1 Samuel 15:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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."

NIV: Saul answered, "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest."

NASB: 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 completely destroyed.'

CSB: Saul answered, "The troops brought them from the Amalekites and spared the best sheep, goats, and cattle in order to offer a sacrifice to the Lord your God, but the rest we destroyed."

NLT: It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle,' Saul admitted. 'But they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God. We have destroyed everything else.'

KJV: And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

NKJV: And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”

Saul, king of Israel, begins spinning excuses for his disobedience of the Lord. His approach will feel familiar to everyone who has ever tried to justify a wrong action after getting caught and being confronted. Saul's instructions were to destroy all animals of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:3). Samuel has asked how Saul can claim to be obedient when they can both hear the sounds of captured animals (1 Samuel 15:9). Saul strings together a series of justifications and deflections.

First, Saul says "they" have brought the animals from the Amalekites. He draws the people into the situation as if it were not his fault alone. He will not even take responsibility for transporting the livestock to Gilgal. In a similar way, Saul says "the people" did not kill the best of the sheep and the oxen. Then he offers the excuse that they intended to use the captive animals for sacrifice to the Lord.

These are half-truths, at best. Saul did not personally drive the animals from Amalekite territory to Gilgal, and clearly the soldiers made their own choices (1 Samuel 15:9). It may even be possible that Saul planned to sacrifice some of the animals before the Lord. However, Saul was the king, and he was responsible to carry out God's command no matter what his soldiers wanted.

Next, Saul describes the Lord to Samuel as "the Lord your God." He doesn't express that this is "our" God or "my" God; his choice of words suggests that the Lord God of Israel isn't even his own God. This is another way of trying to remove himself from some of the responsibility for not doing what the Lord told Samuel to tell Saul to do.

First Samuel 15:10–23 records God's response to Saul's partial obedience regarding the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:3, 9). The Lord tells Samuel that Saul's acts—which amount to rejecting God's commands—will result in the end of Saul's rule. When Samuel confronts Saul, the king makes excuses and claims he intended to sacrifice the condemned animals to the Lord. Samuel responds with a poetic statement about how God wants obedience, not arrogant attempts to improve on His commands.

Samuel gives Saul a mission from the Lord: fulfill God's judgment on the Amalekites by killing all the people and all the animals. Saul and his army defeat Amalek, but they spare the king and the best animals. Samuel confronts Saul and reveals that because of his disobedience, the Lord has rejected Saul as king over Israel. Samuel worships the Lord with Saul one last time and then executes the Amalekite king Saul failed to kill.

First Samuel 14 ended with a summary of Saul's reign; chapter 15 describes God's rejection of Saul as king. First Samuel 13 had already indicated that Saul's household would not retain the kingdom due to Saul's disobedience (1 Samuel 13:8–14); here Saul himself is rejected. The Lord commands Saul to fulfill His longstanding judgment against the Amalekites. Saul and his army defeat Amalek, but Saul disobeys God by sparing the king and the best animals. Saul eventually admits that he has sinned, but Samuel says God will not change His mind about rejecting Saul as king. From a heavenly perspective, Saul is rejected; but from an earthly perspective, he would continue his rule for another fifteen to twenty years.

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.