As we learned yesterday, Saul and his men refused to destroy everything belonging to the Amalekites because they felt some of the livestock was much too fine. They took a large number of the farm animals back with them to their army camp. When confronted with his failure to fully obey the Lord, Saul claimed he kept the best of the livestock in order to sacrifice it to the Lord. We pick up there with Samuel's reply.
"But Samuel replied: 'Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king.'" (1 Samuel 15:22-23) Saul has an arrogant spirit. He doesn't want to yield to the Lord's will; he wants to do his own will. That doesn't seem like such a big sin to him but Samuel points out that being unwilling to obey the Lord is as bad as dabbling in the occult or bowing down to an idol. Sin is sin, and while it's true that some sins produce more harm to others and bring more consequences on the sinner, the issue here is that Saul is not bothered by his sin. That's because he hasn't enthroned the Lord as king of his heart. He doesn't respect and honor the Lord as he should. This is why the Lord is going to remove him as king and transfer the throne to a man from another tribe. It's not just that Saul has disobeyed Him in this one incident. It's that Saul always has had a tendency to be stubborn and rebellious and because he will drift farther and farther from the Lord as time goes on.
Saul makes a half-hearted confession of guilt but still tries to excuse his behavior. "Then Saul said to Samuel, 'I have sinned. I violated the Lord's command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.'" (1 Samuel 15:24-25) He's saying something like, "Okay, okay, you've got a point. I didn't obey the instructions to the letter, I know. But the men really wanted those cattle and sheep! I was afraid they might attack me if I didn't let them have them. Who was going to protect me if they did? You weren't here to take charge of the situation as the Lord's prophet. Maybe if you'd gone with me I wouldn't have messed up. How did I know whether the Lord would keep me safe or not? I admit I didn't do exactly as I was told but that's only because I was scared. Please don't be mad at me! Let's put this behind us like it never happened. Let's go up on the hill and make a sacrifice to the Lord together just like old times. Then you and I won't be upset with each other and the Lord won't be upset with me either."
Saul doesn't feel sorry for his sin or confess it to the Lord and seek the Lord's forgiveness. He's unhappy that Samuel is angry with him but I don't get the feeling he's very concerned about displeasing the Lord. He seems far more concerned with losing Samuel's respect and the respect of the soldiers. He believes all he has to do is smooth things over with Samuel and then Samuel will ask the Lord to ignore his disobedience and the men will see that Samuel is still on his side, which will keep them on his side too. He doesn't take it seriously when Samuel tells him the Lord has rejected him as king. I'm not positive he was really even listening to him but, if he did take in those words, he likely thinks Samuel spoke them in a mood of intense frustration. Because Saul is a man led by his emotions, he thinks Samuel makes this statement in the heat of anger and that he doesn't really mean it.
Samuel repeats the message of the Lord regarding Saul's kingship. "But Samuel said to him, 'I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!'" (1 Samuel 15:26) Saul has rejected the Lord not just on this day but on many previous occasions. He doesn't want to submit his life to Him.
"As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. Samuel said to him, 'The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors---to one better than you. He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind; for He is not a human being, that He should change His mind.'" (1 Samuel 15:27-29) The Lord has spoken and it's as good as done: the kingship will be taken from Saul, though a number of years will pass between Samuel's pronouncement and then. The Lord can make up His mind right now because He knows everything Saul will ever do. Saul will never repent and that's why the Lord will never relent.
Saul is still more concerned with Samuel's and the people's opinion of him than the Lord's. If they see Samuel has lost respect for him, they might also lose respect for him. "Saul replied, 'I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.' So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord." (1 Samuel 15:30-31) Samuel goes with him, probably because the time is not yet to set up a new king of Israel. It will not profit Israel if the people rebel against the current king. The nation will not be able to effectively defend itself against its enemies if the people are not united and if Saul cannot command the army. When the Bible says "Saul worshiped the Lord" I think it means that he went through the motions of religious ritual. It's as if he doesn't realize the Lord can see his heart. He thinks he can perform actions to appease the Lord. This can be compared to someone thinking it's okay to live like the devil through the week as long as they attend church on Sundays.
There is an issue that needs taking care of before Samuel takes his leave of Saul. "Then Samuel said, 'Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.' Agag came to him in chains. And he thought, 'Surely the bitterness of death is past.' But Samuel said, 'As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women.' And Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal." (1 Samuel 15:32-33) Agag has never shown anyone any mercy. Samuel does not show him any mercy. He does what Saul failed to do.
"Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel." (1 Samuel 15:34-35) Samuel goes to his hometown and Saul goes to his hometown. The men are no longer able to keep company as friends and comrades. Saul will see Samuel again when he goes up to Ramah in Chapter 19, but he will be in Ramah for the purpose of violently pursuing David. He will see Samuel at Ramah but there is no indication that the two men had a warm conversation or any type of conversation at all; Saul won't be in a condition to socialize when he sees Samuel again.
Samuel still loves his old friend and wishes he would change his ways. It grieves Samuel but he cannot continue to have Saul in his life. Saul is an impenitent sinner and I think maintaining a friendship with him would tarnish Samuel's reputation as a man of God and might cast doubt upon his authority in anointing the next king of Israel, which he will do soon. Also I think it breaks his heart too much to see the way Saul keeps drifting farther from God and keeps falling into more and more sin. It could even be that, as the Lord's prophet, perhaps Samuel has to be on the same page as the Lord in regard to washing his hands of the wayward king.
Here is where we'll discuss what I meant when I said earlier that the term "unconditional love" is being misused and misunderstood in our day. It has taken on this type of meaning: that if we love someone we must take whatever they choose to dish out. It has led us to think we must remain in contact with them no matter how many times they've lied to us, used us, or cheated us. A common misconception about unconditionally loving someone is that we cannot sever the relationship with them no matter how many times they've let us down. That is not true and that is not biblical! It can certainly be said that Samuel loves Saul unconditionally, for he continues to care about his welfare for the rest of his life. But his love for Saul does not obligate him to maintain a friendship with him. It doesn't mean he has to associate with him at all. The Lord Jesus made a similar point to this in Matthew 18. He said if a person transgressed against us, and if they refused three attempts to work things out, we could choose to have nothing more to do with them. Samuel told Saul three times that the kingship was about to be taken from him but he felt no sorrow over his sins and he felt no urge to repent. He just wanted Samuel to somehow smooth things over for him with the Lord. Samuel has the right to go no contact with Saul if this is what seems best to him. It doesn't mean he doesn't love Saul. It doesn't mean he won't pray for Saul's soul. It doesn't mean he wants anything bad to happen to Saul. It just means that, due to the condition of Saul's heart, it is not in Samuel's best interests or in the nation's best interests for the two men to remain friends. Saul is what we'd call in today's vernacular a "toxic friend". He doesn't even regard Samuel's desertion of him as a wake-up call to take stock of his life and be a better person. As a result he will soon become toxic to everyone around him.
(I will be where there isn't any Wi-Fi on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. So we'll meet here again on Monday for Bible study. I hope you have a blessed Easter.)
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