1Sa 15 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 1Sam 15:1-35: 15:1-35 After Saul failed to obey God and completely destroy the Amalekites, God rejected him in even stronger terms than before (cp. 13:8-14 ).

Summary for 1Sam 15:1-35: 15:1-35 ^a After Saul failed to obey God and completely destroy the Amalekites, God rejected him in even stronger terms than before (cp. 13:8-14 ^b).
15:2 ^c Lord of Heaven’s Armies: See study note on 1:3.

• to settle accounts: In Moses’ time, the nation of Amalek had inhabited southern Judah and the Negev area south of Judah. As Israel traveled to Canaan, the Amalekites preyed on the sick and the weak and those traveling at the rear. They were the first people to attack Israel after the exodus from Egypt, for which God had promised to judge them (Exod 17:8-16 ^d; Deut 25:17-19 ^e).
15:3 ^f completely destroy: See thematic note for Complete Dedication at end of chapter.
15:4 ^g Telaim: Possibly Telem (Josh 15:24 ^h).
15:5 ⁱ The unnamed town in the valley was located somewhere near a Negev wadi, a streambed or riverbed that fills with water only when rain falls.
15:6 ^j The Kenites were nomadic metalworkers and descendants of Moses’ father-in-law (Judg 1:16 ^k).

• you showed kindness: See Exod 18 ^l; Num 10:29-32 ^m.
15:7 ⁿ The area where the Amalekites lived stretched from Havilah in northern Sinai to Shur near the eastern border of Egypt.
15:8 ^o Agag was probably the descendant of an earlier king by the same name (see Num 24:7 ^p; cp. Esth 3:1 ^q).
15:9 ^r Saul and his men directly disobeyed the Lord’s command to “completely destroy” the Amalekites (15:3 ^s). Though the entire army participated in the disobedience of God’s command, Saul alone was responsible as their leader.
15:12 ^t Carmel was a town near Hebron in southern Judah.

• Saul commemorated his own accomplishments by erecting a monument to himself. In reality, he had earned shame (15:16-19 ^u).

• Gilgal: See 13:4 ^v.
15:13 ^w I have carried out the Lord’s command! Cp. 15:3 ^x. Saul apparently thought his actions were justified (15:15 ^y; cp. Lev 22:19 ^z). Samuel, however, cut through Saul’s pretense (1 Sam 15:17-19 ^aa) and carried out God’s command himself (15:32-33 ^ab).
15:15 ^ac Saul blamed the army even though he was the commander. Certainly, his real motivation was not spiritual (15:9 ^ad).
15:17 ^ae As the anointed ... king of Israel, Saul bore the responsibility for disobeying God, which neither false humility nor making excuses could diminish.
15:21 ^af my troops: Saul persisted in blaming others (see 15:15 ^ag).

• Gilgal was a religious center. Saul tried to use religion to justify disobedience to God.
15:22 ^ah What is more pleasing: God values obedience much more than ritual (see also Ps 40:6 ^ai; Hos 6:6 ^aj; Matt 12:7 ^ak).

• the fat of rams: The choicest parts of the animal were offered to God.
15:23 ^al Rebellion ... and stubbornness, sins of the heart, are as bad as the sinful practices of idolatrous pagans.

• Scripture condemns witchcraft (see study note on Deut 18:10).
Summary for 1Sam 15:24-30: 15:24-30 ^am Saul finally confessed his sin. But it was too little, too late—and still accompanied by excuses. 15:24 ^an I was afraid of the people: Saul continued to blame others (see 15:15 ^ao, 21 ^ap).

• what they demanded: There is no hint of such pressure in the chapter. Saul’s confession appears dishonest (cp. David, 2 Sam 12:13 ^aq; Ps 51 ^ar).
15:28 ^as Saul soon discovered who this someone else was (18:8-9 ^at; cp. ch 16 ^au).
15:29 ^av nor will he change his mind: Samuel spoke prophetically of God’s commitment to make David king and to preserve his dynasty. God had rejected Saul, but he would never reject David (see 2 Sam 7:8-17 ^aw).
15:30 ^ax honor me before the elders: To help Saul save face.
15:35 ^ay The verb phrase mourned constantly is usually used for grieving over someone’s death. Although Saul was still living, his royalty was coming to an end. Samuel might have been grieving out of personal attachment to Saul, a sense of failure, or concern that Israel’s condition would be worse.

• the Lord was sorry: See thematic note for God’s Change of Mind at end of chapter.

Thematic note: Complete Dedication
The Hebrew word kherem (“specially set apart”) is difficult to translate because it represents a concept for which there is no exact parallel in modern English. In the conquest of Canaan under Joshua, kherem designated something that was dedicated to a pagan god and therefore hostile to the Lord. Such things were to be destroyed (see Josh 6:18 ^az). In the case of valuable metal items, they were brought to the sanctuary, where they became holy to the Lord (Lev 27:28 ^ba; see also Josh 6:19 ^bb, 24 ^bc). The concept of being “specially set apart” was also applied to Israel’s enemies when they and their property were destroyed (Josh 6:17-19 ^bd; 1 Sam 15:2-3 ^be).
In Leviticus 27:21 ^bf, 28 ^bg, kherem indicates an acceptable vow devoting something to the Lord for use in the sanctuary (see Num 18:14 ^bh). This made the item, land, or person holy. The thing or person could not be bought back; it remained in the Lord’s service permanently.
The concept of complete dedication through total destruction underlies several passages in the apostle Paul’s writings. In Romans 9:3 ^bi, Paul was even willing to be declared anathema (the Greek equivalent of kherem) if it would bring about the salvation of his fellow Jews. In Galatians 1:8-9 ^bj, the same Greek word indicates an appropriate end for those who preach a false gospel. In 1 Corinthians 12:3 ^bk, Paul warns that no one speaking in the Spirit can call Jesus anathema, that is, no one who has God’s Spirit will interpret Jesus’ crucifixion as a sign of God’s rejection of him, as the Jews of Paul’s day did. Instead, they will recognize it as an act of atonement for sinful humanity.

Passages for Further Study
Exod 22:20 ^bl; Lev 27:28-29 ^bm; Num 18:8-14 ^bn; 21:2-3 ^bo; Deut 7:1-6 ^bp, 26 ^bq; 13:12-18 ^br; Josh 6:17-19 ^bs, 24 ^bt; 7:11-15 ^bu; 1 Sam 15:2-3 ^bv; 1 Kgs 20:42 ^bw; Isa 43:26-28 ^bx; Mal 4:5-6 ^by; Rom 9:3 ^bz; 1 Cor 16:22 ^ca; Gal 1:8-9 ^cb

Thematic note: God’s Change of Mind
Thirty-four times in the Old Testament, God is said to “change his mind” or “be sorry” (Hebrew nakham). What could this mean? Did he relent, or did he have pity? Was he sorry, or did he grieve?
One thing is clear: God never repents of sin or moral failure, because he is perfect (see 1 Sam 15:29 ^cc; Num 23:19 ^cd). He may “change his mind” regarding calamity or judgment that he initiated—that is, he may decide to stop it—in response to prayers of repentance (Jer 18:7-10 ^ce; Joel 2:14 ^cf; Jon 3:9-10 ^cg), a human intercessor (Exod 32:11-14 ^ch; Amos 7:2-6 ^ci), or with no apparent human mediation (Judg 2:18 ^cj; 2 Sam 24:16 ^ck). On a few occasions, God is “sorry” about something he has already done, such as choosing Saul to be king (1 Sam 15:11 ^cl, 35 ^cm; cp. Gen 6:6 ^cn). Yet God is not admitting past mistakes; he is expressing anguish over lives gone awry.
Theologians debate the degree to which God, who is all-wise and all-powerful, can “change his mind.” In the Bible, any language that refers to a change in God’s mind reflects a human perspective on God’s activity. Any change in God, therefore, is a change as humans experience him—a reflection of his unchanging love, mercy, faithfulness, and holy will. It does not suggest a change in God’s power, omniscience, foreknowledge, wisdom, or holiness.

Passages for Further Study
Gen 6:6-7 ^co; Exod 32:11-14 ^cp; Num 23:19 ^cq; Deut 32:36 ^cr; 1 Sam 15:10-11 ^cs, 29 ^ct, 35 ^cu; 2 Sam 24:15-16 ^cv; Jer 4:28 ^cw; 18:7-10 ^cx; 26:2-19 ^cy; Ezek 24:14 ^cz; Joel 2:13-14 ^da; Amos 7:2-6 ^db; Jon 3:9–4:11 ^dc