1 Samuel Chapter 15

At a Glance

  • This chapter unfolds the book’s central tension: the people’s desire for a king and the king’s responsibility to be a faithful conduit of God’s will.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • 1 Samuel 15 sits within the Deuteronomistic history that shapes Israel’s understanding of covenant fidelity, kingship, and divine judgment.
  • In the larger arc of 1 Samuel, this chapter marks a turning point after Saul’s initial military success and public promise.
  • - Obedience over sacrifice: God prioritizes faithful obedience to His explicit command over ritual offerings.

Chapter Overview

This chapter centers on a decisive, solemn confrontation between the Lord and King Saul, testing whether Saul will truly live under divine command or craftily substitute his own criteria for obedience. Samuel delivers a clear word from the LORD: God remembers Amalek’s treachery against Israel at the exodus and now commands total destruction of Amalek, including people and livestock. Saul assembles the army, defeats the Amalekites, and, importantly, spares Agag the king along with the best of the livestock. The outward success of the campaign contrasts with a hidden failure: Samuel’s arrival is met with a feigned claim of obedience, but God’s word has already been rejected because Saul did not fully carry out the command. God’s regret (“It repenteth me”) underscores the seriousness of partial obedience. Samuel’s confrontation cuts to the heart of sovereignty: sacrifice and outward religiosity cannot substitute for obedience to the explicit instruction of the LORD. Saul offers rationalizations—remote excuses about keeping the best of the spoils for sacrifice—yet Samuel declares that obedience is better than sacrifice and that rebellion is as witchcraft. The chapter ends with the sad acknowledgment that Saul’s kingdom will not endure and that God has sought a man after His own heart to fulfill His purposes.

This chapter unfolds the book’s central tension: the people’s desire for a king and the king’s responsibility to be a faithful conduit of God’s will. Saul’s misstep reveals a fracture between surface conformity and heartfelt allegiance. It foreshadows the eventual dethronement of Saul and the rise of David, whom God sees as the rightful respondent to divine calling. The episode also highlights the LORD’s holiness and the gravity of idolatrous-like rationalizations—when we domesticate God’s commands to fit our comfort, we displace true worship with managerial pragmatism.

Historical & Literary Context

1 Samuel 15 sits within the Deuteronomistic history that shapes Israel’s understanding of covenant fidelity, kingship, and divine judgment. Traditionally dated to the 11th–10th centuries BCE, the book collects earlier traditions and patches them into a narrative that reflects the theological concerns of the post-monarchy era. The genre blends ancient narrative with prophetic speech: courtroom-like prophetic proclamation, royal intrigue, and plot development that moves from public victory to private failure.

In the larger arc of 1 Samuel, this chapter marks a turning point after Saul’s initial military success and public promise. It interrupts the momentum of Saul’s popular ascent with a moral and spiritual apostasy: partial obedience to a direct command. The literary structure emphasizes contrast—together with the immediate conflict with Amalek, we witness the LORD’s claim over Israel’s life and destiny, and Samuel’s prophetic authority as a counterpoint to royal power. The episode foreshadows the deeper critique that will come through Samuel’s later interactions and, eventually, the rise of David as the king after God’s own heart.

Key Themes

- Obedience over sacrifice: God prioritizes faithful obedience to His explicit command over ritual offerings.

- True kingship and accountability: Saul’s failure reveals that leadership under God requires listening to divine instruction, not interpreting it through personal or political motives.

- Divine judgment and mercy: God’s decision to revoke Saul’s dynasty demonstrates the seriousness with which God regards covenant loyalty.

- The danger of rationalization: Saul’s excuses show how quickly obedience can be adulterated by self-serving interpretations.

- The formation of a future king: the text sets the stage for David by contrasting Saul’s partial obedience with the expectation of a heart aligned to God.

Modern Application

This chapter speaks to contemporary life in several practical ways. First, it warns against spiritual busyness without true obedience. We can perform religious rituals, attend church, or lead programs while allowing personal preferences, comfort, or fear to redefine what God has commanded. The call to fully follow God’s explicit instructions—whether in moral decisions, leadership, or conflict resolution—remains urgent. Second, it challenges the often-used rationale of “smarter” administration: does success in outward measure (military victory, public approval) justify compromising core commitments? True leadership—whether in family, church, or nation—requires aligning actions with God’s will, even when it costs us something. Third, the chapter invites reflection on repentance and humility before God. When we fail, God invites honest confession and corrective steps rather than excuses. Lastly, it foregrounds the longing for a leader who embodies faithful obedience; the narrative anticipates the Davidic ideal and the ultimate king, Jesus, who fulfills God’s commands perfectly.

Cross-References: 1 Samuel 13 (Saul’s partial obedience), 1 Samuel 16 (God’s choosing of David), Deuteronomy 7:2-5 (command to destroy nations), 1 Samuel 15:22-23 (obedience vs. sacrifice), Hebrews 10:36-39 (perseverance in obedience).

Recommended Personas: Samuel’s prophetic voice for clarity and accountability; Moses for reminders about obedience and the danger of compromise; Jesus as the fuller fulfillment of faithful obedience to God’s will.

Chapter Text

1

Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.

2

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.

3

Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

4

And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.

5

And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

6

And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

7

And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.

8

And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

9

But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

10

Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,

11

It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.

12

And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.

13

And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.

14

And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

15

And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

16

Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.

17

And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?

18

And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.

19

Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

20

And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

21

But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

22

And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

23

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

24

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.

25

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

26

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.

27

And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.

28

And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.

29

And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.

30

Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.

31

So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.

32

Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.

33

And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

34

Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.

35

And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

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