View 1st Samuel 15 in the note window.
God commands Saul utterly to destroy the Amalekites, ver. 1 - 3.
He destroys them, but not utterly, ver. 4 - 9.
Samuel pronounces sentence upon him for his disobedience, yet
consents to honour him before the people, ver. 10 - 31.
Slays Agag, ver. 32, 33.
Takes his leave of Saul, yet mourns for him, ver. 34, 35.
1: Hearken - Thou hast committed error already, now regain God's
favour by thy exact obedience to what he commands.
2: I remember - Now I will revenge those old injuries of the
Amalekites on their children: who continue in their parents practices.
Came from Egypt - When he was newly come out of cruel and long bondage,
and was now weak, and weary, and faint, and hungry, (De 25:18), and
therefore it was barbarous instead of that pity which even Nature prompted
them to afford, to add affliction to the afflicted; it was also horrid
impiety to fight against God himself and to lift up their hand in a
manner against the Lord's throne, whilst they struck at that people
which God had brought forth in so stupendous a way.
3: Destroy - Both persons and goods, kill all that live, and consume
all things without life, for I will have no name nor remnant of that people
left, whom long since I have devoted to utter destruction.
Spare not - Shew no compassion or favour to any of them. The same thing
repeated to prevent mistake, and oblige Saul to the exact performance
hereof. Slay, &c. - Which was not unjust, because God is the supreme Lord
of life, and can require his own when he pleaseth; infants likewise are born
in sin, and therefore liable to God's wrath. Their death also was rather a
mercy than a curse, as being the occasion of preventing their sin and
punishment. Ox, &c. - Which being all made for man's benefit, it is not
strange if they suffer with him, for the instruction of mankind.
6: Kenites - A people descending from, or nearly related to
Jethro, who anciently dwelt in rocks near the Amalekites,(Nu 24:21), and afterwards some of them dwelt in
Judah, (Jdg 1:16), whence it is probable they removed,
(which, dwelling in tents, they could easily do) and retired to their old
habitation, because of the wars and troubles wherewith Judah was annoyed.
Shewed kindness - Some of your progenitors did so, and for their sakes all
of you shall fare the better. You were not guilty of that sin for which
Amalek is now to be destroyed. When destroying judgments are abroad God
takes care to separate the precious from the vile. It is then especially
dangerous to be found in the company of God's enemies. The Jews have a
saying, Wo to a wicked man, and to his neighbour.
7: To Shur - That is, from one end of their country to the other; he
smote all that he met with: but a great number of them fled away upon the
noise of his coming, and secured themselves in other places, 'till the storm
was over.
8: All - Whom he found. Now they paid dear for the sin of their
ancestors. They were themselves guilty of idolatry and numberless sins,
for which they deserved to be cut off. Yet when God would reckon with
them, he fixes upon this as the ground of his quarrel.
9: Vile - Thus they obeyed God only so far as they could without
inconvenience to themselves.
11: Repenteth - Repentance implies grief of heart, and change of
counsels, and therefore cannot be in God: but it is ascribed to God when God
alters his method of dealing, and treats a person as if be did indeed repent
of the kindness he had shewed him. All night - To implore his pardoning
mercy for Saul, and for the people. Is turned back - Therefore he did
once follow God. Otherwise it would have been impossible, he should
turn back from following him.
12: A place - That is, a monument or trophy of his victory.
13: They - That is, the people. Thus, he lays the blame upon the
people; whereas they could not do it without his consent; and he should
have used his power to over - rule them.
18: A journey - So easy was the service, and so certain the success,
that it was rather to be called a journey than a war.
20: The king - To be dealt with as God pleaseth.
21: But the people, &c. - Here the conscience of Saul begins to
awake, tho' but a little: for he still lays the blame on the people.
22: Sacrifice - Because obedience to God is a moral duty, constantly
and indispensably necessary; but sacrifice is but a ceremonial institution,
sometimes unnecessary, as it was in the wilderness: and sometimes sinful,
when it is offered by a polluted hand, or in an irregular manner.
Therefore thy gross disobedience to God's express command, is not to be
compensated with sacrifice. Hearken - That is, to obey.
Fat - Then the choicest part of all the sacrifice.
23: Rebellion - Disobedience to God's command.
Stubbornness - Contumacy in sin, justifying it, and pleading for it.
Iniquity - Or, the iniquity of idolatry. Rejected - Hath pronounced
the sentence of rejection: for that he was not actually deposed by God
before, plainly appears, because not only the people, but even David,
after this, owned him as king. Those are unworthy to rule over men, who are
not willing that God should rule over them.
24: I have sinned - It does by no means appear, that Saul acts
the hypocrite herein, in assigning a false cause of his disobedience.
Rather, he nakedly declares the thing as it was.
25: Pardon my sin - Neither can it be proved that there was any
hypocrisy in this. Rather charity requires us to believe, that he
sincerely desired pardon, both from God and man, as he now knew, he
had sinned against both.
26: I will not - This was no lie, though he afterwards returned,
because he spoke what he meant; his words and his intentions agreed
together, though afterwards he saw reason to change his intentions.
Compare (Ge 19:2,3). This may relieve many perplexed consciences, who
think themselves obliged to do what they have said they would do, though
they see just cause to change their minds. Hath rejected thee, &c. - But
he does not say, he "hath rejected thee from salvation."
And who besides hath authority to say so?
29: Strength of Israel - So he calls God here, to shew the reason why
God neither will nor can lie; because lying proceeds from the sense of a
man's weakness, who cannot many times accomplish his design without lying
and dissimulation; therefore many princes have used it for this very reason.
But God needs no such artifices; he can do whatsoever he pleaseth by his
absolute power. Repent - That is, nor change his counsel; which also is
an effect of weakness and imperfection, either of wisdom or power. So that
this word is not here used in the sense it commonly is when applied to God,
as in (Jer 11:1-23), and elsewhere.
31: Turned - First, that the people might not upon pretence of this
sentence of rejection, withdraw their obedience to their sovereign; whereby
they would both have sinned against God, and have been as sheep without a
shepherd. Secondly, that he might rectify Saul's error, and execute
God's judgment upon Agag.
33: As, &c. - Whereby it appears, that he was a tyrant, and guilty of
many bloody actions. And this seems to be added for the fuller vindication
of God's justice, and to shew, that although God did at this time revenge a
crime committed by this man's ancestors 400 years ago, yet he did not punish
an innocent son for his father's crimes, but one that persisted in the same
evil courses. Hewed - This he did by divine instinct, and in pursuance of
God's express command, which being sinfully neglected by Saul, is now
executed by Samuel. But these are no precedents for private persons to
take the sword of justice into their hands. For we must live by the laws of
God, and not by extraordinary examples.
35: To see Saul - That is, to visit him, in token of respect or
friendship: or, to seek counsel from God for him. Otherwise he did see him(1Sa 19:24).
Though indeed it was not Samuel that came thither with design to see
Saul, but Saul went thither to see Samuel, and that accidentally.
