1 Samuel 15:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel."

NIV: But Samuel said to him, "I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!"

NASB: But Samuel said to Saul, 'I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.'

CSB: Samuel replied to Saul, "I will not return with you. Because you rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel."

NLT: But Samuel replied, 'I will not go back with you! Since you have rejected the Lord’s command, he has rejected you as king of Israel.'

KJV: And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.

NKJV: But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”

Saul has reversed his earlier declaration of innocence (1 Samuel 15:20) and admitted to Samuel that he has sinned and disobeyed God's command (1 Samuel 15:24). He has urgently asked Samuel to pardon his sin and to go with him to bow before the Lord, likely in view of the people (1 Samuel 15:25).

Now Samuel repeats what Saul either missed or refused to believe the first time (1 Samuel 15:23). He will not go with Saul to bow before the Lord. The Lord has rejected Saul as Israel's king because Saul rejected the word of God. Saul's hasty confession and request for pardon is not going to change God's decision. Samuel isn't going to pretend otherwise.

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.