The Disobedience Of Saul
Have you ever thought what happens when we don’t obey the Lord? Sometimes the consequences are much greater than we might have originally thought.
All of the Bible is given for us to learn from - from its good examples and bad, its promises and warnings.
Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
I love how one preacher broke down the following passage:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Doctrine - what is right.
Reproof - what is not right (or, showing what is wrong).
Correction - how to make it right.
Instruction in righteousness - how to keep it right.
The negative example I want to look at today is that of Haman in the book of Esther. In the Old Testament, during the time of Queen Esther, he became one of Israel’s most notorious enemies. He rose up in prominence and was given power to do great harm to the exiled Jews by the Persian King Ahasuerus. (Note: This study will only be looking at highlights from that book of the Bible. Please take the time to reread this book if it is unfamiliar to you or you have forgotten its main themes.)
Esther 3:1-2 After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.
Esther 3:5-6 And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.
Esther 3:10-11 And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy. And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee.
Haman was the first person in Israel’s history to attempt to wipe out that nation completely. Out of his jealousy and rage towards Mordecai for not exalting and honouring him, he set out to destroy the Israelites, and he in fact got authority from the Persian king to kill all the Jews on a certain date.
Esther 3:13-14 And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day.
Haman’s evil plot was now set in motion, but it was also the appointed time for the Lord to bring a deliver forth and to protect His chosen people.
Esther 4:7-8 And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them. Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people.
Mordecai then petitioned Esther to act on behalf of her people, to do what she could to foil this dastardly plot of Haman’s, even if it was at the cost of her own life.
Esther 4:13-14 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
The next two verses are very interesting:
Esther 8:3 And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
Esther 9:24 Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;
Haman was an Amalekite; specifically an Agagite. You might be wondering why the name Agagite seems familiar.
This is the entry on Haman from Easton's Bible Dictionary:
“He is called an ‘Agagite,’ which seems to denote that he was descended from the royal family of the Amalekites, the bitterest enemies of the Jews, as Agag was one of the titles of the Amalekite kings.”
During the time of the judges and Israel’s kingdom, the term Agag was the title used for the Amalekite kings - like Pharaoh, Emperor, Caesar, etc. Why is it significant that he was a descendant of Agag? Because the Israelites were at war with the Amalekites since the time of Moses and later king Saul was commanded to wipe them out completely.
Exodus 17:8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
Exodus 17:14-16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
1 Samuel 15:1-3 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
1 Samuel 15:7-9 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
1 Samuel 15:13-15 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
1 Samuel 15:20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
Obviously king Saul did not keep fighting the Amalekites. As the end of the book of 1 Samuel reveals, these people were still a threat to Israel during the final days of Saul’s reign. David and his mighty men were warring against the Amalekites and had to rescue their families from them when the Amalekite army took the city of Ziklag captive. Though Saul and his sons were killed by the Philistines a few days later, it was actually an Amalekite that bragged of killing him (pretty foolish, as his boasting resulted in king David killing him!).
If Saul and the Israelites would have done what he (and they) were originally commanded to do, they would not have had a prominent descendant of the Amalekite kings attempting to wipe out their whole nation approximately 600 or so years later!
God still worked on behalf of His people and did deliver them through the wisdom He gave queen Esther - but how much less grief and sorrow would they have had throughout a significant portion of their history if Saul had originally done what God had commanded him to do!
If there is something the Holy Spirit is prompting and convicting you to deal with in your own life, be submissive to His leading and take the needed steps to deal with that sin or compromise. Don’t deal with the sins in your life in a half-hearted way. Of course, our enemies are spiritual and not physical, but disobedience can affect us more than we might think. From Saul’s negative example, we can see that toying with sins may later take their toll on us. It’s better to deal with our Amalekite kings before they because Hamans that might destroy or devastate us down the road.
Let’s make sure we obey our Lord and defeat the Amalekites (and all the Canaanites) in our lives. (If you want to dig in a bit more into your Bible on this theme, this study might be worthwhile for you to read: Conquering The Canaanites In Your Life.)
September 24, 2023
Jerry Bouey
