This program of daily devotions is designed to take you through the Bible in three years. It is our desire to help you gain a better general understanding of God's Word.
Please understand that in a study this brief, we will be concerned with only the major emphases and context of the Scriptures.
Each day a devotion for one or two chapters is posted, beginning with chapter one of Genesis and going through chapter twenty-two of Revelation. You are free to print each page as it appears. If you miss a day, you may contact us and request that devotion. Please send your request, along with $.50 (p&h) for each page to:
Bruce McGee,Pastor
205 Adams
Columbia, LA 71418
HERE
Bro. Bruce's commentaries for the
books of Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus are
now available in hard copy for $7.50. Just mail your request for
COMMENTARY ON GENESIS to the address above.
1SAMUEL
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.
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.
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.
God continues to work in GRACE and POWER. Saul is given directions from the Lord to battle the Amalekites. This is a very important directive: he is to TOTALLY destroy them, not saving ANY.
4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
Saul's army had tremendously grown! He is shown at first as OBEDIENT and sets the battle against one of the cities of Amalek.
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.
7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
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 was kind to send a message to the Kenites. They had helped Israel before. Moses' father-in-law was a Kenite, and many of them had come with Israel to the promised land and settled in Judah's territory. (See Judges 1:16)
10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,
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.
Samuel received word from God that Saul was not being obedient.
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.
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.
14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
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.
When Samuel came to Saul, Saul stated his obedience. And when Samuel questioned about the flocks and cattle, Saul said they were saved to "sacrifice" to God.
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.
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?
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.
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?
Saul might have continued to explain and told how he had been "just" and "good," etc. But Samuel said, "STAY!" which means "HUSH!"
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.
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.
So Saul plays the "blame game" like Adam and Eve did in the garden. Saul said, "It's the people's fault! THEY took the best of the flocks for sacrifices. LOOK at what I have done! I have destroyed the Amalekites and brought their king to prove it!"
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.
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.
Oh my! What a statement Samuel could make to the Christians of the 21st century!
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.
25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.
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.
Saul confesses his sin. He even declares openly what his sin was. He said, "...I feared the people, and obeyed their voice." (verse 24)
27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
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.
29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
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.
31 So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.
Saul was adamant. As Samuel turned to walk away, Saul grabbed his cloak. The emotion of the moment had caused both men to react with physical strength. And the opposition of force caused Samuel's cloak to be torn.
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.
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.
Samuel, while he was still there, performed an act of godly discipline upon Saul. Samuel himself killed Agag, and thus took away the pride that Saul had in capturing him.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.
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 withdrew from Saul because God had no more to SAY to Saul through Samuel. But Samuel's heart was still toward the king. He mourned because he knew that Saul would suffer tremendously under the discipline of God.
Please continue to follow along with us in Bible Study.
CHAPTER 15
In Exodus 17:8-16 the Bible tells us that the Amalekites attacked Israel while they were in the wilderness at Rephidim. We will see here that Saul did not follow his directive from God to utterly destroy them. In 1Chronicles 4:43 we will find that there were still some Amalekites 300 to 320 years later.
Now some people would depart from God's directive here and say that this could not be JUST. God would certainly not command that a whole nation be annihilated. But Baalim prophesied in Numbers 24:20, "..Amalek was the first of the nations: but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever."
God had determined that the time of the influence of this nation should cease. And when God is THROUGH with you on this earth, your time is OVER.
Saul began in the Southern end of Judah's territory and fought West almost to the edge of Egyptian territory. But Saul did not follow his directive from God which was given through Samuel. He saved the king (Agag) so he could parade him around in pride. And he saved the best of the cattle and flocks.
Then Samuel reminded Saul of his littleness and how God had made him KING. And Samuel asked a question we would all like to answer today: "Why haven't you obeyed the Lord?"
AH! Such PRIDE that has filled this once humble man!
God is MORE PLEASED with quite obedience than with showy sacrifice! It is easy to make a show of faith; but it is more meaningful to quietly OBEY God!
Sometimes Christians allow worship to become empty and ritualistic and never really seek God or His will. Then it is just a showy piety and not truth.
"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me."(Matthew 15:8)
To rebel against God's command is as bad as worshipping devils!
Saul has disobeyed God repeatedly. Therefore Samuel tells him that God will take the kingdom away from him. This is the SECOND time that Samuel has told Saul this.
Friends, there is LOSS in disobedience!
It is a sin to let people sway us from following God's word and will!
"Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:"(Exodus 23:2)
Saul makes a request for Samuel to forgive his sin (verse 25); AND for Samuel to openly SHOW his forgiveness by returning with Saul to worship in front of the people.
Samuel does not address the matter of forgiveness in his next statement. Saul has not confessed to God and asked forgiveness from God. He is still letting PEOPLE be more important to him.
But it is OUR responsibility as people to forgive when wrong is done to us personally. And Saul has not only wronged God, but also he has wronged Samuel.
I suspect that Samuel was very ANGRY with Saul! And he did not wish to SHOW his forgiveness to the people.
Samuel is STILL angry. And his retort demonstrates it (verse 28).
But Samuel is truthful. He makes a statement that God is ALWAYS true. God NEVER changes! (See verse 29)
Sometimes God will rpent from discipline of people if THEY will repent from evil (Jeremiah 18:8).
But God does become weary of this (Jeremiah 15:6). And in Saul's case, it was too late to regain the kingdom. God's grace for his continued sin had RUN OUT!
My Christian friend, do not prsume upon God's GRACE!
To his credit, Saul pled with Samuel to show his forgiveness. And Samuel, to his credit, did (verses 30-31).
Godly men ought to act with godly respect toward one another!
Here is a thought for the church today. The church SHOULD exercise godly discipline upon disobedient members.
Though the church SHOULD act in godly discipline toward wayward and straying Christian members, we should also mourn and pray for them!