5. (1 Sam 15:12-13) Saul greets Samuel
Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was told Samuel, saying, "Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal." Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed are you of the LORD! I have carried out the command of the LORD."
Samuel rose early in the morning: After the revelations of the previous night, Samuel rose and immediately sought out Saul.
Carmel: Meaning park or garden, Carmel was a city in the mountainous country of Judah, about seven miles south/southeast of Hebron. Saul would have naturally passed through it returning from war. Carmel is the place where Nabal dwelt (see 1 Samuel 25) and is in the region where David spent much of his outlaw life.
He set up a monument for himself: The literal translation is "He set up a hand for himself." The same Hebrew is used in 2 Samuel 18:18 to describe the pillar Absalom erected for himself. It is very likely that these victory columns erected by the Jews had a hand engraved upon them. Saul was not grieved over his sin. In fact, Saul seems quite pleased with himself. There seems to be not the slightest bit of shame or guilt in Saul, even though he directly disobeyed God.
Gilgal: In the same place where Saul's kingdom had been confirmed, it was in this same place it was to be taken from him. It is also the place where the consequences of disobedience had been uttered (1 Sam 13:13-14) and now the sentence of disobedience was to be pronounce.
Saul said to him, "Blessed are you of the LORD! I have carried out the command of the LORD.": Saul can come to Samuel with such boldness, boasting of his obedience because pride has overtaken his heart. Saul is self-deceived. He probably really believed the words he spoke. He probably believed "I have carried out the command of the LORD". Pride always leads us to self-deception.
6. (1 Sam 15:14-16) Saul "explains" his sin to Samuel
But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed." The Samuel said to Saul, "Wait, and let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night." And he said to him, "Speak!"
What then is this bleating: The livestock God clearly commanded to be killed could be heard, seen and smelled even as Saul said, "I have performed the command of the LORD". Pride and disobedience make us blind and deaf to our sin. What was completely obvious to Samuel was invisible to Saul. We all have blind spots of sin in our lives. We need to constantly ask God to show us our sins. We need to sincerely pray the prayer of Psalm 139:23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way."
Saul said, "They have brought them": Saul tries like Aaron and the golden calf incident at Mount Sinai (Exodus 32:22) to shift the blame from himself onto others. Saul attempts to palliate the offense by alleging a good motive. No doubt the Israelites very likely did bring the animals from the Amalekites and very likely the excuse of holding a great sacrifice to God had been put prominently forward. But reasons are never wanting when men have made up their minds. The people who so readily obeyed Saul (1 Samuel 14:24, 34, 40) would have obeyed him now, had Saul really wished for it. For a king so willful and imperious as Saul to seek for excuses, and to try to throw the blame on others, marks a thorough break down of his moral character.
But the rest we have utterly destroyed: As it later turns out, this was not even true. There were still Amalekites left alive. David later had to deal with the Amalekites (1 Samuel 27:8, 1 Samuel 30:1, 2 Samuel 8:12). Haman, the evil man who tried to wipe out all the Jews in the days of Esther, was a descendant of Agag (Esther 3:1). Most ironic of all, when Saul was killed on the battle field, an Amalekite claimed to have delivered the final thrust of the sword (2 Samuel 1:8-10). When we do not obey God completely, the "left over" portion will come back and trouble us...and sometimes ever kill us.
Wait: Saul was very likely turning away from Samuel, desiring to close the interview. Samuel is tired of hearing Saul's excuses and interjects to give Saul the word of the LORD.
B. Saul is rejected as king
1. (1 Sam 15:17-21) the charge against Saul, and his feeble defense
Samuel said, "Is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed you king over Israel, and the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.' Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD?" Then Saul said to Samuel, "I did obey the voice of the LORD, and went on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal."
Though you were little in your own eyes: This is a reference to Saul's own words of astonishment that he should be chosen as king. ("Saul replied, 'Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me in this way?'" 1 Samuel 9:21) Samuel wishes to remind Saul that as his elevation came solely from God, and obedience was due to God. (Side note: There is a tradition in the Targum that Saul's elevation to king was a reward for the courage of the tribe of Benjamin at the passage of the Red Sea, when the tribe of Benjamin sought to pass over first.)
The sinners, the Amalekites: Sin was the grounds for their doom. The special sin which singled them out for punishment was their opposition to the will of God in regards to the destiny of His people, Israel. Similar phrasing is used of the men of Sodom: "Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD" Genesis 13:13.
I did obey the voice of the LORD: Saul still insists that he obeyed God. He believes he has fulfilled his mission and destroyed the Amalekites, and he brought back Agag with him for proof. Additionally, the people had brought back the spoil for sacrifice and not for their own pleasure.
But the people took some of the spoil: After insisting that he is innocent, Saul then blames the people for the sin. His statement was a half-truth. It was true that the people took some of the plunder, but the only did so by following Saul's example (i.e., he spared Agag king of Amalek). Moreover, Saul did nothing to stop or discourage the people from taking the plunder.
Saul was very zealous in commanding his army when it suited him. In the previous chapter, he commanded a death sentence on anyone who ate anything on the day of battle. He was willing to execute his own son in his zest to have his command obeyed. Saul was full of fire when it came to his own will, but not when it came to the will of God.
2. (1 Sam 15:22-23) Samuel prophesies God's judgment against King Saul
Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much 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 divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king."
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice: These words which Samuel utters rips apart the long list of Saul's excuses for disobeying God. These words are the framework for a long list of subsequent prophets who preach against the common error that external ceremonies can be of any value in the sight of God when separated from the true devotion of a worshiper's heart. (See Psalm 40:6-8, Psalm 50:8, Psalm 51:16-17, Isaiah 1:11-15, Jeremiah 6:20, Hosea 6:6, Amos 5:21-24, Micah 6:6-8, Matthew 9:13 and Mathew 12:7) This passage asserts in the clearest terms the superiority of moral to ritual worship, and God can only be served with the heart.
We could make a thousand sacrifices to God, give millions of dollars to His work or work thousands of hours for God's service, but all these sacrifices mean little if there is not a surrendered heart to God shown by simple obedience.
Iniquity: Literally means "nothingness". It is constantly used in the Old Testament for "an idol". This is its significance here as the word coupled with it and rendered idolatry is really "teraphim". Teraphim were household idols and were supposed to bring good luck. (Teraphim are first mentioned in the Bible when Rachel takes her father Laban's teraphim as she and her household leave her father's land and move to Israel (Genesis 31).) The verse would be better rendered as follows: "For rebellion is the sin of divination and obstinacy is an idol and teraphim."
He has also rejected you from being king: God pronounced an official sentence on Saul. However, the sentence was not immediate. Saul continued to be king for almost 25 years before there was another king enthroned in Israel. Saul's rejection was final, but he continued to be king until the day of his death. Ultimately, God's sentence confirms that Saul's dynasty would not be passed on to his descendants. When Saul died, his throne would be transferred to another family.
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