1 Samuel 15:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the Lord."

NIV: Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord."

NASB: Now then, please pardon my sin and return with me, so that I may worship the Lord.'

CSB: Now therefore, please forgive my sin and return with me so I can worship the Lord."

NLT: But now, please forgive my sin and come back with me so that I may worship the Lord.'

KJV: Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord.

NKJV: Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.”

Saul's confession about his sin in the previous verse (1 Samuel 15:24) appears less sincere when read alongside this verse. He is either dismissive or flippant, trying to set the matter aside. Saul wants Samuel to pardon him for disobeying the Lord. But Samuel is the prophet and deliverer of God's message. He cannot absolve the king for his sin. Saul seems unwilling to accept that his sin is against God and God has already rejected him as Israel's king.

Saul also seems urgent about another agenda. He wants Samuel to come with him to bow before the Lord, perhaps in full view of the people. If Samuel continues to endorse Saul by his presence with the king, this may appease the people and help Saul maintain power. Saul may also still think he can earn God's forgiveness if he makes a sacrifice alongside the prophet.

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.

Accessed 11/21/2024 8:24:38 AM