1 Samuel 15:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul bowed before the Lord.

NIV: So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

NASB: So Samuel went back following Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

CSB: Then Samuel went back, following Saul, and Saul bowed down to the Lord.

NLT: So Samuel finally agreed and went back with him, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

KJV: So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the Lord.

NKJV: So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

It's unclear exactly why Samuel changes his mind and agrees to go with Saul to honor God in front of the people. Samuel first told Saul that he would not go with him (1 Samuel 15:26). Now that Saul fully understands that the Lord's decision to remove him as king will not be changed, Samuel agrees to honor Saul by being present when Saul bows before the Lord.

Commentators speculate that Samuel did not want to disrupt the stability of the nation by publicly indicating that Saul had lost the Lord's approval. Perhaps Samuel cared for Saul and was sympathetic to him; he will grieve over the man he anointed as Israel's first king (1 Samuel 15:35). A highly likely reason is that Samuel plans to finish the task Saul has failed to do. Samuel will kill the king of the Amalekites in obedience to God's command, making a graphic and public point about the need to obey the Lord's will (1 Samuel 15:32–33).

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 8:34:51 AM