THE REJECTION OF SAUL God commanded Samuel to tell Saul to fight Amalek, as God had granted him victory over them; yet he was to be committed to utterly destroy all that they had, and not to spare any man or beast.... But Saul did not abide to that commitment; he did not kill ‘Agag’ the king of Amalek, but took him alive, and spared the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, and the lambs except for every thing despised and worthless which he utterly destroyed, presenting human excuses for his rebellion. The divine decree came to reject Saul, and to take away the kingdom from him, for which Samuel grieved. 1- A divine command to fight against Amalek 1 – 5. 2- Saul’s conquest and rebellion 6 – 9. 3- Samuel reproaches Saul 10 – 23. 4- Samuel returns with Saul 24 – 31. 5- Samuel isolates himself from Saul 32 – 35. 1- A DIVINE COMMAND TO FIGHT AGAINST AMALEK Many years have passed between the events of the previous chapter, and those of the present one. After having only 600 men under his command, Saul has now a great army under the leadership of his uncle ‘Abner the son of Ner,’ of 200,000 men from Israel, and 10,000 from Judah. He enjoyed successive conquests over Moab, Ammon in the east, Edom in the south, and the kings of Zobah in the north, etc. During that period, it seems that Saul’s behavior was tainted with rebellion and deviation from God’s commandments, for which the prophet Samuel, as a man of God, who anointed Saul kept on warning him; and now, he is offering him a last chance: to grant him victory over Amalek, but he has to kill both man and beast. Samuel said to Saul: “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord” (1 Samuel 15: 1). It is as though Samuel is reconfirming to Saul that he was the one who anointed him a king by a divine command; therefore he ought to listen to his counsel, heed the voice of the words of the Lord, and not to live in rebellion. That was actually an ultimatum to Saul. He instructed Saul to fight against Amalek, and to destroy every thing he had as the conquest he got was not his own, but was gift from God, previously proclaimed by Him 400 years ago. “The Lord has sworn: The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17: 8 - 16). God never forgets His promises, but realizes them in due time. God granted Saul that conquest, yet commanded him to destroy every thing Amalek had... That condition may seem a kind of harsh on man, and a waste of resources; Yet Amalek was utterly corrupted: a congregation of savage thieves, who used to commit horrible crimes, and to practice abominations. Man often wonders: why did God allow the destruction of heathens in the Old Testament, and sometimes, even of animals? It was something that surely troubled many people! Yet if they come to comprehend the concept of the eternal glory, and the inheritance set by God for His believers beside comprehending the extent of the horror of sin, they would better grieve over the behavior of humanity, and its rush toward abominations, that brings them up to eternal perdition. When all men eventually die, and the whole world disintegrates, then we shall realize that the death of the flesh and destruction of possessions and resources, are just trivialities of no value, compared to the eternity of man and his enjoyment of heavenly glories. 2 Saul heeded the counsel of the prophet Samuel, gathered the people together and numbered them in ‘Talaim’ - probably means ‘Telem,’ that was mentioned in the Book of Joshua 15: 24, south of Judah. ‘Talaim’ means (little lambs)1. 2- SAUL’S VICTORY, AND HIS REBELLION Saul entered a serious test as a last chance to assess his situation in the hope that he would turn from the deviation of his heart, and unconditionally obey the Lord. Saul demanded from the ‘Kenites’ - a peaceful Midianite people - to depart, and get down from among the Amalekites, lest they would be destroyed together with them. The Kenites had done a favor to Israel (Exodus 18; Numbers 10: 29 - 32), accompanying them to Jericho (Judges 1: 16); then dwelt in the land of the Amalekites south of Judah. Of the Kenites are Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law (Judges 1: 16), ‘Jael,’ who killed ‘Sisera’ (Judges 4: 17); and the ‘Rechabites,’ commended by the Lord (1 Chronicles 2: 55; Jeremiah 35: 6 - 10). As the word ‘Kenites’ means (Ironsmiths); so some believe them to be a congregation of nomadic ironsmiths in the region of minerals in the valley of ‘Araba’2. After the departure of the Kenites, Saul attacked the Amalekites from ‘Havilah’ all the way to ‘Shur,’ which is east of Egypt (1 Samuel 15: 7). ‘Havilah’ is a Semite name that means (sandy). We should distinguish between ‘Havilah,’ embraced by the River ‘Pishon,’ going out of Eden, a region rich in gold, aromatic resin, and precious stones (Genesis 2: 11, 12) - that is east of the land of the Amalekites, and ‘Havilah,’ that is north of ‘Sheba’ in Arabia (Genesis 10: 29; 25: 18) 3. Sheba’. ‘Shur’ means (wall) or (castle), south of Palestine; particularly south of ‘Beer Lahai Roi’ (Genesis 16: 7; 25: 18); through which the children of Israel marched three days after crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 15: 22); sometimes called the ‘Desert of Etham’ (Numbers 33: 8), facing Egypt eastward; It is called ‘Shur,’ as it represents a strong wall around the roads coming out of the north west of Egypt, protecting Egypt against the attacks that may come from the east4. Saul conquered Amalek, yet he came back defeated by his ‘ego,’ having not heeded the voice of the Lord. He killed everyone of the enemy, but spared ‘Agag’ [probably a title of the kings of Amalek, like ‘Pharaoh’ was for the kings of Egypt]; destroyed the worthless sheep, but kept the best of them. He might have spared Agag to satisfy his own arrogance, or he had compassion on him for being a king, albeit a king on a congregation of thieves; whose sword has made women childless (1 Samuel 15: 33). He spared the best of sheep, on pretense of offering sacrifices to the Lord, when his real motive was his personal benefit. 3- SAMUEL REPROACHES SAUL The Lord revealed to Samuel why He rejected Saul saying: “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following me, and has not performed My commandments”(1 Samuel 15: 11). It grieved Samuel to see Saul failing to benefit from the divine opportunity that was offered to him. Deciding to reproach him, “He cried out to the Lord all night” (1 Samuel 15: 11). How pure was Samuel’s heart, spending the whole night praying, so as not to reproach Saul of his own accord; He was grieved and mourned for him, until the 1 Unger's Bible., 1966, p. 1074. 2 Ibid 627. 3 Ibid 459. 4 Ibid 1022. 3 Lord said to him: “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel?” (1 Samuel 16: 1) Samuel was prominent as a living example of the spiritual leader; We see him firm, yet compassionate. In his firmness he could not bear to see Saul’s persistence on breaking the divine commandment; he was grieved (1 Samuel 15: 11), and addressed Saul very frankly; and in his compassion, he cried out to the Lord all night, praying and mourning over the fallen king. The Church is in need of such firmness, together with compassion, in the life of a spiritual shepherd! Slothfulness with sinners is not a virtue, but weakness; It is not love nor meekness, but negligence; It is actually a crime against those souls, leading to their perdition, without an effort to draw their attention to their serious destiny. St. Augustine1 There should be real sound measures for our words and preaching, so as not to sound too lenient, nor too harsh. St. Ambrose2 Who tends to a flock of sheep should neither be a lion nor a goat. St. John Climacus3 As to love, compassion, and continuous prayers for the sake of those ministered, it is said: There is nothing more beloved to me than you not even light! Your salvation is very dear to me much more than light itself! If possible, we would open up our hearts for you, to look and see how they are spacious enough to accommodate all of you: men, women, and children; So is the power of love, making the soul more spacious than heaven itself. St. John Chrysostom4 Whereas Samuel had been a true leader, who worked with God’s Spirit, Saul on the contrary, was not fit for leadership, as he cared only for himself; He went to the Carmel and set up a monument for his victory over Amalek (1 Samuel 15: 12); and when Samuel came to him early in the morning, he, intending to commend himself in an indirect way, said to him:“Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord” (1 Samuel 15: 13). He covered his rebellion with sweet words, that did not deceive the prophet Samuel, to whom the Lord had revealed every thing. In Gilgal, the people enthroned Saul a king before the Lord (1 Samuel 11: 14); In the same city, Samuel rebuked him for his rebellion and warned him (1 Samuel 12: 14); and in it also, came the last reproach, and the proclamation of taking away the kingdom from him and his offspring. Samuel asked him: “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” (1 Samuel 15: 14). To that Saul offered as an excuse for his rebellion: “For the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord (your) God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed” (1 Samuel 15: 15). Instead of admitting his transgression, he . 1 الحب الرعوي، ص 607 2 المرجع السابق. 3 المرجع السابق. 4 In Acts hom. 3, 44. 4 put the blame on the people: that they were the party responsible for sparing the best of the sheep. How easy it is for man to put the blame on others; as did Aaron when he made the golden calf (Exodus 32: 21 - 24); and Pilate as he justified his trial of the Lord Christ; Actually, as Aaron’ s heart went astray, and Pilate feared for his post, so also Saul loved the spoil. Saul repeatedly accused the people for rebellion, but gave them an excuse, and described himself as obedient to the Lord. While saying “the people took the plunder....” (1 Samuel 15: 21), he adds, “and the rest we have utterly destroyed” (1 Samuel 15: 15); counting himself among those who obeyed the divine commandment (We have utterly destroyed). And more clearly, he says:“But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites; But the people took of the plunder” (1 Samuel 15: 20, 21) Look at the way he spoke to the prophet Samuel, justifying the sparing of the best of the sheep and oxen: “to sacrifice to the Lord your God” (1 Samuel 15: 15). He did not say: “to the Lord (our) God,” but said: “to the Lord (your) God”; as though he says, what we spared was not for ourselves, but for the Lord (your) God! Saul gave an excuse for the people’s rebellion: “to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal”, to which Samuel responded: “Has 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 heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Samuel 15: 22, 23) God prefers obedience and compassion to sacrifices and burnt offerings; The psalm says “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened; Burnt offering and sin offering, You did not require” (Psalm 40: 6). On this, St. Irenaeus comments: [So (David) teaches them, that God asks for obedience that provides them with security, rather than sacrifices and burnt offerings that do not bring them up to justification1]. We can say that the cause of Saul’s perdition, is his losing of the spirit of discernment; he rushed to darkness, offering several excuses for his erroneous actions. That is why father Moses in his debate with St. John Cassian, concentrates on discernment as a way to the kingdom of God. Among his words: [No body can doubt, that when ‘judging things’ in the heart is erroneous, namely, when the heart is filled with ignorance, our thoughts and actions - which are fruits of discernment and meditation - are in the darkness of the great sin... The one who was, in God’s sight, worthy of becoming a king over His people, fell from his kingdom, because of his lack of ‘the eye of discernment’ (Matthew 6: 22, 23), that caused his body to become full of darkness.... He assumed that his burnt offerings were accepted by the Lord, more so than his obedience to the words of Samuel; thinking that by that he would get the favor of the divine greatness2]. 4- SAMUEL RETURNS WITH SAUL Although Saul said : “I have sinned” (1 Samuel 15: 24),, at the same time he cast the blame on the people, saying: “because I feared the people and obeyed their voice”. His repentance was not genuine, as he did not say that, out of fear of God, but to find favor in Samuel’s eyes, to return with him, to honor him before the elders of his people; saying: “I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people, 1 Ad Haer. 4: 17:1. 2 St. Cassian: Conf. 2:2, 3. 5 and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God” (1 Samuel 15: 30). In haughtiness, he refers the people to him: “my people,” and not to the Lord. 5- SAMUEL ISOLATES HIMSELF FROM SAUL Samuel asked them to bring him Agag, king of Amalek; and as Samuel was known for his gentle nature, Agag came to him rejoicing, saying: “Surely the bitterness of death is past” (1 Samuel 15: 32); to which Samuel responded: “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women” (1 Samuel 15: 33). Agag represents the voracious sin, whose victims are all strong; that is why his execution refers to uprooting every sin and corruption; and every slothfulness with him carries a symbol of slothfulness with sin itself. That is what the apostolic law makes clear, as it seeks from the priest two things: a- Not to disregard sin, nor to be slothful with the sinner; as Saul did with Agag, and Eli the high priest with his two sons (1 Samuel 2). b- Not to interfere in what does not concern us, particularly in things related to Clergy and the sanctities; as ‘Uzza’ did with the ark of God (2 Samuel 6). The chapter ends by saying: “The Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel”(1 Samuel 5: 35) The Book mentions ‘regret’ to God; not that God changed His mind, but to speak to us by the language we understand... With his rebellion against the Lord, Saul fell under the divine justice, became rejected and was deprived of the gift that God granted him. St. Gregory of Nyssa says: [The Holy Book often attributes to God things that are fitting to our minds, to understand1]. Changes happen from our side, and not from that of God - the unchangeable. God in His love wishes all to be saved; But if man persists on evil and does not repent, he would lose the promise of God who wants his salvation. Thus, God longed to grant success to Saul, yet Saul persisted on rejecting God’s love, and took himself away from the circle of divine mercy; he persisted on rebellion, to lose the divine promise; God appeared, as though to have regretted His promise to Saul; as He would never realize it to him compulsively. 1 Answer to Eunomius' second book. N.P. Frs, series 2, vol 5, p 293.
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