1 Samuel 15:10-16
10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying,
11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was furious and cried out to the Lord all night.
12 Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was reported to Samuel, saying, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal.”
13 So Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the bellowing of the oxen which I hear?”
15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God; but the rest we have completely destroyed.”
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop, and let me inform you of what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”
The Word of the Lord to Samuel
The Lord’s regret
God, unlike humans, does not experience regret. Yet, in today’s passage, it is written, “I regret that I have made Saul king.” What is happening here? (1) Here, God is using human expressions to convey His thoughts to Samuel. Therefore, the word “regret” must be interpreted not from a human perspective, but from God’s perspective. (2) God changed His stance towards Saul. Saul had been given a conditional promise, but since he broke the promise, it was nullified. That is the meaning of “regret” in this context. (3) Saul turned his back on God and did not keep His word. That was Saul’s problem. As a result, it was decisively determined that he would be removed from the kingship.
Samuel and Saul
Before meeting Saul, Samuel received a word from the Lord and learned that Saul had not obeyed the command. (1) Samuel was angry and cried out to the Lord all night. (2) Samuel had deeply desired for Saul to be successful as a king. That’s why he offered intercessory prayers for Saul throughout the night, even though he knew it was futile. In contrast, Saul behaved quite frivolously. (1) He erected a monument in his own honor in Carmel to celebrate his victory. (2) When Samuel met him, Saul claimed, “I have carried out the command of the Lord.” (3) However, when asked why the sounds of sheep and cattle, which should have been destroyed, were heard, Saul shifted the blame to the people. (4) Furthermore, Saul made excuses that the best of the livestock was spared to offer as sacrifices to the Lord. Offering things devoted for destruction as sacrifices to the Lord is a blasphemy. (5) The real motive was greed, wanting to take the best for himself. When sinners perish, the righteous mourn. More than that, God Himself grieves. Let’s remember the scripture, “‘For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,’ declares the Lord God. ‘Therefore, repent and live!’” (Ezek. 18:32). We must not perish but become those who repent and live.
Today's prayer
Graceful God, please give me a heart, not like Saul’s, but like Samuel’s. Make me one who intercedes for those who are perishing. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.