1 Samuel 15:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

NIV: Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them.

NASB: Then Saul said to Samuel, 'I have sinned, for I have violated the command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice.

CSB: Saul answered Samuel, "I have sinned. I have transgressed the Lord’s command and your words. Because I was afraid of the people, I obeyed them.

NLT: Then Saul admitted to Samuel, 'Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the Lord’s command, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded.

KJV: And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

NKJV: Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

Once Saul hears the consequence for his disobedience, he is finally ready to confess that he has sinned. It's unclear whether he is truly humbling himself with this confession or simply trying another tactic to gain back God's approval.

Before being told directly that he had been rejected by the Lord, Saul boldly claimed to be obedient (1 Samuel 15:20). Now he reverses that and admits, "I have sinned." In essence, the king says, "I was wrong to disobey God's command and your words, Samuel." He also explains where his error came from: he feared the people who wanted to take the best animals of the Amalekites, and he obeyed them rather than God.

On one hand, Saul's confession is a good model for any who understand that we have sinned: I sinned. I was wrong. Here's what I decided was more important than obeying God. Unfortunately for Saul, his confession comes too late to change the consequences of disobeying God in the first place. Sincere or not, it only came after he was confronted with his own lies. It's more about avoiding punishment than accepting responsibility.

First Samuel 15:24–35 demonstrates that the Lord is firm in His rejection of Saul. Saul disobeyed God's commands about the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:3, 9). After Samuel's confrontation (1 Samuel 15:22–23), Saul admits his guilt. Samuel refuses to offer a pardon. As he leaves, Saul clutches at Samuel's robe and tears it. Samuel says this symbolizes how the throne will be torn out of Saul's hands. Samuel follows Saul to Gilgal and personally, brutally executes the Amalekite king Agag. This is the last time Samuel will come to meet with Saul.

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.