Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. 1 Samuel 15:22b-23a NLT
Read 1 Samuel 15.
A ripple effect, falling dominoes, a chain of events, generational curses, and so on…
How often we forget that our choices and our actions affect not only ourselves, but the ripples of consequences touch those around us and spread generationally down the line to our descendants. What we do and how we live really matters!
Today we are going to explore the residual effects of Saul’s sins, and we are going to explore the long-term results. This will floor you!
Saul is about to add layer upon layer to his former infractions and top it off with rebellion and dishonesty. His kingdom is about to crumble!
The Lord spoke through Samuel to give Saul a firm directive. The Amalekites were an evil brood of murderers and snakes, and God commanded that Saul lead his men to completely and utterly destroy every single living soul, including men, women, children, and even the animals. Saul was to leave not one Amalekite alive.
I have struggled with this chapter in the Bible for years. My mind can barely comprehend such an extreme command to destroy an entire race of people. It’s genocide! However, we must remember that God knows each heart; He knows the future; and He truly is the perfect judge. These people were evil to the core, and destroying them was actually an act of mercy to prevent future acts of violence and raids against the nation of Israel. This was not murder, but it was an act of executing God’s justice and put an end to their wickedness in this world. We have to trust that God knows best, and it is not up to us to question Him. We only need to obey.
Saul knew that, but again, he justified his disobedience, in the same way he did two chapters ago when he sacrificed a burnt offering by himself instead of waiting for Samuel. He had all kinds of excuses, but that is not what God was looking for. God expects wholehearted obedience in every situation.
Saul did lead his men to attack the Amalekites, but they captured King Agag alive, and they kept the best of the animals instead of destroying them. This chapter leaves it at that, but we will take a look at some later Scriptures that demonstrate that Saul disobeyed even worse than what is stated here.
Not many years later, while David had been on the run from Saul, he settled in the town of Ziglag, in Philistine country. While he was away in battle, guess who comes to call?
Three days later, when David and his men arrived home at their town of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had made a raid into the Negev and Ziklag; they had crushed Ziklag and burned it to the ground. They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone. 1 Samuel 30:1-2 NLT
The Amalekites? Really? If Saul had only saved the king, but had done everything else God had commanded, how did an entire army of Amalekites show up and destroy David’s town? This is one example of the ripple effect of Saul’s disobedience. David sure knew what to do!
David and his men rushed in among them and slaughtered them throughout that night and the entire next day until evening. None of the Amalekites escaped except 400 young men who fled on camels. David got back everything the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued his two wives. 1 Samuel 30:17-18 NLT
That baffles me that if Saul was to completely wipe out this nation of people, how could David have slaughtered Amalekites all night and day and still have 400 escape? How many did Saul miss anyway?
Years later, we will see an even more astounding result of Saul’s disobedience. In the book of Esther, we see an evil descendent of King Agag himself, the Amalekite king Saul had specifically spared, who maliciously planned the annihilation of the entire Jewish race. His name was Haman the Agagite.
When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes. Esther 3:5-6 NLT
From one act of disobedience on Saul’s part, the ripple effect extends to David’s family and town to the entire Jewish race in the Persian world during the Diaspora, that is during the time Israel was no longer a nation but was scattered across Persia.
When we consider the extent that Saul’s sin affected others down the line, it is no surprise that God responded so severely. Sin is a wretched stench in the nostrils of a pure and holy God! God was grieved that He ever made Saul the King of Israel.
When Samuel arrived, Saul greeted him cheerfully and announced that he had carried out the command of the Lord. Now Saul is adding lying to his list of sins!
Samuel asked him directly, “Why haven’t you obeyed the command of the Lord?” Saul was flabbergasted and vehemently defended himself. “Yes, I did! I did all that the Lord commanded!” Of course, as he says this, the animals are bleating and mooing in the background. Doesn’t Saul know that our sins will always be revealed? We can’t hide anything from God! It is important to note that partial obedience is actually disobedience, as Saul is about to learn.
But Samuel replied,
“What is more pleasing to the Lord:
your burnt offerings and sacrifices
or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.
So because you have rejected the command of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.” 1 Samuel 15:22-23 NLT
Saul began repenting and pleading with Samuel for forgiveness. As he tried to hold Samuel back, he accidentally tore the hem of Samuel’s robe. Consequently, Saul told him that the nation of Israel has been torn away from him that very day just as his robe was torn. God has rejected Saul as king because he had rejected God’s commands.
Samuel did give Saul the benefit of accompanying him to worship the Lord one more time for the sake of not allowing the people to see his disgrace. Saul also took matters into his own hands and executed King Agag himself.
Samuel never went to meet with Saul again, but he mourned constantly for him. And the Lord was sorry he had ever made Saul king of Israel. 1 Samuel 15:35 NLT
What are the lessons we have learned today?
- Obey God fully and right away.
- Trust God even when it doesn’t make sense to us.
- Do not attempt to justify or lie about disobedience.
- Our choices will always have a ripple effect. Consider the consequences of our sin before giving in.
- In God’s eyes, obedience is always preferred above sacrifice.
- God wants our submission. Anything less is rebellion, and that is as evil as witchcraft.
- Sin is wretched in the eyes of the Lord. However, He is a merciful God, and by His grace, He will forgive us and cleanse us from our sins.
I am so thankful for the lessons the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts from the Word of God! I just love it!
I hope this has been a blessing to you!
