Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” (1 Samuel 15:13)

When Men Serve Themselves

The Amalekites needed to be destroyed, and King Saul was tasked with the mission from God. Samuel told Saul Amalek would be punished for what the nation did to the children of Israel after they came out of Egypt. The instructions given to Saul were direct, specific, and encompassing. God told the king of Israel to attack Amalek and utterly destroy all that they had and to spare no one. There was no need for an explanation, but God gave Saul one anyway. He had told him to utterly destroy Amalek, and that meant killing both man and woman, infant and nursing child, oxen, sheep, camel, and donkeys. Nothing was to remain of Amalek. The instructions were clear.

Saul took 200,000 foot soldiers along with 10,000 men of Judah to fight against the city of Amalek. Israel attacked the city with a great slaughter, utterly destroying the people with the edge of the sword. Agag, king of the Amalekites, was captured but not killed. Saul instructed his army to spare the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and all that was good. Anything worthless was destroyed. The Amalekites were subdued that day, and Saul felt triumphant after his great defeat of the city of Amalek. He surveyed the destruction of the city and its inhabitants with pride, knowing how pleased the Lord would be. Seeing the flocks of animals captured in the attack, Saul felt assured a great feast and sacrifice would bring praise and honor to the name of God. The reason he spared Agag is unknown. It could have been the king who begged for his life, and Saul saw potential in keeping the king hostage. At the end of the day, Saul was proud of how he kept the commandment of the Lord.

When Samuel arrived at Saul’s camp, the king was anxious to share with the prophet the bounty of his success, giving praise to God and the glory of Israel. What King Saul did not know was that for all his pride in how he carried out the commandments of the Lord, he had been rejected because Saul had done the bidding of his own desire. Saul had spared Agag and all the flocks because the king thought serving himself was more important than worshiping the Lord with truth. He was told to utterly destroy everything of the Amalekites, and the commandment was clear. There was to be nothing left. Agag was supposed to die. The animals were to be destroyed. God had no need for the best of the Amalekites. His commandment was precise, and Saul ignored the word of the Lord.

Samuel confronted Saul with what he had done, and Saul immediately blamed the people. He gave a good reason for keeping the flocks and herds as a sacrifice to the Lord God. Saul failed to appreciate that God cared nothing for the wisdom of men. He told Saul to kill everything, and Saul chose to serve himself. There were no good reasons to keep the flocks and herds. God rejected Saul and refused to accept his repentance, which was insincere. Even in his attempt to restore himself to the Lord, he blames the people. Saul’s heart believed he did a good thing, and God would understand because he believed he could determine right and wrong.

Saul’s folly is how men look at religion today. The world is filled with many different churches that proclaim they follow the will of the Lord, failing to realize they are nothing close to truth. Why are there so many churches? Men think they know more than God. They have taken the New Testament church and formed it into their own philosophies with what the people want to see and hear. How is it possible to defend a church that is not found in the scriptures? Saul had good intentions. Denominations have good intentions. Saul thought he knew more than God. Churches of men believe they know more than God. What then is the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen? It is false churches that seek to justify themselves before a God who denies them.

Samuel reminded Saul there is one truth, one way, and only one life. The prophet told the king that it is better to obey than sacrifice. Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. There is one church that Jesus died for, which He purchased with His blood and redeemed. Like Saul, all other churches that deny the word of the Lord will be rejected.