Sacrifice + Regret

Things are heating up! I feel the tension build between Samuel and Saul because they serve two different kings. Samuel is devoted to God. From the beginning, Samuel reveres God and trusts His word more than anything else. On the flip side, Saul slides more and more devoted to himself. King Saul calculates his next move based on how it lands with flighty Israel and not how it obeys the steadfast God of Israel. By the end of chapter 15, God rejects Saul as king and Samuel follows His lead.

What God commands in verses 2-3 is straight forward and pretty awesome when you notice that God tells King Saul to destroy the city of Amalek because they oppose His people, Israel. This is another asterisk or exclamation point to remind us God will not forsake His people. So, God commands Saul not to save anything, but destroy everyone and everything. What does King Saul do? He half listens. 

Saul goes to work to form a large army of men but changes the script. King Saul tells Israel to go kill the Amalekites, but if you see something good let’s keep it (v. 4-9). When I read verse 3 and verse 9 back-to-back, I am quick to throw up my hands. Kind of like a referee throwing a flag or giving a player time in the penalty box because they went off script. King Saul decides in that moment what’s best and does not obey God. King Saul saves Agag (king of Amalek) and all that is good (fat calves and lambs) to turn his sacrifice to God into a show. When will King Saul learn this is not about us?

Q: Do I sometimes spin things as “good” to keep them in my life when the Lord is saying to completely get rid of it? What is that thing coming to mind right now?

I wish I had a better idea the age difference between Samuel and Saul in this situation. However, what I know is Samuel is up in years and Saul became king in his prime. The more seasoned in life Samuel explodes on Saul over his immature actions of disobedience to God. In verse 35, we understand Samuel says these things out of heart-felt grief for Saul, not judgmental anger. This gives a glimpse into how God feels back in verse 10 where God says “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned his back from following me.” The word regret in Hebrew is “nakham” used in verses 10, 29, and 35. “Nakham” means relent or change one’s mind. When you expand further, “nakham” means to have pity or compassion. Sometimes English loses meaning in translation because our human minds initially may think “regret” means God made a mistake in His decision to make Saul the King of Israel, similar to how I regret a big decision in my life. Oops, this outcome caught me by surprise I should have made a different choice. God is sovereign. He does not make mistakes and the outcome does not catch Him by surprise.

Samuel reminds Saul in verse 29 how the God of Israel does not lie or have regret like man experiences. He is God, not man. The “nakham” God has about Saul as king translates more as “have pity or sorrow” about the decision to make Saul the King of Israel because Saul turned his back on God.

The fear of Israel catches Saul in this situation where Saul places higher value on all the things he can give to God over the value of his obedience. I wonder whether Saul completely listens to what God commands through Samuel in verse 3 and changes his course of action on the day of attack. Or, did Saul only hear “go destroy Amalek” because he was anxious or distracted? I think Saul is distracted thinking about how to obey God and build up his name at the same time because immediately after the destruction of Amalek, Saul builds a moment for himself. Now, Israel is back in an unfortunate familiar place they will continue to circle back to. It is the place where other gods are raised up alongside the Holy One of Israel, Yahweh. And God will not allow it. God wants our hearts. God wants us to listen and obey Him.