One day Samuel went to Saul with instructions
from God. “The Amalekites attacked my people
when I brought them out of Egypt. Therefore, go
to battle with them and destroy everything. Kill all
the people and all of their livestock. Don’t leave
anything alive.”
So Saul took his army and attacked the
Amalekites. He defeated them, but didn’t kill
everything. Saul’s men kept the best of the
livestock for themselves. They also captured king
Agag and didn’t kill him.
The Lord said to Samuel, “I regret that I made
Saul king over Israel. He doesn’t follow me and
he doesn’t do as I say.”
Samuel grieved in his spirit, and prayed all
night. The next morning, he went and found Saul.
As the prophet walked up, the king said, “The Lord
bless you. I’ve done what God asked me to do.”
Samuel looked at him. “Then why do I hear
the sounds of sheep and cattle?”
“Oh, the men saved the best livestock so
we could sacrifice them to the Lord. But we
destroyed the rest.”
Samuel said, “Stop talking! I’ll tell you what
God thinks of what you’ve done. When you
were humble, God made you the leader over his
people. He then gave you a job to do. He said,
‘Go kill this extremely sinful people. Don’t let any
person or animal live.’ Why did you make him
angry by not doing what he said?”
Saul said, “I did obey him. I killed everyone
except Agag, their king. And then I killed all the
animals except these few. We kept the best for
a sacrifice.”
Samuel said, “Do you think the Lord wants
sacrifice more than obedience? No! To obey is
better than a sacrifice. Rebellion is like the sin of
witchcraft. Stubbornness is as bad as worshiping
idols. You rejected God’s command. Therefore,
he’s rejected you as king over Israel.”
Saul said, “I’ve sinned! I can now see clearly
that I ignored the Lord’s command, and didn’t
listen to you. I was afraid of the people, and
obeyed them rather than God. Please forgive my
sin. Come. Let’s worship the Lord together.”
Samuel turned away, “No, I won’t go with
you. You rejected the Lord. Now he’s rejecting
you as king.”
Saul grabbed Samuel’s robe and it tore as he
turned away. Samuel stopped and looked at the
rip. He said, “The Lord has ripped the kingdom of
Israel away from you today. He’s given it to your
neighbor, who’s better than you. God isn’t like
men. He won’t change his mind.”
Saul yelled, “I’ve sinned! All I ask is that you
honor me in front of the people. Come, worship
with me.”
So Samuel went with him and allowed him
to bow down before the Lord. The prophet then
said, “Bring me Agag, king of the Amalekites.”
Agag came before Samuel, not knowing
what to expect. Samuel took a sword and said,
“You’ve made many women childless. Now your
mother will be childless.” The prophet then killed
Agag and cut him into pieces.
Then Samuel returned to his home. He never
again visited Saul as long as he lived. Still, he
grieved over him constantly.


© God Child