1 Samuel 14:47-15:35

1 Samuel 14:47-15:35

The closing verses of 1 Samuel 14 give insight into Saul’s personal life. First, it briefly lists some of the battles Saul found himself in as the king of Israel. Second, it details his relations, listing his kids, wife, and other family members. Finally, it discusses his strategy, explaining how he sought strong men to align himself with as king. This causes me to wonder if he might have not always sought the best men. Just because they were powerful and influential did not necessarily mean they were godly and the best men for the job. Aligning with some of these men might have been one of Saul’s downfalls.


But Saul’s major mistakes do not occur until 1 Samuel 15. Saul had originally been chosen by God as the man He wanted to be king. Although God knew what would happen in the end, he appointed Saul to that position. Ultimately Saul had the choice whether to obey God or not, and he knew the consequences for disobedience. In 1 Samuel 15, God sent Samuel to give Saul clear instructions on his next battle. He was to go into the city of the Amalekites and completely destroy everything in it. No one was to be left alive, and they were to take none of the spoils. So Saul gathered his army together and went into the city for battle. But before the battle even started, Saul warned other groups of people who were living with the Amalekites and instructed them to leave before he attacked, thus protecting them. Although he might have seen this as something noble, he completely disregarded what God had commanded him. Those people groups may not have been the reason God wanted the Amalekite city destroyed, but they were associated with the Amalekites. In the end, Saul’s protection of these people and his eventual taking of several of the animals from the city were blatant disobedience to God.

God was displeased with Saul and filled with regret. I think much of His regret was not that He was surprised at how it all turned out (for He already told Samuel and Israel what would eventually happen if they had a king), but instead that Saul had made the choice to not follow Him. God made man in His image for the sole purpose of glorifying Him. We are His greatest creation, and He was initially proud of His creation. But when sin entered the world, it destroyed the relationship God had with man. Thus, God provided a way for man to come back to Him through salvation, but ultimately it was man’s choice. We decide whether we are going to accept His gift that He gave us by sacrificing His own Son. When Saul chose to disobey God rather than follow His commands, God was obviously upset that Saul had in essence rejected Him. So as a result, God did just as He had promised and rejected Saul.

When Samuel confronted Saul about his sin, Saul immediately had excuses. First, he said that he did it honor God. He was going to sacrifice the animals that he was not supposed to take to God. Then, he blamed it on the Israelites, saying that they were the ones who took the spoils from the city. He refused to take responsibility for his actions, and Samuel told him that God had indeed rejected him. However, it was not that God who first rejected Saul. Samuel was sure to tell Saul that he had rejected God first, through his disobedience.

Saul wanted to confess, and he did get that opportunity. He was able to confess his sins before God, but that did not mean that he received the kingdom back. God said that the punishment for his disobedience would be the loss of the kingdom of Israel, and God would not go back on His promises. Saul learned a tough lesson that day. First he saw the consequences for disobedience, but he also learned that confession is sometimes not enough. God will still forgive us of our sins, but that does not mean that everything will be set right like it once had been. Sometimes we will still feel the consequences of our sins, even after we have repented of them, which ultimately helps us to continue to grow in Him.

Matt