In 1 Samuel 15 we see a story of how sinister and subtle sin can be. Samuel gives a message to Saul from the Lord, saying that Saul is to bring battle against the Amalekites and to strike them down, sparing nobody and nothing (v1-3). Saul then goes into battle and is given victory; however, by verse 8, we already find him deviating from God’s plan: he takes King Agag alive as well as the best of the sheep, oxen, and calves.
The next day, Samuel goes out to meet Saul and is greeted with some very deceptive words (v13-14): “‘Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.’ And Samuel said, ‘What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?'”
This would be the point for Saul to repent – he has already tried to lie to Samuel, and now that he is caught in it, what does he do? Verse 15: “Saul said, ‘They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.'” But that’s the very problem – in verse 3, the Lord ordered that everything and everyone be devoted to destruction – no exceptions. Notice how Saul couches his disobedience in faithfulness – “we are going to sacrifice these livestock to God!” And here’s the kicker: don’t we do the exact same thing at times? Oh sure, we know that the only way for a person to have eternal life is to trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but we can so easily think that it is more loving to not confront people, as if somehow Jesus cares more about us being “kind” than what He commanded in Matthew 28 about being and making disciples. Similarly, it is all too easy to “spiritualize” the parts of the Scriptures that are difficult for us – teachings on divorce, homosexuality, money, hell – and think that we are somehow being both relevant and faithful even though we end up softening what the Scriptures teach.
Sadly, the story of Saul’s disobedience continues even in this very chapter. In verses 18-21 we read of Saul’s pathetic defense of his sinful actions. Though Samuel reminds him of the mission (“Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.”), Saul immediately tries to justify his sin: “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” Saul decides to throw his own people into the mix, acting as if this was all their fault. We could rephrase it: “Samuel, what’s your deal? The Lord is honored either way. So what if we didn’t do everything exactly as He said – the end result is the same!” And isn’t it easy for us to think that way today – to believe that the ends justify the means, that it’s ok to ignore the details of God’s Word so long as our overall pattern looks faithful.
Samuel, of course, is having none of this. Verses 22-23 show the very problem that Saul – and we – have: the Lord cares about the details, He cares about our hearts and how we do or do not treasure His words. Simply going through the motions to try and appease Him is not what He desires. Showing up at church on Sunday and then acting however we want the rest of the week doesn’t somehow placate the God of Heaven and Earth. No, our delight is to obey the voice of the Lord!
One final point that we see here, a bit of foreshadowing: several times throughout the chapter we see Saul talking to Samuel and referring to God as “your God” (v15, 21, 30). Those are telling words, words of a man whose trajectory throughout the rest of the book will not be towards the Lord, or towards faithfulness; but rather, away.
Brothers and sisters, beware of the slipperiness of sin. Beware of rationalizing your own sin and trying to make it less of a problem than it is. Be wary of taking God’s Word lightly, as if it is a suggestion rather than a directive for your own obedience. There are two ways to live in this passage – and only two: the way of faithfulness or not. The path given by the Lord and spoken by Samuel, or the path of Saul. One leads to eternal joy, the other to destruction. Let us attend to the details of what God has told us, and let us cry out to Him in prayer, thanking Him for His mercy upon our sinful hearts and asking Him to give us the desire for obedience.
