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1 Samuel / Saul's Disobedience and Rejection as King
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Hannah's Prayer for a Son Hannah Presents Samuel to the Lord Hannah's Song of Praise Eli's Corrupt Sons and Samuel's Childhood Prophecy of Judgment on Eli's House Samuel's Call and the Lord's Word to Eli Israel Defeated and the Ark Captured Eli's Death and the Birth of Ichabod The Ark Brings Judgment in Philistine Cities The Ark Returned to Israel Samuel Judges Israel and Delivers Them at Mizpah Israel Demands a King Saul Chosen and Given Signs Saul Proclaimed King by Lot Saul's Victory at Jabesh-Gilead Saul Confirmed as King at Gilgal Samuel's Farewell and Exhortation to Israel Saul's Unauthorized Sacrifice and Rebuke Philistine Pressure and Israel's Lack of Arms Jonathan's Bold Assault and Victory Saul's Rash Oath and Its Consequences Saul's Pursuit and Jonathan's Exploits Saul's Family and Mighty Men Saul's Disobedience and Rejection as King David Anointed by Samuel David Serves Saul and Eases His Torment David and Goliath David's Rise and Saul's Jealousy Saul's Attempts on David's Life and Jonathan's Intervention David and Jonathan's Covenant David at Nob: Bread and Goliath's Sword David Feigns Madness at Gath David Gathers Followers and Seeks Priestly Aid Massacre at Nob and Abiathar Joins David David Delivers Keilah and Inquires of God Saul's Pursuit, Ziphite Betrayal, and David's Escape David Spares Saul in a Cave Nabal's Folly and Abigail's Intervention David Again Spares Saul in His Camp David Seeks Refuge with Achish Saul and the Witch of Endor The Philistines Reject David David Recovers His Family and Defeats the Amalekites The Death of Saul and His Sons

Saul's Disobedience and Rejection as King

1 Samuel 15:1-35

15
Chapter 15
1 And Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you as king over his people, over Israel. And now obey the voice of the words of the LORD.” 2 Thus says the LORD of hosts: "I have visited what Amalek did to Israel, what he did to them on the way when they went up from Egypt." 3 Now go and strike Amalek and ban all that he has and do not spare over him; put to death from man to woman, from suckling infant to nursing infant, from ox to sheep, from camel to donkey. 4 And Saul heard the people and mustered them at Telaim: two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and he disputed in the wadi. 6 Saul said to the Kenite, "Go, depart, go down from the midst of the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. You have shown steadfast love to all the sons of Israel when they came up from Egypt." And the Kenite departed from the midst of Amalek. 7 And Saul struck down Amalek from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 And he seized Agag king of Amalek alive, and he devoted all the people to destruction by the mouth of the sword. 9 And Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the flock and the cattle and the seconds and the fatlings and all that was good, and they refused to devote them to destruction. And all the work that was despised and melted, they devoted to destruction. 10 And the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, 11 I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not upheld my words." And it burned Samuel up, and he cried out to the LORD all night. 12 And Shemuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, and one informed Shemuel, saying, "Saul has come to Carmel, and behold, he is setting up for himself a hand, and he turned and passed over and went down to the Gilgal." 13 And Shemuel came to Saul and said to him, “Saul, you are blessed by the LORD; I have fulfilled the word of the LORD.” 14 Samuel said, "What is the voice of this flock in my ears, and the voice of the cattle that I hear?" 15 And he said, "The Amalekites brought them, which the people spared because of the best of the sheep and the cattle, in order to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed." 16 Samuel said to Saul, "Stop! I will tell you what the LORD spoke to me tonight." And Saul said to him, "Speak." 17 And Samuel said, "Is it not true that though you are small in your own eyes, you are head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed you king over Israel." 18 And the LORD sent you on the way and said to you, "You shall devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and you shall fight against them until they are destroyed." 19 And why did you not hear the voice of the LORD, but you rushed toward the spoil and did the evil in the eyes of the LORD? 20 And Saul said to Samuel, "I have obeyed the voice of the LORD and have gone in the way which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag king of Amalek, and I have devoted Amalek to destruction." 21 The people took sheep and cattle from the spoil, the firstfruits of the herem, to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal. 22 And Samuel said, "Does the LORD desire burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, obeying is better than sacrifice, to hearken than the fat of rams." 23 For the sin of divination is rebellion and iniquity and teraphim; stubbornness is as the sin of divination and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you from being king. 24 And Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the mouth of the LORD and your word, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice." 25 And now please bear my sin offering and return with me, and I will prostrate myself before the LORD. 26 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." 27 And Shemuel turned to go, and Saul grasped the corner of his priestly robe/ephod, and it tore. 28 And Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.” 29 And also the Eternity of Israel will not lie and will not relent, for he is not a human to relent. 30 And he said, "I have sinned. Now honor me, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with my people, and I will prostrate myself before the LORD your God." 31 And Shemuel returned after Saul, and Saul prostrated himself to the LORD. 32 And Shemuel said, "Bring Agag king of Amalek near to me." And Agag went to him delighting. And Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death has turned aside." 33 And Samuel said, "Just as your sword has bereaved women, so your mother will be bereaved of women." And Samuel hewed Agag before the LORD at Gilgal. 34 And Shemuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. 35 And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, for Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.