
They have brought them - That is, the people. Thus, he lays the blame upon the people; whereas they could not do it without his consent; and he should have used his power to overrule them. There is something thoroughly mean in his attempt to shift the responsibility of what was done from his own kingly shoulders to those of the people. Every word uttered by Saul seems to indicate the breaking down of his moral character.
They have brought them - That is, the people, laying the blame upon them, as Adam did on his wife, as if he had no concern at all in it, when it is clear from 1Sa_15:9 he was the principal one; nor is it probable the people should do this of themselves, without his consent and authority, which was so directly contrary to the express order of God.
the rest we have utterly destroyed - as they were commanded; but then it was only the vile and the refuse, the best they had reserved for their own use; though he now colored it with this specious pretence of sacrificing to God, when he found it was taken notice of, and was resented.
They have brought them - Saul boasts to Samuel of his obedience. Thus sinners think, by justifying themselves, to escape being judged of the Lord. The noise the cattle made, like the rust of the silver, Jam_5:3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their poison will be a witness against you, and will eat your flesh as fire. You heaped treasure in the last days witnessed against him. Many boast of obedience to the command of God; but what means then their indulgence of the flesh, their love of the world, their angry and unkind spirit, and their neglect of holy duties, which witness against them? See of what evil covetousness is the root; and see what is the sinfulness of sin, and notice that in it which above any thing else makes it evil in the sight of the Lord; it is disobedience:
They have brought them - Carnal, deceitful hearts, like Saul, think to excuse themselves from God's commandments by what pleases themselves. It is hard to convince the children of disobedience. But humble, sincere, and conscientious obedience to the will of God, is more pleasing and acceptable to him than all burnt-offering and sacrifices. 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 burned upon the altar, than to bring every high thought into obedience to God, and to make our will subject to his will. Those are unfit and unworthy to rule over men, who are not willing that God should rule over them.
They have brought them - So that it was not Saul, but the people, who had transgressed the command of the Lord, and that with the most laudable intention, viz., to offer the best of the cattle that had been taken, as a thank-offering to the Lord. The falsehood and hypocrisy of these words lay upon the very surface; for even if the cattle spared were really intended as sacrifices to the Lord, not only the people, but Saul also, would have had their own interests in view, since the flesh of thank-offerings was appropriated to sacrificial meals.
1Sa 15:16 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.
Then Samuel said unto Saul - Samuel now acquiesces in the wisdom and justice of the sentence which 1Sa_15:11 he had so strenuously resisted at first. What before was known only to the Searcher of hearts, had now been displayed to Samuel by Saul himself.
and he said unto him, say on – Saul gave Samuel leave, perhaps hoping he should hear something said in his praise, commending him for what he had done in destroying the nation of Amalek, note similarity of speech to Luk_7:40 And answering, Jesus said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. And he said, Teacher, speak.
1Sa 15:17 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?
Little in thine own sight – Humble and lowly, and had a mean opinion of himself, his family and tribe, and judged himself unworthy of the kingdom; suggesting, that now he was proud and haughty, and would have his own will and way: 1Sa_9:21 And Saul answered and said, Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And is not my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak so to me?
the Lord anointed thee king over Israel - all which is observed, partly to point out unto him the high honor he was raised unto, from a low estate, which laid him under obligation to serve the Lord, and obey him; and partly as an answer to him, excusing himself, and laying the blame upon the people; whereas seeing he was made king over them, his business was to rule and govern them, guide and direct them in the right way, and restrain them from that which was evil; and since he was anointed by the Lord, and not by the people, he ought to have obeyed Him, and not regarded the pleasure of them.
1Sa 15:18 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.
Destroy the sinners - As though God would justify His commission to destroy them. The Amalekites, notorious sinners, who deserve no mercy at the hands of God or men; who had so highly offended the Lord, and had been so injurious to his people at their first coming out of Egypt. The orders were plain, not to be mistaken, and full and strong for the utter destruction of them without any exception, and therefore nothing could be pleaded in excuse for the violation of them:
the Lord sent thee on a journey - And therefore he ought to have attended to the errand sent upon, and executed the orders given; in vain, therefore, was it to lay the blame on the people: So easy was the service, and so certain the success, that it was rather to be called a journey than a war.
1Sa 15:19 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?
but didst fly upon the spoil - like a bird of prey, such as an eagle or vulture, not to devote it to the Lord, by an entire destruction of it, but to seize it for his own use, as being greedily desirous and covetous of it:
and didst evil in the sight of the Lord - by disobeying his commands, from whose sight nothing can be hid.
1Sa 15:20 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.
And Saul said to Samuel - Here Saul breaks in upon Samuel before he had declared all that the Lord had said unto him; for having expostulated with him for not obeying the voice of the Lord, he could not forbear interrupting him, but with the utmost assurance affirms he had obeyed the voice of the Lord; but then it was very imperfectly, and poor proof does he give of it:
have gone the way which the Lord sent me - it is very true he went into the country of Amalek, but he did not do there all the Lord commanded him:
have brought Agag the king of Amalek - took him alive, and brought him captive; whereas he ought to have destroyed him at once, and not have reserved him for triumph; a sad proof this of his obeying the voice of the Lord:
have utterly destroyed the Amalekites - all that came in his way, in which he did right; but then he had not destroyed the principal of them, their king.
1Sa 15:21 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.
To sacrifice unto the Lord - Thus he endeavors to excuse the people. They did not take the spoil in order to enrich themselves by it, but to sacrifice unto the Lord.
The Lord thy God - There is an implied censure of Samuel in this phrase. Saul says that Samuel blames him for what was done in honor of Samuel’s God; as if be had more zeal for the glory of God than was felt by Samuel.
But the people took the spoil - Still he continues to lay the blame on the people, when he, as king, ought to have restrained them: The chief of the things, which should have been utterly destroyed; this betrays him, and is an evidence against him; he could not plead ignorance, he knew and he owns, that according to the command of God they were all devoted to destruction; and therefore he ought not to have suffered the people to have spared any on whatsoever pretence, but to have seen all destroyed; but he was as deeply in it as they, and therefore palliates the thing, and endeavors to excuse them by observing, that their end was good, the service and glory of God.
to sacrifice unto the Lord - as peace offerings, by way of thanksgiving for the victory obtained, 1Sa_15:15. Even the sparing of the cattle he endeavored to defend as the fulfillment of a religious duty. The people had taken sheep and oxen from the booty, “as firstlings of the ban,” to sacrifice to Jehovah. Sacrificing the best of the booty taken in war as an offering of first-fruits to the Lord, was not indeed prescribed in the law, but was a praiseworthy sign of piety, by which all honor was rendered to the Lord as the giver of the victory. This, Saul meant to say, was what the people had done on the present occasion; only he overlooked the fact, that what was banned to the Lord could not be offered to Him as a burnt-offering, because, being most holy, it belonged to Him already Lev_27:29 Nothing devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed, but shall surely be put to death. and according to Deu_13:16 And you shall gather all its spoil into the middle of its street, and shall burn the city with fire, and all its spoil, every bit of it, for the LORD your God. And it shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again. was to be put to death, as Samuel had expressly said to Saul 1Sa_15:3 Now go and strike Amalek, and completely destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
1Sa 15:22 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.
Hath the Lord - This was a very proper answer to, and refutation of Saul’s excuse. A grand example of the moral and spiritual teaching of the prophets. The tension of Samuel’s spirit, as he is about to pronounce the sentence of rejection, produces a lyrical turn of thought and language.
hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord - no, certainly, the one being merely ceremonial, the other moral; the one supposes sin committed, for which sacrifice is offered; the other moral, and is a compliance with the will of God, and is neither sinful, nor supposes anything sinful, and therefore must be the more acceptable:
to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams - which always was claimed by the Lord as his right and due; or the fattest rams or best sacrifices, of whatever sort, whether burnt offerings, or sin offerings, or peace offerings; for had man obeyed the will of God, and not sinned, there would have been no need of sacrifice; and that was only acceptable to God when offered with a heart truly sensible of sin, and penitent for it.
to obey is better than sacrifice - Sacrifices without obedience to the commandments of God are utterly worthless; in fact, are displeasing to God, as Isa_1:10-13 Hear the Word of the LORD, rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me? says the LORD; I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of he-goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this at your hand, to trample My courts? Bring no more vain sacrifice; incense is an abomination to Me; the new moon and sabbath, the going to meeting; I cannot endure evil and the assembly! Isa_66:3-4 He who kills an ox is is as if he killed a man; he who sacrifices a lamb is as if he broke a dog's neck; he who offers an offering is as if he offered swine's blood; he who burns incense is as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations. I also will choose the things that delude them, and I will bring their fears on them, because I called, no one answered; when I spoke, they did not hear. But they did evil before My eyes and chose that in which I did not delight. Jer_6:19-20 Hear, O earth; behold, I will bring evil on this people, the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not listened to My words, nor to My law, but have rejected it. Why does frankincense come to Me from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not pleasing, nor your sacrifices sweet to Me. and all the prophets, distinctly affirm. There was no necessity, however, to carry out this truth any further. To tear off the cloak of hypocrisy, with which Saul hoped to cover his disobedience, it was quite enough to affirm that God's first demand was obedience, and that observing His word was better than sacrifice. This spiritual worship was shadowed forth in the sacrificial worship of the Old Testament. In the sacrificial animal the Israelite was to give up and sanctify his own person and life to the Lord. But if this were the design of the sacrifices, it was clear enough that God did not desire the animal sacrifice in itself, but first and chiefly obedience to His own word.
1Sa 15:23 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.
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft - The meaning is “Rebellion is as bad as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as bad as worshipping false gods (iniquity), and teraphim (idolatry).”
stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry - for a man, when he has committed a sin, to persist in it obstinately, or to vindicate himself in it, and insist on his innocence, which was Saul's case, is as hateful to God as any iniquity whatever; yea, as bad as idolatry, or making use of the teraphim, as is the word here; of which see Hos_3:4 than which nothing is more abominable to the Lord:
stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry - Opposition to God is compared by Samuel to soothsaying and oracles, because idolatry was manifested in both of them. All conscious disobedience is actually idolatry, because it makes self-will, the human I, into a god. So that all manifest opposition to the word and commandment of God is, like idolatry, a rejection of the true God.
he hath rejected thee from being king - not at the moment, for he continued to exercise kingly power and authority to his death, and was treated as a king by his subjects, and even by David, though anointed by the Lord; but the sentence of rejection was pronounced upon him, and the bestowal of the government on his posterity was cut off.
1Sa 15:24 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.
I have sinned - This confession of his sin does not appear to be ingenuous, cordial, and sincere, and was made chiefly for the sake of getting the sentence of rejecting him from being king reversed: How was it that these repeated confessions were unavailing to obtain forgiveness, when David’s was? Because Saul only shrank from the punishment of his sin. David shrank in abhorrence from the sin itself Psa_51:4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done evil in Your sight; that You might be justified when You speak, and be clear when You judge.
I have sinned --The erring, but proud and obstinate monarch was now humbled. He was conscience-smitten for the moment, but his confession proceeded not from sincere repentance, but from a sense of danger and desire of averting the sentence denounced against him. For the sake of public appearance, he besought Samuel not to allow their serious differences to transpire, but to join with him in a public act of worship. Under the influence of his painfully agitated feelings, he designed to offer sacrifice, partly to express his gratitude for the recent victory, and partly to implore mercy and a reversal of his doom. It was, from another angle, a politic scheme, that Samuel might be betrayed into a countenancing of his design in reserving the cattle for sacrificing. Samuel declined to accompany him.
because I feared the people - This was the best excuse he could make for himself; but had he feared God more, he need have feared the People less. This was a mere excuse of Saul's, he stood in no fear of the people, he kept them in awe, and did as he would with them, as a sovereign prince.
I feared the people, and obeyed their voice--This was a different reason from the former he had assigned. It was the language of a man driven to extremities, and even had it been true, the principles expounded by Samuel showed that it could have been no extenuation of the offense. The prophet then pronounced the irreversible sentence of the rejection of Saul and his family. He was judicially cut off for his disobedience.
I have sinned --But these last words, with which he endeavored to make his sin appear as small as possible, show that the consciousness of his guilt did not go very deep. Even if the people had really desired that the best of the cattle should be spared, he ought not as king to have given his consent to their wish, since God had commanded that they should all be banned (i.e., destroyed); and even though he has yielded from weakness, this weakness could not lessen his guilt before God. This repentance, therefore, was rather the effect of alarm at the rejection which had been announced to him, than the fruit of any genuine consciousness of sin.
There were several signs of hypocrisy in Saul's repentance.
1. He besought Samuel only, and seemed most anxious to stand right in his opinion, and to gain his favor.
2. He excuses his fault, even when confessing it; that is never the way of a true penitent.
3. All his care was to save his credit, and preserve his interest in the people.
1Sa 15:25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.
Pardon my sin - Literally, bear my sin; take it away; It can hardly be thought that Saul was so ignorant as to imagine that Samuel could pardon his sin, as committed against God, which none but God can do, but that he would forgive it, so far as he had offended him; or rather his meaning is, that as he was a prophet of the Lord, and had great interest in him, that he would make use of it on his behalf, and pray to God that his sin might be forgiven him, and the sentence reversed concerning his rejection from the kingdom;
Pardon my sin - Neither can it be proved that there was any hypocrisy in this. Rather charity requires us to believe, that he sincerely desired pardon, both from God and man, as he now knew, he had sinned against both.
and turn again with me - to Gilgal, for he was come out from thence to meet Samuel, having heard that he was coming:
that I may worship the Lord - by offering sacrifice, either in thankfulness for the victory obtained, or to atone for his sin, and seek pardon for it, or both; this he thought would be a motive and inducement to Samuel to go along with him.
1Sa 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.
I will not return with thee - Not being satisfied with his repentance and confession, he still extenuating his sin, and laying the blame of it on the people. This he said by way of resentment, and as expressing his indignation at him, though he afterwards did return with him on a change of his mind; which a good man may be allowed to make, without any imputation of falsehood or a lie unto him:
I will not return with thee - This was no lie, though he afterwards returned, because he spoke what he meant; his words and his intentions agreed together, though afterwards he saw reason to change his intentions.
thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king - which is repeated from 1Sa_15:23 for the confirmation of it, and to let Saul know that his pretended confession and repentance had made no alteration in the decree and sentence of God respecting the kingdom.
1Sa 15:27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
as Samuel turned about to go away - From Saul, a different way from Gilgal, perhaps towards his own city Ramah, with an intention to have nothing more to say to Saul, or to do with him, or to see his face no more; so displeased was he with him:
he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle - in order to detain him, and prevent his departure from him, and his going a different way:
he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle--the moil, upper tunic, official robe. In an agony of mental excitement, he took hold of the prophet's dress to detain him; the rending of the mantle was adroitly pointed to as a significant and mystical representation of his severance from the throne.
and it rent - Samuel twitching away from him with great vehemence and warmth. The Jewish Rabbins are divided about this, whose skirt was rent; some say it was Samuel that rent the skirt of Saul, and by this signified to him, that he that cut off the skirt of his garment should reign in his stead; whereby Saul knew that David would be king when he cut off the skirt of his robe, 1Sa_24:4, others, that Samuel rent the skirt of his own mantle himself, which is the way of good men when things are not right; but the plain sense is, that Saul rent the skirt of Samuel's mantle, which, when Samuel saw, he understood what that rent was a sign of, as expressed in the following verse.
1Sa 15:28 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 Samuel said unto him - Seeing his mantle rent by Saul, he took occasion from thence to predict, and no doubt it was impressed on his mind by the Spirit of God, that his kingdom should be in a like manner rent from him, on account of his own evil conduct and behavior; and from this day forward he might expect it; the sentence was gone forth from God, and it would not be reversed; and by a like sign was signified the rending of the ten tribes from the kingdom of Solomon in his son Rehoboam, 1Ki_11:29-39.
1Ki_11:30-31 And Ahijah caught hold of the new robe on him, and tore it in twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, Take ten pieces for yourself. For so says the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you,
hath given it to a neighbor of thine - who was David, a man after God's own heart, that would fulfill his will, who was more holy, just, and wise than Saul; whose works were better and righter than his, as the Targum; who was an Israelite, of the same nation and religion as he, and so his neighbor; and though he was not of the same tribe, yet of a neighboring tribe; Benjamin, and Judah, of which tribe David was, joining closely to one another. It is highly probable that at this time Samuel knew not personally who he was that was designed to be made king in his place, though under the direction of the Spirit of God he thus describes him; for after this he is bid to go to Jesse's family, from thence to anoint a king, and several passed before him ere the Lord pointed out the proper person to him.
1Sa 15:29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
The strength of Israel - A phrase which occurs only here. The word means, perpetuity, truth, glory, victory, and trust, or confidence.
The Strength of Israel will not lie - What God has purposed he will bring to pass, for he has all power in the heavens and in the earth; and he will not repent - change his purpose - concerning Saul.
the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent - Neither of the evil which he had threatened to Saul in taking away the kingdom from him; nor of the good which he had promised to David in giving it to him; nor of his purpose and promise to Israel to protect and defend them, save and deliver them from the Philistines, and continue them a nation and kingdom: and for the confirmation of all this, this title or character of the Lord is given, "the Strength of Israel"; hence he cannot lie, which is the effect of weakness; nor repent or change his mind, as men do, when something unforeseen arises.
for he is not a man, that he should repent - men are weak and feeble, and cannot perform what they purpose or promise, and therefore repent; but God, the Strength of Israel, is able to perform whatever he has purposed or promised, and therefore repents not; men are changeable in their minds, and repent of their first thoughts and designs; but God is unchangeable, and never alters his counsels, breaks his covenant, reverses his blessings, repents of his gifts, nor changes his affections to his Israel.
Repent - That is, nor change his counsel; which also is an effect of weakness and imperfection, either of wisdom or power. So that this word is not here used in the sense it commonly is when applied to God, as in Jer. 11:1-23, and elsewhere.
the Strength of Israel will not lie--Hebrew, "He that gives a victory to Israel ," a further rebuke of his pride in rearing the Carmel trophy, and an intimation that no loss would be sustained in Israel by his rejection.
1Sa 15:30 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.
I have sinned - The tenacity with which Saul clings to Samuel for support is a striking testimony to Samuel’s integrity. With all his worldly-mindedness Saul could perceive and appreciate the purity of Samuel’s character as a man of God.
I have sinned - So he had said before, 1Sa_15:24 but his confession there was attended with an extenuation of his sin, pleading in excuse of it that it was through fear of the people, but here it is without any; and yet by what follows it appears to be not ingenuous and sincere, but hypocritical:
yet honor me now - with his company since should he be slighted openly by the Lord, and by his prophet, he would fall into contempt both with the principal men, and with the common people; wherefore he seemed more concerned for the loss of honor and reputation with the people, than for his sin against God, which is always the case of hypocrites:
1Sa 15:31 So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.
Samuel turned again after Saul - Though he before said he would not, 1Sa_15:26 yet he did, changing his mind, as he might without being chargeable with a lie; and he also might have an impulse from the Lord so to do, and which he did not in order to worship with Saul but that Saul might not be despised by the people, and his authority lessened, while he continued king; and that he might do what Saul had neglected to do, destroy Agag: Saul worshipped the Lord; alone, by offering sacrifice to him.
Samuel turned again after Saul - First, that the people might have no ground, on pretense of Saul's rejection, to withdraw their allegiance from him; and secondly, to compensate for Saul's error, by executing God's judgment upon Agag.
1Sa 15:32 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.
Agag came unto him delicately - This phrase is very obscure. The meaning of the word so rendered is “dainties, delights” Gen_49:20; Pro_29:17; Lam_4:5, which hardly gives a tolerable sense here. Some understand it “fawningly, flatteringly,” with a view of appeasing Samuel. The Septuagint reads 1 Samuel 15:32 And Samuel said, Bring me Agag the king of Amalec: and Agag came to him trembling; and Agag said Is death thus bitter? (Septuagint)
Agag came unto him delicately--or cheerfully, since he had gained the favor and protection of the king.
Surely the bitterness of death is past - Agag hopes that his life will be spared, and so expresses his confident belief that the bitterness of death is over. He probably thought that his life was to be granted him, as he had not been put to death at once, and was now about to be presented to the prophet
Surely the bitterness of death is past – this he said, either as not expecting to die, that since he had been spared by Saul, the king of the nation, a fierce and warlike prince, he had nothing to fear from an ancient man and a prophet, and who now bore not the sword of justice; and especially when he came into his presence, and saw his form, which showed him to be a man of clemency and mercy: or as expecting it, to this sense, "the bitterness of death is come"; and is near at hand, and will be soon over; or suggesting that that which was bitter, to others grievous and terrible, was to him sweet and desirable; but the former sense seems best by what follows.
Then said Samuel - This he said very probably to some of Saul's officers, and in his presence, and before all the people met together for sacrifice:
1Sa 15:33 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.
Hewed in pieces - Only found in this passage. Samuel thus executed the command in 1Sa_15:3 which Saul had violated, and so both saved the nation from the guilt of a broken oath, and gave a final example to Saul, but apparently in vain, of uncompromising obedience to the commandments of God. There is something awful in the majesty of the prophet rising above and eclipsing that of the king.
As thy sword hath made women childless - Made them both childless and widows; by which it appears that he was a cruel prince, and justly died for his own barbarity and wickedness, as well as for the sins of his ancestors four hundred years ago: It appears that Agag had forfeited his life by his own personal transgressions, and that his death now was the retribution of his cruelties. And this seems to be added for the fuller vindication of God's justice, and to show, that although God did at this time revenge a crime committed by this man's ancestors 400 years ago, yet he did not punish an innocent son for his father's crimes, but one that persisted in the same evil courses.
so shall thy mother be childless - which was according to the law of retaliation, and what the Jews call measure for measure:
Samuel hewed Agag before the Lord - either before the ark of the Lord, the symbol of the divine Presence; or before the altar, where Saul and the people had been sacrificing; this he did either himself, though an old man, or by others to whom he gave the orders;
1Sa 15:34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.
Then Samuel went to Ramah - His native place, and where was his usual residence: From that time forward Samuel broke off all intercourse with the king whom Jehovah had rejected.
Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul - which was also his birth place, and where was his father's house, and where he had his palace, and kept his court; and took its name from him, to distinguish it from another Gibeah.
1Sa 15:35 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 came no more - In the sense of visiting or conversing on public affairs. But we read, 1Sa_19:22-24, that Saul went to see Samuel at Naioth, but this does not affect what is said here. Not that he saw him no more, he saw him afterwards, 1Sa_19:24, but it was accidentally, he did not go to see him, but Saul came to him. From this time Samuel had no connection with Saul; he never more acknowledged him as king; he mourned and prayed for him, and continued to perform his prophetic functions at Ramah, and at Naioth, superintending the school of the prophets in that place. The meaning of the expression here is no more than this, that Samuel afterwards did not visit Saul as he used to do; he did not go to him, to give him his advice and counsel, as he wonted:
Samuel mourned for Saul - because of his sin, his impenitence, and hypocrisy; and because of the loss of the kingdom to him, and to his posterity; and he might be concerned also about his eternal welfare; for he appears to have a natural affection for him, and was far from envying him as his rival, and rejoicing at his fall:
