Beginning of the End: Saul Proves His Rebellion

 Saul persisted in self-justification: “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. 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.”

In solemn words the prophet swept away the cover of lies and pronounced the irrevocable sentence: “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. 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.”

As the king heard this fearful sentence, he cried out, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.” Terrified, Saul acknowledged his guilt, but he still persisted in blaming the people.

It was not sorrow for sin, but fear of its penalty that moved the king of Israel as he begged Samuel, “Please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.” If Saul had had true repentance, he would have confessed his sin publicly; but his main concern was to maintain his authority and keep the allegiance of the people. He wanted the honor of Samuel’s presence to strengthen his own influence.

“I will not return with you,” was the answer of the prophet: “for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” As Samuel turned to leave, the king, in an agony of fear, took hold of his robe to hold him back, but it tore in his hands. At this, the prophet declared, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today,  and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.”

An act of justice, stern and terrible, still needed to be performed. Samuel commanded that the king of the Amalekites be brought before him. Agag, guilty and merciless, came at the prophet’s command, supposing that the danger of death was past. Samuel declared: “‘As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.’ And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the Lord.” With this done, Samuel returned to Ramah.