God's Command & the Fear of Man -- 5/4/08

Sunday, May 4, 2008

GOD’S COMMAND AND THE FEAR OF MAN
I Samuel 15

This morning I want us to look at an event in the life of King Saul. You will recall that Saul was the first king of Israel. Actually, if we want to be absolutely accurate, Saul was the second king of Israel. Who was the first? We find the answer in 1 Sam. 12:12, "And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king." Samuel reminded them that the Lord Himself was their king, but they rejected Him as king in favor of a man. Through Samuel, the Lord warned the people of Israel of the consequences of having a king. Nevertheless, He gave them what they wanted. So in response to their request, the Lord had the prophet Samuel anoint Saul to be their first human king.

The particular event in Saul’s life which we want to consider this morning is found in I Sam. 15. We don’t have time to discuss exactly when this event took place in the forty year reign of Saul. What we do know is that it is one of the defining events of his reign, along with the time early in his reign when he offered a sacrifice himself instead of waiting for Samuel (I Sam. 13).

As we work through this chapter, I want you to notice especially the prominence of the fear of man in Saul’s life. We will outline the chapter like this…
1-3…………. The Command of God
4-9…………. The Action of Saul
10-23……..... The Dialogue between Saul and Samuel (Samuel’s Rebuke and Saul’s
Defense)
24-31………. Saul’s Admission of Sin and Further Requests
32-35………. The Fulfillment of God’s Command

The Command of God (1-3)

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 commanded Saul to wipe out the Amalekites. The command is based upon two facts: 1) He made Saul to be king over His people Israel; 2) The Amalekites had greatly wronged Israel.

Down through the centuries, people have emphasized the severity of this command. Read it again in verse 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 donkey.” It is easy to see why the severity of this command has received much attention. There are people who flatly say they will not have anything to do with a God who would give such a command.

This is not a typical command from God. Most often, God spared the women and children. And the common practice was to allow the soldiers to have the spoils of war. However, that is not the case with the Amalekites. Surely it would be in order to ask the simple question: “Why such harshness on this occasion?” We find the answer in God’s Word.

From Gen. 36:12, we learn that Amalek was a descendant of Esau. In Ex. 17:8 we read, “Then came Amalek [the descendants of Amalek], and fought with Israel in Rephidim.” The verses following tell the story of how Joshua led the Israelites in battle and defeated the Amalekites. Then we read in 17:14, “And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”

But that isn’t the end of the story. Many things that are narrated in Exodus and Numbers are given further attention in Deuteronomy. Remember what Deuteronomy is. It’s name “Deuteronomy” literally means “Second Law.” Not only does it repeat the Ten Commandments and other laws from Exodus and Leviticus, but it also gives us some reviews much of the history of the exodus and even gives further details that are not included in the narratives of Exodus and Numbers. This is a perfect example. Let’s read now from Deut. 25:17-19…
Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; 18. How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. 19. Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

While God’s command in I Sam. 15 may seem harsh on the surface, understand that God had reason for what He told Saul to do. The Amalekits carefully tailored their strategy to attack the weak and feeble among the Israelites. Those who were in the back because they had trouble keeping up were attacked without mercy. That is why the Lord told them to wipe out all of the Amalekites. The women and children were to be killed, so that they could not produce more Amalekites. This was the determined punishment of God upon them for what they had done. It is very similar to the way the Israelites went into the land of Canaan and were commanded to wipe out all of the Canaanites in the land. When they took Jericho, Ai, and the other cities, they left no one alive (see also Josh. 9:24). Why not? Because the iniquity of the Amorites was full (Gen. 15:16). God used the Israelites to punish the people in the land of Canaan for their idolatry and sin against God. And so it is with God’s command that Saul utterly destroy all the Amalekites. There are severe consequences for sin against God.

The Action of Saul (4-9)

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. 6. And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye showed 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 gathered his soldiers and prepared to attack the Amalekites. But before the attack came, he warned the Kenites to separate themselves from the Amalekites. We have little knowledge of why the Kenites were living with or close beside the Amalekites. However, Saul indicates that they had been kind to God’s people when they came up out of Egypt. So when the Kenites had removed themselves, Saul did indeed attack the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur. This whole area is in southern Judea and further south.

We read in verse 8 that Saul “utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.” The truth of that statement has been questioned a great deal. If that is true, how do we read of the appearance of Amalekites at a later date? For example, 1 Sam. 30:1, "And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire." You may also remember that it was an Amalekite that finished off King Saul, after he had been severely wounded. It is obvious that there were still Amalekites left. Some would say that Saul did not obey God’s command to destroy all the Amalekites. However, we must remember that this is not Saul’s testimony in verse 8, but rather the inspired account of what happened. (Of course, we know that he spared Agag, but Samuel himself would later kill Agag.) I don’t know with certainly the solution to this dilemma, but it seems to me that Saul destroyed the Amalekites that were in that area but not all the Amalekites everywhere. Judging from the fact that they were a warlike people who raided towns like Ziklag, a sizable number of Amalekites may have been absent from the area where Saul carried out his deed. I am not in any way trying to defend King Saul. As we will see, his disobedience is very evident and very serious. Nowhere does the Lord reprimand him for failing to kill some of the Amalekites, except for King Agag.

Verse 9 tells us that “Saul and the people” spared Agag and the best of the animals. This is the first mention of the actions of the people, but it won’t be the last. Concerning the sheep and the oxen, notice which ones they destroyed and which ones they kept. Those that were of no use they destroyed, but the good animals they saved. Though Saul will claim they saved them to sacrifice to the Lord, that is not what the narrative account says. There is no mention of such a motive here. It sounds like they were selfish and wanted to keep the spoils, though the Lord had told them to destroy everything.

The Dialogue between Saul and Samuel (= Samuel’s Rebuke and Saul’s Defense)
(10-23)

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. 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. 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? 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. 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.

Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel. I like to think of Samuel as the bridge between the judges and the kings. If you simply go through the books of the Bible, you find that is his place. I and II Samuel is situated between Judges and I Kings. Samuel wasn’t a king, but he was a “kingmaker.” He anointed Saul as king and he would later anoint David as king. It was through Samuel that Saul received the command to wipe out the Amalekites, and it is through Samuel that he will receive a firm rebuke from the Lord.

The Lord shares His heart with Samuel. We read in Ps. 25:14, “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him.” So the Lord said to Samuel, “It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king.” Saul’s disobedience grieved the Lord. Don’t misunderstand. The Lord is not saying that He made a mistake when He made Saul king of Israel. On the other hand, don’t think that God cannot be touched by the events that occur in this world. Then the Lord goes on to tell us why He is grieved over making Saul king. It is because Saul turned back from following the Lord and did not carry out His commandments. It is implied that there was a time when Saul wanted to follow the Lord, but he turned away. And what grieved the Lord grieved Samuel as well. As a result, the prophet cried unto the Lord all night.

When Samuel did catch up with Saul the next day, it would seem that Saul spoke with a certain enthusiasm: “Samuel, you are blessed of the Lord; I have obeyed the Lord’s commandment” (13). To which Samuel replied, “Saul, if you obeyed the commandment of the Lord, then why do I heard the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen?” Notice his answer: “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed” (15).

Isn’t it interesting that when it came to the disobedience of the Lord’s commandment, it was they who spared some of the sheep and oxen, but when it came to the part where there was obedience, it was we who destroyed them. Saul puts the blame on the people. Nevertheless, he defends them by saying they had a noble motive in saving those animals. As I mentioned before, the narrative itself says nothing about sacrificing the animals. Best I can tell, that was the people’s excuse for saving the best animals. Perhaps it was when Saul questioned them that they came up with that answer. Regardless of motive, the Lord would not be impressed.

Up to this point, the only words of Samuel were, “Then why the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen?” Now, in verses 17-19, we have the official rebuke from the Lord, delivered by the prophet Samuel. The reminder that when the Lord first called Saul, he was little in his own eyes, seems to point to the fact that there was a time when Saul was humble and trusted the Lord. Samuel quickly moves from the time of his being anointed as king to the assignment to kill the Amalekites. In verse 19 Samuel directly asks Saul, “Why didn’t you obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?” Samuel’s words indicate that there was a desire for the spoils, even though the Lord said there was to be no spoils of war; they were to destroy everything. This is further evidence that the saving of the animals were intended for sacrifice was not a true motive, but a cover-up.

In verse 20-21, we have the further defense of Saul. He would not give up easily. “Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord.” Though it is Samuel who is standing before him, Saul is arguing with the Lord, who had just said that he disobeyed. Saul never says why he didn’t kill Agag. Though we might speculate, we simply don’t know. What we do know is that the sparing of Agag was willful disobedience against the command of the Lord.

After admitting that he didn’t kill Agag, Saul then returns to the sparing of the animals, and again he acknowledges that this was the idea of the people. But this time he admits that all of those animals should have been destroyed (21). Though the people said they saved them for sacrifice, Saul knows that they should been destroyed, for that was the command of the Lord. Saul says he obeyed, but at the same time admits that he didn’t.

Now comes the well-known words of Samuel in verse 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.” Even if their motive had been pure and they had saved the animals for sacrifice, does the Lord delight in offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience? Then Samuel answers his own question: “To obey is better than sacrifice.”

What a message for all of us – to obey is better than sacrifice. But weren’t they obeying the Lord? Wasn’t it the Lord who commanded that they bring sacrifices? While the Lord did indeed call for sacrifice, that was not what He commanded on this occasion. There could be no question that the Lord commanded them to kill every animal, even those which would have made suitable sacrifices. The first order of business is obedience. If the Lord says, “Sacrifice,” then sacrifice; but if the Lord says destroy the sacrifices, then do it.

Let me give you a New Testament parallel. Matt. 5:23-24, "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24. Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." Bringing the gift to the altar is a pretty good parallel to the sacrificial offerings of the old covenant. I don’t think we will do violence to the scripture to put it in terms of coming to the worship service this morning. Is it a good thing to come and worship the Lord, to encourage brothers and sisters in Christ, even to give our offerings to the Lord? Yes, it certainly is… unless, to do such gets in the way of obedience. If you know that a brothers or sister has something against you, then to come here for worship is sin. The only proper thing to do is to go and be reconciled to that brother or sister. Anything else – even coming to worship – is disobedience.

In verse 23, Samuel spells out the seriousness of Saul’s disobedience. While he is speaking about Saul, the form of his words make it clear that this is a principle that reaches right down into our own lives. Hear what he says and hear it well. “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” Samuel does not say, “Saul, though you have obeyed 90 percent of what the Lord said, you are sadly mistaken in thinking you have obeyed the commandment of the Lord.” Instead, he boldly calls Saul’s action rebellion. And that rebellion is as bad as witchcraft. Other translations render this word “divination,” which the dictionary defines as: “the art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge.” God hates such practices and condemns them outright. Saul’s disobedient rebellion is just that serious.

The word translated “stubbornness” is seldom used in the Bible and it is kind of hard to get a handle on it. The NASV translates it “insoubordination” and the NIV “arrogance.” The idea seems to be that Saul decided to do it his way, regardless of what the Lord said. This sin is like iniquity and idolatry. “Idolatry” is a very strong term. Though Saul wasn’t bowing down to a physical image, he might as well do so, because he refused to obey the living God. He bowed only to his own desires. He became his own sovereign.

We must hear the Lord at this point. Disobedience is of the utmost seriousness. No sacrifice or act of worship can make up for obedience. It is no less than rebellion against the Lord and idolatry. Furthermore, the Lord requires complete obedience. Though Saul obeyed 90% of God’s commandment, the Lord Himself interpreted it as willful disobedience.

Saul’s Admission of Sin and His Further Requests (24-31)

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. 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.

Finally, Saul says: “I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words…” He has no place to hide. His sin is evident and he can no longer deny it. He acknowledges that he has transgressed God’s commandment, that he has stepped across the line and has clearly disobeyed.

And now Saul gives the reason for his disobedience: “because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.” Up until now he has said that it was the people who spared the best of the animals, but now he owns up to his own responsibility. Saul admits that it was sin to fear the people and do what they wanted. When he says that he feared the people, he is not saying that he feared for his life. It wasn’t like people were going to hurt him. Nevertheless, we know what he meant, don’t we? Saul feared going against the will of the people. Why? Because they might not like him. They might sulk and pout. They might talk about him behind his back. They might accuse him of being unreasonable in not letting them enjoy the spoils of war. The list of “mights” could go on and on.

What person or people do you fear? This story teaches us that the fear of people can lead us into very serious sin. While on the surface, our desire to have people like us and speak well of us might seem to be a rather small and insignificant matter, in fact such a desire can lead to very serious sin, as in the case of Saul.

Turn to John 5. If you want a fuller discussion of these verses, get the tape from this past Wednesday evening. For now, let’s just read Jesus’ testimony in Jn. 5:41, “I receive not honor from men.” And then listen to what He tells the Jewish leaders in verse 44, “How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?” As I shared with some of you, God has used that question to search my heart. How can I trust God, when I desire the approval of man? For several years I have been praying that God would deal with the fear of man in my life. He is doing that by confronting me with how wicked it is and exposing my sin in this area. Though it is painful, I thank Him for it. Trusting God and fearing man do not go together.

Now come back to I Sam. 15:25, “Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord.” Keep that request in mind. When Samuel refused, Saul grabbed his clothing to try to prevent him from turning away. When Samuel’s garment ripped, the act painted the perfect picture of how God was going to rip the kingdom from Saul’s grasp because of his great sin. Now come to verse 30, “The he [Saul] said, I have sinned; yet honor 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.”

Are you getting the picture? Twice Saul says, “I have sinned.” Nevertheless, after both confessions, he has one concern – that Samuel go with him to worship. Saul is trying to save face. He wants the leaders and the people to think that everything is okay. The man has just been rejected as king, and he wants to pretend that everything is fine. He admits it when he asks Samuel to honor him before the elders and the people.

Notice the difference between Saul and David, who would be his successor as king. David also committed a great sin. He committed adultery and tried to cover it up with murder. Like Saul, David also confessed his sin, saying, “I have sinned against the Lord” (II Sam. 12:12). But what did David do next? He fasted and prayed for his infant, whom the Lord had struck down. And if we want to find further evidence of David’s attitude, all we have to do is read Psalm 51. David’s least desire was to save face before the people.

The Fulfillment of God’s Command (32-35)

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. 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.

What can we say about that? Samuel did what Saul failed to do. You may think Samuel’s actions were extremely harsh and cruel. God thought Agag’s actions were harsh and cruel in leading the Amalekites in attacking the weakest people of Israel, and God takes sin seriously. Instead of viewing our culture in light of God and the Word, many in our society view God in light of the ideas of our culture. Our God is not politically correct; He is righteous.

In verse 35 we note that the same Samuel who cut Agag in pieces mourned for Saul. How it must have grieved Samuel that this man with so much promise produced such folly in Israel. How it must have grieved over the confusion it produced in all of Israel.

Conclusion

What a story! That’s one of those that many people would cut out of the Bible, if they had a chance. Many are offended by this story. Praise God that He included it for “our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Rom. 15:4).

Let’s close with one last thought. What could Saul have done differently? That is no trick question. Anyone can answer it. Saul could have obeyed the Lord. Now for a second question: Would it have been difficult for Saul to obey the Lord? No. Someone might say, “Surely it would be hard for him to kill all those people.” Apparently Saul had no difficulty in killing those people, in obedience to the Lord’s command. There is nothing said about such a difficulty. That part of carrying out God’s command is not in question. They killed many Amalekites.

I repeat. Obedience was not a difficult thing. God told him exactly what to do. All he had to do was obey the command? But something got in the way. In this case, the primary obstacle seemed to be his fear of man. He wanted to please the people, and the people wanted the best of the spoils. Even then, Saul knew what the Lord wanted him to do. There was no question about that. Obedience would have led him to say to the people, “No, we cannot save any of these animals. They must die, according to the commandment of the Lord.”

Saul had to make a decision: obey God or seek man’s approval. It was a clear-cut choice, and Saul chose the approval of man. By his own admission, he feared the people and obeyed their voice. Later, the leaders of Israel would demand that Peter and John not speak or teach in the name of Jesus. Remember their answer? “But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). And what did Peter and John do? They continued to speak and teach in the name of Jesus for the glory of God. They did the opposite of what Saul did.

Obedience to God is not difficult… unless we have an idol that looms large in our lives. The Lord has convicted me that the idol of man’s approval is large and it must be shattered in my life. We can repent of our idolatry and that is good. Nevertheless, nothing brings down such an idol like saying, “Yes, Lord. By your grace, I will obey. I will do what you say for your glory!”

One other thing. Did you notice the phrase “thy God” in this chapter? Three times Saul says speaks to Samuel of “thy God” (verses 15, 21, 30). Not once does he say “my God” or “our God,” only “thy God.” Saul was the king of God’s people, but he makes no claim that the great God Jehovah is his God. He seems content to relate to God only through Samuel.

If we want to be free of the fear of man, we must long to know God personally. It is that strong personal relationship that will lead us to fear Him and make the decisions that bring glory to His name. “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering, being made conformable to His death” (Phil. 3:10).