1 Samuel 15:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt.

NIV: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt.

NASB: This is what the Lord of armies says: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, in that he obstructed him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt.

CSB: This is what the Lord of Armies says: ‘I witnessed what the Amalekites did to the Israelites when they opposed them along the way as they were coming out of Egypt.

NLT: This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt.

KJV: Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.

NKJV: Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt.

Samuel, the prophet of Israel, begins to deliver his message from the Lord to Saul, king of Israel. The Lord does not forget His words of promise or of judgment. He remembers what the Amalekites did to Israel in opposing and attacking God's people on their way out of Egypt following the exodus. The Amalekites were a nomadic people that occupied the Negev region, the desert area south of Judah (Numbers 13:29). About four hundred years before Saul and Samuel, the exhausted masses of the Israelite people were in the wilderness. There, the Amalekites attacked them from behind, cutting off those who were trailing (Exodus 17:8–16). The Lord took this personally, saying that it showed the Amalekites did not fear Him, Israel's God (Deuteronomy 25:17–18).

Because of this, the Lord declared that when the time was right and Israel had rest from her enemies, they should utterly wipe out the evil nation of Amalek (Deuteronomy 25:19). Now, under the kingship of Saul, the Lord declares that time has come (1 Samuel 15:3).

First Samuel 15:1–9 describes Saul's partial obedience to God regarding the Amalekites. Half-obedience is the same as disobedience; Saul spares the enemy king and many of the valuable animals. This is contrary to the Lord's command. As a result, God will inform the prophet Samuel that God intends to replace Saul as king over Israel.

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.

Accessed 11/21/2024 8:11:16 AM