1 Sam 15:1-3; 7-9; 13-14
15 Samuel also said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ’I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’"
7 And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 He also took Agag 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, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord."
14 But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" (NKJV)
Title: ~~~
The first thing we se is…
I) The Order
1 Sam 15:3
3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’" (NKJV)
His orders were to destroy all of them. He was to destroy everything. Nothing was to be left alive.
That may sound radical to you, but our orders are the same.
2 Cor 6:14-7:1
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
"I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people."
17 Therefore
"Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you."
18 ’I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty."
1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (NKJV)
James 4:8
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (NKJV)
The mandate is very clear, not one speck of filth can remain. God demands purity! God demands holiness! The orders couldn’t be any clearer, yet, we’ve allowed bits & pieces of the world to creep into our lives.
It’s just like when we try to do a diet. Everything is going great, then we see something that looks so good. We think, “One little taste won’t hurt.” The problem is that we keep on tasting & before you know it the diet’s out the window & we’re twice as miserable as before.
Get rid of it all!!!
The next thing we see is…
II) The Lie
1 Sam 15:13
13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord." (NKJV)
He tried to hide his sin. He tried to keep it secret from Samuel.
Ps 19:12
12 Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults. (NKJV)
Secret Sins! Read my lips, “No sin is ever secret!”
1 Sam 15:14
14 But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" (NKJV)
Luke 12:2
2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. (NKJV)
Don’t think that you can hide sin!
Num 32:23
23 But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out. (NKJV)
God has a way of bringing it to light.
1 Sam 15:16-19
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, "Be quiet! And I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night." And he said to him, "Speak on."
17 So Samuel said, "When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? 18 Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ’Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?"
(NKJV)
III) The Excuse
1 Sam 15:20-21
20 And Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal." (NKJV)
Nothing of the world brings pleasure to the Lord!
Then we se Samuel’s response…
1 Sam 15:22-23
22 So Samuel said: "Has 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 heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king." (NKJV)
God requires obedience more than he does sacrifice. Notice, the very act of his disobedience is the very thing destroyed & killed him.
2 Sam 1:7-10
7 Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, ’Here I am.’ 8 And he said to me, ’Who are you?’ So I answered him, ’I am an Amalekite.’ 9 He said to me again, ’Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.’ 10 So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord." (NKJV)
(Close)
Ps 139:23-24
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting. (NKJV)
