Why Are You Here?

4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” – 1 Kings 19:4-14 ESV

While everything had gone exceptionally well for Elijah on Mount Carmel, he soon found himself disappointed in how things turned out. His challenge of the false prophets of Baal had proven to be successful, and, from the immediate reaction of the people, it appeared that revival had come to the land. This spiritual renewal of the people seemed to be symbolized by the torrential rain that had brought an end to the three-and-a-half years of drought. It appeared as if the nation was headed in the right direction. As a prophet of God, Elijah longed to see the repentance and restoration of the people of God.

But upon his triumphant return to Jezreel, he was met with intense opposition from the very woman who had begun all this trouble in Israel. Queen Jezebel was incensed when she heard what Elijah had done to the 450 prophets of her god. So, she sent Elijah a life-threatening message.

“So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” – 1 Kings 19:2 ESV

She swore an oath to her gods that she would avenge the deaths of the prophets of Baal by killing Elijah. She gave the prophet less than 24 hours to live and vowed to sacrifice her own life if she failed to take his life. Despite the abject failure of her god to defeat Yahweh on Mount Carmel, she was still very much a believer. She exhibited no remorse or repentance but instead warned Elijah that while he had won the battle on Mount Carmel, the war was far from over. She was willing to fight to the death – either his or her own.  And Elijah did not take this news well.

…he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. – 1 Kings 19:3 ESV

The man who had run from Mount Carmel to Jezreel after his victory over the prophets of Baal was now running for his life. But this time, he was powered by fear, not faith. And Elijah didn’t stop running until he had reached Beersheba, the last town of any size in the southernmost region of Judah. Then, leaving his servant behind in the city, Elijah traveled another day’s journey into the wilderness, where he finally stopped to rest. 

In a state of deep depression and disillusionment, Elijah asked God to take his life. Since Ahab and Jezebel remained fully committed to their false gods, Elijah had concluded that his prophetic mission had been an abysmal failure. There would be no revival in Israel as long as those two wielded all the power and influence over the people. They were calling the shots and determining the nation’s religious affiliation.

Elijah had run out of faith and energy. He was physically, emotionally, and spiritually spent. In his despondent state, he cried out to God, saying, “I have had enough, LORD.…Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died” (1 Kings 19:4 NLT). Exhausted, he fell asleep. But he was soon awakened by an angel who commanded him to eat. There beside him was a loaf of bread and a jar of water. Rather than taking Elijah’s life, Yahweh provided his faith-famished prophet with sustenance, miraculously delivered by the hand of an angel. Elijah may have decided that he was done, but God was not done with Elijah. The prophet ate and fell back asleep. 

However, his rest was disturbed yet again by a second visit from the angel, who had brought more food and a message.

“Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” – 1 Kings 19:7 NLT

Elijah’s plan had been to die alone in the wilderness, but Yahweh informed His disillusioned prophet that he had not yet reached his final destination. He had run, but not far enough. When Elijah abruptly fled Jezreel, he did so because he thought his life was over. Since Jezebel had vowed to kill him, Elijah determined to have Yahweh take his life. But the LORD had other plans. He sent Elijah on a 40-day journey further south, all the way to Mount Sinai. The food the angel provided miraculously sustained Elijah for this long and arduous journey.

…the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. – 1 Kings 19:8 ESV

This trip should have taken no more than 15-20 days on foot, but Elijah found himself wandering in the wilderness for 40 days and nights. This number is significant because it corresponds to the 40 years that the disobedient Israelites had spent wandering in the wilderness. When they failed to obey God and enter the land of Canaan (Numbers 13-14), He doomed them to spend the next 40 years in the wilderness of Sinai, until that disobedient generation died off.

So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the Lord came to an end. – Numbers 32:13 NLT

When they had heard the report of the spies that the land of Canaan was full of giants and well-fortified cities, the people of Israel refused to trust God and made plans to return to Egypt.

“If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. “Why is the LORD taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” – Numbers 14:2-3 NLT

Now, centuries later, Elijah, the prophet of God, had chosen death in the wilderness rather than face the “giants” in his day. He had determined that Jezebel was too big for God. But Yahweh ordered Elijah to go to the very place where He had revealed Himself to the people of Israel. It had been at Mount Sinai that God gave His law to Moses. It had been on Mount Sinai that God displayed His glory and demonstrated His unparalleled power.

So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud over the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. – Exodus 19:16-17 NLT

When Yahweh had safely sequestered Elijah in the recesses of a cave, He asked His doubting prophet a question: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9 ESV). He wanted Elijah to explain the motivation behind his most recent actions, and the prophet responded with a pitiful portrait of his Don-Quixote-like quest to defeat the enemies of God. He deemed himself the last man standing, the sole survivor of an ill-fated battle against the forces of evil.

“I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” – 1 Kings 19:10 NLT

Elijah threw himself a pity party and invited Yahweh to attend, but the LORD was not interested in celebrating Elijah’s accomplishments or validating his woe-is-me mentality. Instead, God instructed His despondent prophet to step out of the cave and into the shadow of Mount Sinai. As Elijah stood at the base of the mountain, God revealed Himself. At first, He displayed His glory in the form of a fierce windstorm so mighty that it blew boulders off the face of the mountain. This dramatic display was followed by a massive earthquake that shook the ground under Elijah’s feet. Finally, Elijah watched as the peak of the mountain was consumed by fire. The pitiful prophet was witnessing the same jaw-dropping spectacle the Israelites had seen. 

Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the entire mountain quaked violently. – Exodus 19:18 NLT

But Elijah was to discover that, while these dramatic revelations of God were impressive, they were not meant to represent His presence. The text clearly states that the LORD was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire. Yes, they were manifestations of His greatness, but they were not how God was going to speak to His prophet. After the ear-piercing blast of the wind, the earth-shaking rumble of the earthquake, and the roar of the fire, Elijah heard “the sound of a low whisper” ( 1 Kings 19:12 ESV). Evidently, the three previous displays of God’s power had driven Elijah back into the recesses of the cave. But upon hearing the gentle sound of the whisper, he timidly made his way back outside. There, in the quiet of the moment, he heard Yahweh repeat His previous question: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:13 NLT). 

Once again, Elijah gave the same well-rehearsed reply. He reiterated his claim to have zealously served Yahweh and re-emphasized his status as the last faithful Israelite. It was all about him. He alone had zealously served Yahweh. While everyone else in Israel had turned their backs on God, Elijah had remained faithful and fully committed. He was the last line of defense against the forces of evil, and now he was as good as dead.

But where was God? Even after the dramatic displays of divine power on Mount Sinai, Elijah had been unable to get his mind off himself. For some reason, he believed that the future of Israel had been dependent upon him, and he had failed and let God down. Despite his victory over the prophets of Baal, Ahab and Jezebel were firmly entrenched and in charge of the affairs of the nation, or so Elijah thought. From his perspective, all was lost. But God had news for Elijah, and He had plans for Ahab and Jezebel that the defeated prophet knew nothing about.

In a still, small voice, Yahweh was about to whisper His sovereign secret for Israel’s future in the ear of his self-consumed prophet. When God had asked Elijah, “What are you doing here?”, the prophet had given his answer. Now it was God's turn. He would explain the real purpose behind Elijah’s seeming failure and his fear and flight. Elijah thought it was all over, but Yahweh was just getting started. 

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

All’s Well That Ends Well – Oh Well

5 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6 His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” He was also a very handsome man, and he was born next after Absalom. 7 He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him. 8 But Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rei and David's mighty men were not with Adonijah.

9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the Serpent’s Stone, which is beside En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, 10 but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or Solomon his brother. – 1 Kings 1:5-10 ESV

The author of 1st Kings has established that David is old and nearing the end of his life. And, because he is king, his imminent death sets the stage for the selection of his successor to the throne of Israel. Under normal circumstances, the line of succession would fall to the eldest son. But in David's case, things were a bit more complex because of the number of sons who had been born by his many wives. David's home life was less than simple and further muddied by his far-from-ideal parenting style.

His oldest son had been Amnon, but he had been murdered by his half-brother, Absalom, for raping Absalom’s sister, Tamar. When David failed to punish Amnon for his crime, Absalom took matters into his own hands. Daniel was the second son of David, but he likely died early because, other than the record of his birth in 2 Samuel 3:3, he is never mentioned again. That leaves Absalom and Adonijah as the next two in line for the throne. But Absalom was also dead. After launching what appeared to be a successful coup for his father’s throne, Absalom was killed in battle against David's forces (2 Samuel 18). This left Adonijah as next in line for ascension to the throne.

But God had other plans, and had been David clear instructions regarding his heir, and it was not going to be Adonijah. Even before Solomon had been born, God visited David and gave him a message concerning the identity of the son who would continue the Davidic dynasty.

“Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.” – 1 Chronicles 22:9-10 ESV

In a sense, Solomon had been a gift from God after David suffered the loss of the son born through his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). That child had been the byproduct of David’s immoral affair with a married woman. To complicate matters further, when David had discovered that Bathsheba was pregnant, he tried to cover up his indiscretion. When that failed, he ordered Bathsheba’s husband's death and then took his widow to be one of his wives.

Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife, and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and David named him Solomon. The LORD loved the child and sent word through Nathan the prophet that they should name him Jedidiah (which means “beloved of the LORD”), as the LORD had commanded. – 2 Samuel 12:24-25 NLT

And this complicated and confusing background sets the stage for what happens in the opening chapter of 1st Kings. As the next-oldest living son, Adonijah assumed that he was the rightful heir to the throne, and he began to prepare for the transition of power.

Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. – 1 Kings 1:5 ESV

It seems that Adonijah had taken notes right out of his older brother Absalom's playbook . This arrogant display of pomp and circumstance was exactly what Absalom had done as part of his successful strategy to usurp David’s throne.

After this, Absalom bought a chariot and horses, and he hired fifty bodyguards to run ahead of him.  – 2 Samuel 15:1

Adonijah believed he was entitled to be the next king of Israel, and it seems that he was used to getting his way. The author reveals that Adonijah had been spoiled by his father.

Now his father, King David, had never disciplined him at any time, even by asking, “Why are you doing that?” – 1 Kings 1:6 NLT

It is unclear whether Adonijah knew of God’s plan for Solomon to be David’s successor. But it is readily apparent that Adonijah was determined to do whatever was necessary to be the next king. He began by building a network of important relationships with individuals of power and influence.

Adonijah took Joab son of Zeruiah and Abiathar the priest into his confidence, and they agreed to help him become king. – 1 Kings 1:7 NLT

This ambitious young man was building strategic alliances that he hoped would prove helpful in his quest for Israel's throne. But he faced significant opposition. There were those who remained loyal to David and who would see to it that the wishes of the king were fulfilled. It is likely that they were already aware of God’s plan for Solomon to be the next king.

All of this is painfully reminiscent of Absalom's actions when he began his carefully orchestrated coup to supplant his father as king. Adonijah was not willing to wait for David’s death. He was going to take the throne by force if necessary. But to ensure that he had all the support he would need, Adonijah planned a banquet in the nearby city of En-rogel. He had a carefully crafted invitation list that included all of his brothers and half-brothers, except for Solomon. He also extended invitations to all the royal officials of the land of Judah. At this feast, Adonijah made a covenant commitment with his guests, sealing their agreement to assist him in his coup d'état with blood sacrifices. 

This opening chapter of the book lays the foundation for all that is to come. David is dying. He is weak and incapable of caring for himself. God has established a plan for his succession. But the nation is already showing signs of discord and dissension. Sadly, another one of David’s sons is leading an open rebellion against his own father and creating a potentially deadly situation that could end in bloodshed and division. You can almost feel the sense of foreboding coming off the pages as the author sets the stage for all that is to follow.

The Israelite nation is about to enter a new era, one that will be marked by a slow and steady spiral toward unfaithfulness and spiritual infidelity. With the death of the man after God’s own heart, the people of Israel will find themselves suffering under a succession of shepherds whose spiritual integrity will slowly decline, leaving the nation in a progressively weakened state.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Just Desserts Can Be Difficult to Swallow

4 So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. 6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction 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 fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.

10 The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night. 12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.” 13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14 And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”

17 And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” 20 And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22 And Samuel said,

“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 listen than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
    and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
    he has also rejected you from being king.” – 1 Samuel 15:4-23 ESV

God had made Himself perfectly clear. For the first time in years, Saul had received a message from the Lord through Samuel, the prophet, and his marching orders simple and direct.

“Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” – 1 Samuel 15:3 ESV

God left nothing to Saul’s discretion; he was given non-negotiable instructions concerning the fate of the Amalekites. Not only was he to defeat them, but he was to completely annihilate them. The Hebrew word is ḥāram and it carries the idea of complete destruction.

“The basic meaning is the exclusion of an object from the use or abuse of man and its irrevocable surrender to God. The word is related to an Arabic root meaning ‘to prohibit, especially to ordinary use.’ The word ‘harem,’ meaning the special quarters for Muslim wives, comes from it.

“Usually ḥāram means a ban for utter destruction, the compulsory dedication of something which impedes or resists God’s work, which is considered to be accursed before God. The idea first appears in Num 21:2–3.” – Wood, L. J. (1999). 744 חָרַם. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 324). Chicago: Moody Press.

God had “devoted” the Amalekites to destruction as punishment for their past treatment of His chosen people (Deuteronomy 25:17-19; Exodus 17:14-16). After centuries of delay, God had chosen Saul as the one to implement His divine judgment upon the Amalekites, and He left no doubt as to what the outcome should be. Saul was to spare no one and nothing.

This was a test to see whether Saul would obey the command of God. After having served 23 years as the king of Israel, Saul was given another opportunity to faithfully follow the instructions of the Lord. More than two decades earlier, he had started his reign by failing to do what God told him to do and it led to his rejection by God (1 Samuel 13:13-14). For nearly 25 years, God had allowed Saul to remain on the throne of Israel, but the time had come to see if he was a changed man. This test was not for God’s benefit because He is all-knowing and can see into the hearts of all men (1 Samuel 16:7). No, this test was meant for Saul as well as the prophet Samuel. The outcome would prove once and for all that Saul was not a man after God’s own heart and would need to be replaced.

But Saul’s response to the divine directive was quick and decisive. He mustered the troops and marched them into battle against the Amalekites. In a display of mercy, Saul warned the neighboring Kenites to evacuate the area so that they might be spared. Evidently, these two people groups lived in close proximity to one another and Saul had no desire to see the peaceful Kenites suffer God’s judgment.

Once the Kenites had evacuated the region, Saul ordered his troops to attack. With his 210,000-strong army, Saul easily defeated the much smaller Amalekite force. But what happened next reveals the whole purpose behind the test.

Then Saul slaughtered the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else. Saul and his men spared Agag’s life and kept the best of the sheep and goats, the cattle, the fat calves, and the lambs—everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality. – 1 Samuel 15:7-9 NLT

Partial obedience. That was Saul’s big mistake. He chose to amend God’s instructions and do things his own way; a decision he would later regret. While Saul obeyed the Lord and slaughtered the Amalekites, he made some unsanctioned executive decisions that directly violated the will of God Almighty. Rather than kill the Amalekite king, Saul spared his life. Instead of devoting all the livestock to destruction, Saul ordered that the Israelites cull out the best of the flocks and herds and take them as plunder. The text makes it clear that their decision was motivated by greed and exhibited their blatant disobedience to God’s command.

Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. – 1 Samuel 15:9 ESV

They refused to do what God had told them to do. In a sense, they showed that they knew better than God. Their will superseded His. And this open display of disobedience was sanctioned by none other than the king himself. Saul was responsible for the actions of his people.

To make matters worse, Saul ordered the ḥāram (to devote to destruction) of “all that was despised and worthless” (1 Samuel 15:9 ESV). This slaughter was meant to be a form of offering to Jehovah, sacrificing to Him the best of all that belonged to the Amalekites. But Saul chose to offer God only that which was worthless and of no value to him. He gave God the dregs and kept the best for himself.  This action resulted in God delivering Saul’s failing test results. to Samuel.

“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” – 1 Samuel 15:11 ESV

God is not admitting that He made some sort of error. He is not surprised by the outcome or somehow sorry for having ever made Saul king. He is simply expressing His sorrow at having to watch His servant suffer for his own sin and rebellion. 

“This is the use of anthropomorphism, when God explains Himself to man in human terms, so man can have some understanding of God’s heart. God knew from the beginning Saul’s heart, ways, and destiny. God already sought for Himself a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Yet as all this unfolded, God’s heart was not emotionless. He didn’t sit in heaven with a clipboard, checking off boxes, coldly saying, ‘All according to plan.’ Saul’s disobedience hurt God, and since we can’t grasp all that happens in God’s heart, the closest that we can come is for God to express it in the human terms of saying, ‘I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king.’” – David Guzik, The Enduring Word Bible Commentary

God takes no joy in watching the failure of His children. He knew exactly what Saul was going to do but was still saddened by watching one of His children reject His love by disobeying His will. In the end, God always wants to bless His children but is obligated to punish all those who choose to disobey His commands. Disobedience always brings discipline.

God’s words also upset Samuel, who spent the night calling out to Him in anger and frustration. After a quarter-century of silently watching Saul attempt to reign over the nation of Israel, Samuel was shocked to learn that God was going to bring this failed experiment to an end. Part of the reason for Samuel’s emotional response was his lack of knowledge as to God’s future plans. He knew that God had Saul’s replacement in mind, but he had no idea who the individual was. It was as if God was starting all over again and the elderly Samuel must have felt overwhelmed by that prospect.

But the next morning, Samuel set out in search of Saul, fully intending to deliver God’s message. It must have enraged Samuel to discover that Saul had erected a monument to himself in Carmel. How could this arrogant blowhard dare to memorialize himself when he had blatantly disregarded the will of God Almighty? But Saul was clueless about God’s anger and was anxious to celebrate his recent victory over the Amalekites.

When Samuel finally caught up to Saul, he must have been shocked to hear the king brag about his successful completion of God’s instructions. In Saul’s mind, he had done exactly what he had been ordered to do. He could see nothing wrong with his slight alterations to God’s plans. When Samuel points out the presence of the Amalekite livestock, Saul begins to rationalize and justify his actions. He explains that the people were intending to use them as sacrifices to God. But Samuel isn’t buying what Saul is selling. The prophet immediately confronts the king with the news of God’s indictment against him.

“Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord has anointed you king of Israel. And the Lord sent you on a mission and told you, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.’ Why haven’t you obeyed the Lord? Why did you rush for the plunder and do what was evil in the Lord’s sight?” – 1 Samuel 15:17-19 NLT

Amazingly, Saul continues to try to justify his actions. But Samuel interrupts his desperate pleas of innocence with a devastating oracle from God. He informs the disobedient and unrepentant king that his reign has officially come to an end. Saul has failed God’s final test and ushered in his own demise – all as a result of his disobedience. God wasn’t impressed with Saul’s victory because it had been His doing. God wasn’t happy with Saul’s monument to his own self-importance because it was nothing more than an idol. God didn’t want sacrifices offered in violation of His will; He wanted obedience.

So, because Saul had acted wickedly and chosen to disobey the command of God, his kingship would come to an inglorious end.

“So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” – 1 Samuel 15:23 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.