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A. WHO WAS AMALEK?
Genesis 27:41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him; and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are very near. When [he is gone] I will kill my brother Jacob. 1. Here began a feud that was to cost countless lives throughout succeeding centuries. Esau's descendants, the Amalekites, were the first enemies to obstruct the flight of Jacob's descendants from Egypt (Exod. 17:8). Bloody battles were fought between the two nations in the centuries that followed. It was Herod, of Esau's race (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 14:1, Section 3), who had the male infants of Bethlehem slain in an effort to destroy the Christ Child (Matt. 2:16).
Genesis 27:41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him; and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are very near. When [he is gone] I will kill my brother Jacob. 1. Here began a feud that was to cost countless lives throughout succeeding centuries. Esau's descendants, the Amalekites, were the first enemies to obstruct the flight of Jacob's descendants from Egypt (Exod. 17:8). Bloody battles were fought between the two nations in the centuries that followed. It was Herod, of Esau's race (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 14:1, Section 3), who had the male infants of Bethlehem slain in an effort to destroy the Christ Child (Matt. 2:16).
2. Satan needs no better medium for his evil plans than a family feud, a "mere quarrel" between two brothers.
3. Amalek was the grandson of Esau, he was a son of Eliphaz by his concubine Timnah grandson of Esau, and chieftain ("duke") of Edom. His name means: "A people that licks up" or "dweler in a valley"
4. The spirit or characteristics of amalek still exist today, it hates those who value the birthright and seeks to destroy them, He watches the flock and when he sees someone who begins to drift, and lose their vision of their inheritance, and become indifferent to the covenant that is when he comes in like a roaring lion
1 SAMUEL TOLD Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now listen and heed the words of the Lord.
2 Thus says the Lord of hosts, I have considered and will punish what Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way when [Israel] came out of Egypt.
3 Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.
4 So Saul assembled the men and numbered them at Telaim--200,000 men on foot and 10,000 men of Judah.
5 And Saul came to the city of Amalek and laid wait in the valley.
6 Saul warned the Kenites, Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7 Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.
8 And he took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, though he utterly destroyed all the rest of the people with the sword.
9 Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but all that was undesirable or worthless they destroyed utterly.
10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying,
11 I regret making Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not performed My commands. And Samuel was grieved and angry [with Saul], and he cried to the Lord all night.
1. Amalek are negative thoughts. Latter the Lord told Saul to destroy Amalek completely but Saul spared the king and the sheep. By other words he destroyed the insignificant thoughts but kept the King.
2. Saul happily throws out the garbage. What troubles him is seeing perfectly good things destroyed. He has no trouble killing the Amalekite men and women, and even their little children. He finds it difficult, however, to kill their king, Agag. He has no problem slaughtering all of the marginal cattle, but he can't stand to throw away the "prime Alberta Grade A beef" and lamb.
3. Saul's refusal to totally annihilate the Amalekites costs him his kingdom. It is a most serious sin. Our text not only exposes Saul's sin, it may very well expose our own. Saul is willing to do things we might never even consider - like killing little children. Would we have put the Amalekite children to death as Saul did? If not, why not?
1 Samuel 15:18: "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"
2. God does not take pleasure in the punishment of the innocent. The Amalekites did not bless the Israelites, they cursed them by attacking them along the way. Because of this, God curses them, as He had covenanted with Abraham and his descendants. Today the Amalekites are a symbol of those people and things that oppose God.
1 Samuel 15
13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, Blessed are you of the Lord. I have performed what the Lord ordered.
14 And Samuel said, What then means this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
15 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.
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me tonight. Saul said to him, Say on.
17 Samuel said, When you were small in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed you king over Israel?
18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, Go, utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites; and fight against them until they are consumed.
19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but swooped down upon the plunder and did evil in the Lord's sight?
20 Saul said to Samuel, Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag king of Amalek and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
21 But the people took from the spoil sheep and oxen, the chief of the things to be utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.
22 Samuel said, Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim (household good luck images). Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.
2. In verse 23 Samuel likens the sin of an Israelite to the sins of the heathen, which a good Jew would never consider doing. Saul does not take his sin of disobedience seriously. This pagan people, the Amalekites, deserve to die. Saul does not question that. The sins the pagans commit are those which an Israelite loathes. Samuel brings Saul up short by informing him that his disobedience is no less despicable than the pagan's sins of divination, iniquity or idolatry. To obey is better than ritualistic worship; to disobey is worse than pagan idolatry or witchcraft.
3. E. Saul disobeyed because he had a low self-image
1. According to the words of Samuel, Saul had a poor self-image. If you allow a negative thought in your life that very thought will come back to destroy you. We can read in 2 Samuel chapter1 how Saul was killed by an Amalekite.
a. If you allow sin in your life that sin will come back to destroy you.
b. A second aspect of the "Amalek problem" is that if you allow negative comments and opinions about God's vision with the pretext of offering your religious sacrifice to the Lord you will be destroyed by that "Amalekite"
2. Saul allowed Amalek to live and latter in life he was killed by an Amalekite. If you want to have the blessing of God in your life you have to get rid of Amalek: Those negative thoughts and those people that oppose to the vision of God.
3. Looking at Saul's sin in our text teaches us a valuable lesson about spiritual leadership. Spiritual leadership is not really about giving people what they want as much it is about doing what God wants. Spiritual leaders must first be followers of God.
4. Saul is appointed king over Israel. His task is to know God's commands and obey them and to lead the nation in obedience. To whatever degree Saul's words about the pressure applied by the people are true, Saul fails to lead in a godly manner. His task is not to please men but to please God.
Quote:
Worry more about your character than your reputation. Character is what you are, reputation merely what others think you are.--- John Wooden
32 Then Samuel said, Bring here to me Agag king of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
33 Samuel said, As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
1. When Samuel saw this he took a sword and killed the king cutting him into pieces. A prophet of God will destroy all the negative thoughts. You cannot accept negative people in your leadership. If they are negative we will send them to the Encounter, if they continue we send them to another Encounter. If this continues we sit them down, and if they continue we will send them out of the church.
2. Right after Samuel destroyed Amalek God toldhim to annoint David (1 Samuel 16). When you destroy Amalek a new anointing of leadership will come.
3. David destroyed the Amalekites fulfilling God's purpose and vision. If you want to succeed in God's kingdom you need to completely destroy the Amalekites. If you allow that the spirit of religion or a low self-image take control of your life you will end up like Saul: He continued to worship the Lord but canme out of God's vision!
3. Amalek was the grandson of Esau, he was a son of Eliphaz by his concubine Timnah grandson of Esau, and chieftain ("duke") of Edom. His name means: "A people that licks up" or "dweler in a valley"
4. The spirit or characteristics of amalek still exist today, it hates those who value the birthright and seeks to destroy them, He watches the flock and when he sees someone who begins to drift, and lose their vision of their inheritance, and become indifferent to the covenant that is when he comes in like a roaring lion
B. THE LORD TOLD SAUL TO DESTROY AMALEK
1 Samuel 151 SAMUEL TOLD Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now listen and heed the words of the Lord.
2 Thus says the Lord of hosts, I have considered and will punish what Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way when [Israel] came out of Egypt.
3 Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.
4 So Saul assembled the men and numbered them at Telaim--200,000 men on foot and 10,000 men of Judah.
5 And Saul came to the city of Amalek and laid wait in the valley.
6 Saul warned the Kenites, Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7 Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.
8 And he took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, though he utterly destroyed all the rest of the people with the sword.
9 Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but all that was undesirable or worthless they destroyed utterly.
10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying,
11 I regret making Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not performed My commands. And Samuel was grieved and angry [with Saul], and he cried to the Lord all night.
1. Amalek are negative thoughts. Latter the Lord told Saul to destroy Amalek completely but Saul spared the king and the sheep. By other words he destroyed the insignificant thoughts but kept the King.
2. Saul happily throws out the garbage. What troubles him is seeing perfectly good things destroyed. He has no trouble killing the Amalekite men and women, and even their little children. He finds it difficult, however, to kill their king, Agag. He has no problem slaughtering all of the marginal cattle, but he can't stand to throw away the "prime Alberta Grade A beef" and lamb.
3. Saul's refusal to totally annihilate the Amalekites costs him his kingdom. It is a most serious sin. Our text not only exposes Saul's sin, it may very well expose our own. Saul is willing to do things we might never even consider - like killing little children. Would we have put the Amalekite children to death as Saul did? If not, why not?
C. WHY DID THE LORD ORDERED THIS DESTRUCTION?
1. The Lord gave that order previously a number of times in the Scriptures (Exodus 17:8-15, Numbers 24:20-25, Deuteronomy 25:17-19, Numbers 2) those whom God orders annihilated are those who are guilty, those for whom their punishment is just retribution. While their predecessors may have sinned greatly, the people whom God orders Saul to destroy are guilty sinners themselves, for whom their fate is a just recompense:1 Samuel 15:18: "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"
2. God does not take pleasure in the punishment of the innocent. The Amalekites did not bless the Israelites, they cursed them by attacking them along the way. Because of this, God curses them, as He had covenanted with Abraham and his descendants. Today the Amalekites are a symbol of those people and things that oppose God.
1 Samuel 15
13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, Blessed are you of the Lord. I have performed what the Lord ordered.
14 And Samuel said, What then means this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
15 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.
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me tonight. Saul said to him, Say on.
17 Samuel said, When you were small in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed you king over Israel?
18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, Go, utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites; and fight against them until they are consumed.
19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but swooped down upon the plunder and did evil in the Lord's sight?
20 Saul said to Samuel, Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag king of Amalek and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
21 But the people took from the spoil sheep and oxen, the chief of the things to be utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.
22 Samuel said, Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim (household good luck images). Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.
D. SAUL DISOBEYED BECAUSE OF A SPIRIT OF RELIGION
1. Saul seeks to excuse his disobedience by claiming that he intends to use the animals which are spared to offer sacrifices to God. Samuel will have none of this. Saul informs us that going through the motions of religious rituals is the most important thing of all. It is no big thing to Saul to disobey God's command, as long as his disobedience enables him to offer a ritualistic sacrifice to God. To Saul, offering a sacrifice to God is more important than obedience to God. To Samuel, obedience to God is the highest form of sacrifice To obey God is better than all sacrifices. To disobey God, and then offer sacrifices, is worthless.2. In verse 23 Samuel likens the sin of an Israelite to the sins of the heathen, which a good Jew would never consider doing. Saul does not take his sin of disobedience seriously. This pagan people, the Amalekites, deserve to die. Saul does not question that. The sins the pagans commit are those which an Israelite loathes. Samuel brings Saul up short by informing him that his disobedience is no less despicable than the pagan's sins of divination, iniquity or idolatry. To obey is better than ritualistic worship; to disobey is worse than pagan idolatry or witchcraft.
3. E. Saul disobeyed because he had a low self-image
1. According to the words of Samuel, Saul had a poor self-image. If you allow a negative thought in your life that very thought will come back to destroy you. We can read in 2 Samuel chapter1 how Saul was killed by an Amalekite.
a. If you allow sin in your life that sin will come back to destroy you.
b. A second aspect of the "Amalek problem" is that if you allow negative comments and opinions about God's vision with the pretext of offering your religious sacrifice to the Lord you will be destroyed by that "Amalekite"
2. Saul allowed Amalek to live and latter in life he was killed by an Amalekite. If you want to have the blessing of God in your life you have to get rid of Amalek: Those negative thoughts and those people that oppose to the vision of God.
3. Looking at Saul's sin in our text teaches us a valuable lesson about spiritual leadership. Spiritual leadership is not really about giving people what they want as much it is about doing what God wants. Spiritual leaders must first be followers of God.
4. Saul is appointed king over Israel. His task is to know God's commands and obey them and to lead the nation in obedience. To whatever degree Saul's words about the pressure applied by the people are true, Saul fails to lead in a godly manner. His task is not to please men but to please God.
Quote:
Worry more about your character than your reputation. Character is what you are, reputation merely what others think you are.--- John Wooden
F. THE PROPHETS WILL ALLWAYS DESTROY AMALEK!
1 Samuel 1532 Then Samuel said, Bring here to me Agag king of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
33 Samuel said, As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
1. When Samuel saw this he took a sword and killed the king cutting him into pieces. A prophet of God will destroy all the negative thoughts. You cannot accept negative people in your leadership. If they are negative we will send them to the Encounter, if they continue we send them to another Encounter. If this continues we sit them down, and if they continue we will send them out of the church.
2. Right after Samuel destroyed Amalek God toldhim to annoint David (1 Samuel 16). When you destroy Amalek a new anointing of leadership will come.
3. David destroyed the Amalekites fulfilling God's purpose and vision. If you want to succeed in God's kingdom you need to completely destroy the Amalekites. If you allow that the spirit of religion or a low self-image take control of your life you will end up like Saul: He continued to worship the Lord but canme out of God's vision!
