(15:2-3)  God Commands Destruction - Why did God command such utter destruction? The Amalekites were a band of guerrilla terrorists. They lived by attacking other nations and carrying off their wealth and their families. They had been the first to attack the Israelites as they had entered the Promised Land (Exodus 17:8-16; Deuteronomy 25:17-18), and they continued to raid Israelite camps at every opportunity. God knew that the Israelites could never live peacefully in the Promised Land as long as the Amalekites existed. He also knew that their corrupt, idolatrous religious practices threatened Israel's relationship with him. The only way to protect the Israelites bodies and souls was to utterly destroy the people of this warlike nation and all their possessions, including their idols.

(15:9) Saul Fails to Follow God's Commands - Saul and his men did not destroy all the plunder from the battle as God had commanded them to do (15:3). The law of devoting something setting it aside- entirely for destruction was well known to the Israelites. Anything under God's ban was to be completely destroyed (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). This was set up in order to prevent idolatry from taking hold in Israel because many of the valuables were idols. To break this law was punishable by death (Joshua 7). It showed disrespect and disregard for God because it directly violated one of his commands. When we gloss over sin in order to protect what we have or for material gain, we aren't being shrewd; we are disobeying God. Selective obedience is just another form of disobedience.

(15:11) God Expresses Sorrow Over Saul - When God said he repented of making Saul king, was he saying he had made a mistake? God's comment was an expression of sorrow, not an admission of error (see also Genesis 6:5-7). An omniscient God cannot make a mistake ( Samuel15:29); therefore, God did not change his mind. He did, however, change his way of relating to Saul when Saul changed. Saul's heart no longer belonged to God but to his own interests.

(15:12) Saul Builds a Monument to Himself - Saul built a monument in honor of himself. What a contrast to Moses and Joshua, who gave all the credit to God. Awards and accolades feel good, but we must maintain an honest estimate of ourselves. We can be thankful for what we accomplish, but we must also recognize God's role in helping us.

(15:13-14) Saul Believes His Own Lies - Saul thought he had won a great victory over the Amalekites, but God saw it as a great failure because Saul had disobeyed him and then lied to Samuel about the results of the battle. Saul may have thought his lie wouldn't be detected or that what he did was not wrong, but Saul was deceiving himself. Dishonest people soon begin to believe the lies they construct around themselves. Then they lose the ability to tell the difference between truth and lies. By believing your own lies, you deceive yourself, you will alienate yourself from God, and you will lose credibility in all your relationships. In the long run, honesty wins out, even when it is inconvenient or unflattering.

(15:15) Saul Keeps Some Spoils - Saul disobeyed God and kept part of the spoils, including the choicest livestock. When Samuel arrived, he could see and hear the evidence of Saul's wrong actions. When confronted, Saul claimed that the spoils they kept were going to be sacrificed to God. That is like saying, "But I only stole the money so I could put it in the offering plate!" Obeying God is always better than disobeying him, even when you do a supposedly noble deed.

(15:22-23) Obedience is Better than Sacrifice - This is the first of numerous places in the Bible where the theme "to obey is better than sacrifice" is stated (Psalms 40:6-8; 51:16-17; Proverbs 21:3; Isaiah 1:11-17; Jeremiah 7:21-23: Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 12:7; Mark 12:33; Hebrews 10:8-9). Was Samuel saying that sacrifice is unimportant? No, he was urging Saul to look at his reasons for making the sacrifice rather than at the sacrifice itself. A sacrifice was a ritual transaction between a person and God that physically demonstrated a relationship between them. But if the person's heart was not truly repentant or if he or she did not truly love God, the sacrifice was a hollow ritual. Religious ceremonies or rituals are empty unless they are performed with an attitude of love and obedience. "Being religious" (going to church, serving on a committee, giving to charity) is not enough if we do not act out of devotion and obedience to God.

(15:23) Rebellion and Stubborness - Rebellion and stubbornness are serious sins. They involve far more than being independent and strong-willed. Scripture equates them with witchcraft and idolatry, sins worthy of death (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 20:6; Deuteronomy 13:12-15; 18:10-12; Micah 5:10-14). Saul became both rebellious and stubborn, so it is little wonder that God finally rejected him and took away his kingdom. Rebellion against God is perhaps the most serious sin of all, because as long as a person rebels, he or she closes the door to forgiveness and restoration with God. 15:26 Saul's excuses had come to an end, and the time of reckoning had come. God wasn't rejecting Saul as a person--the king could still have sought forgiveness and restored his relationship with God. But it was too late to get his kingdom back. If you do not act responsibly with what God has entrusted to you, eventually you will run out of chances to keep it. All of us must one day give an account for our actions (Romans 14:12; Revelation 22:12). At the same time, when we follow God, we may lose our reputations, possessions, or careers, but those are nothing compared to the eternal life we gain.

(15:30) Saul's Prideful Opinions - Saul was more concerned about what others would think of him than he was about the status of his relationship with God (15:24). He begged Samuel to go with him to worship as a public demonstration that Samuel still supported him. If Samuel had refused, the people probably would have lost all confidence in Saul.