God”. The LORD was not Saul’s God. Saul was Saul’s God. The LORD was the God of Samuel, not Saul. In his pride, Saul has removed the LORD God from the throne of his heart.
what was God’s summary of Saul’s life? God only needs one word—rejected. Saul rejected God by disregarding His Word in pursuit of his own will, so God rejected him. Beware – religion is the pursuit of the will of men.
“O sinners, you do miscalculate fearfully when you give to God’s servants such false explanations of your sins!”
“The Hebrew word that the Holy Spirit chose to describe Saul’s treatment of God is the Hebrew word mawas. This word is used 76 times in the Old Testament and most often translated: despise (25 times), refuse (9 times), reject (19 times), abhor (4 times), become loathsome (1 time), and melt away. None of these are good!
Saul continues, “The rest we have utterly destroyed”. As it turned out, this was not even true. Saul, in fact, did not even do what he said he did. There were still Amalekites he left alive. David later had to deal with the Amalekites.11 Haman, the evil man who tried to wipe out all the Jewish people in the days of Esther, was in fact a descendant of the Amalakite king, Agag!12 Most ironic of all, when Saul was killed on the field of battle, the final thrust of the sword was from the hand of an Amalekite!13
In context when ever this word is used about someone’s response to God-- it is always bad. This is the word (despised) that described Israel’s murmuring in the wilderness just before He sent the plague to kill many of them; this is the word that described Job’s boils and sores (loathsome); and this is the word that is used by God for Israel’s attitude they (despised) the worship of God the basis for His allowing Israel to be destroyed by her enemies and carried off into captivity.”
When we don’t obey God completely, the “left over” portion will surely come back and trouble us, if not kill us!”14 “So 11
1 Samuel 27:8, 30:1, 2 Samuel 8:12. Esther 3:1 13 2 Samuel 1:8-10 14 I Samuel 15. God Rejects Saul as King. ©2001. David Guzik. 12
GIVE US A KING
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BERNIE L. WADE