1 Samuel 15 Study Notes: Saul Rejected as King
Saul is sent to destroy the Amalekites but spares King Agag and the choicest animals. Samuel confronts him, teaching that the LORD values obeying Him above offerings and announcing that God has rejected Saul as king. Samuel puts Agag to death and returns to Ramah, never going to see Saul again, though he mourns him.
General
When Agag was brought before him, what did Samuel say about Agag’s sword?
Answer: His mother would lose her son as others had to his sword
Agag came to Samuel confident that the danger of death was over (15:32). But Samuel said that just as Agag’s sword had robbed mothers of their children, so his own mother would be robbed of hers, and Samuel put him to death at Gilgal in the LORD’s presence (15:33). Samuel carried out the judgment Saul had failed to complete, and his words show it as just repayment for Agag’s own violence (Obadiah 1:15; Galatians 6:7). Samuel then went home to Ramah and never visited Saul again for the rest of his life, though he mourned for him (15:34-35).
- 1 Samuel 15:32 (BSB)“Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.” Agag came to him cheerfully, for he thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.””Agag is brought to Samuel, thinking he has escaped death.
- 1 Samuel 15:35 (BSB)“And to the day of his death, Samuel never again visited Saul. Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.”Samuel never visits Saul again, but mourns for him.
- Obadiah 1:15 (BSB)“For the Day of the LORD is near for all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your recompense will return upon your own head.”God’s justice repays people according to what they have done.
- Galatians 6:7 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.”What a man sows, he reaps.
Theological
What sentence did Samuel pronounce on Agag?
Answer: His mother would lose her son as others had to his sword
Agag approaches believing the threat of death has passed (15:32), but Samuel pronounces a sentence of exact retribution: as Agag’s sword bereaved women of children, so his mother will be bereaved, and Samuel executes him at Gilgal in the LORD’s presence (15:33). Samuel completes the judgment Saul left undone, framed as just recompense (Obadiah 1:15; Galatians 6:7). Samuel then withdraws to Ramah, never again visits Saul, and mourns for him (15:34-35).
- 1 Samuel 15:32 (BSB)“Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.” Agag came to him cheerfully, for he thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.””Agag is brought to Samuel, thinking he has escaped death.
- 1 Samuel 15:35 (BSB)“And to the day of his death, Samuel never again visited Saul. Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.”Samuel never visits Saul again, but mourns for him.
- Obadiah 1:15 (BSB)“For the Day of the LORD is near for all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your recompense will return upon your own head.”God’s justice repays people according to what they have done.
- Galatians 6:7 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.”What a man sows, he reaps.
General
What reason does the LORD give for sending Saul against the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:2)?
Answer: Amalek had opposed Israel after it left Egypt
Samuel reminds Saul that the LORD had anointed him and tells him to listen to God’s words (15:1). The LORD says He saw what Amalek did when it opposed Israel on its journey from Egypt (15:2). Amalek had attacked Israel in the wilderness, picking off the tired and weary at the rear without any reverence for God, and God had then declared that He would blot out Amalek’s memory (Exodus 17:14; Deuteronomy 25:17-19). Now He commands Saul to devote Amalek to destruction, meaning to give it over completely to the LORD by destroying it, people and animals alike, sparing nothing (15:3). This is a hard command. The text presents it as a specific judgment of God, announced generations earlier and given at His direct word through His prophet. It was not a pattern for anyone to follow on their own authority.
- 1 Samuel 15:2 (BSB)“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘I witnessed what the Amalekites did to the Israelites when they opposed them on their way up from Egypt.”The LORD gives the reason for His judgment on Amalek.
- 1 Samuel 15:3 (BSB)“Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’””The command to devote Amalek wholly to destruction.
- Exodus 17:14 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua, because I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.””After Amalek’s attack in the wilderness, the LORD declared He would blot out its memory.
- Deuteronomy 25:17-19 (BSB)“Remember what the Amalekites did to you along your way from Egypt, how they met you on your journey when you were tired and weary, and they attacked all your stragglers; they had no fear of God. When the LORD your God gives you rest from the enemies around you in the land that He is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you are to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!”Moses described Amalek’s attack on Israel’s weary stragglers and repeated God’s sentence.
Theological
On what basis does the LORD send Saul to execute judgment on Amalek (1 Samuel 15:2)?
Answer: Amalek had opposed Israel after it left Egypt
The command rests on Amalek’s opposition to Israel as it came up from Egypt (15:2). Amalek had attacked the weary stragglers in the wilderness without fear of God, and the LORD had then decreed the blotting out of Amalek’s memory (Exodus 17:14; Deuteronomy 25:17-19). Saul is now ordered to place Amalek under the ban, devoting people and livestock entirely to destruction (15:3). The text presents this as a particular judicial act of God, long announced and commanded by direct prophetic word; it confers no warrant on later people to act likewise.
- 1 Samuel 15:2 (BSB)“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘I witnessed what the Amalekites did to the Israelites when they opposed them on their way up from Egypt.”The LORD gives the reason for His judgment on Amalek.
- 1 Samuel 15:3 (BSB)“Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’””The command to devote Amalek wholly to destruction.
- Exodus 17:14 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua, because I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.””After Amalek’s attack in the wilderness, the LORD declared He would blot out its memory.
- Deuteronomy 25:17-19 (BSB)“Remember what the Amalekites did to you along your way from Egypt, how they met you on your journey when you were tired and weary, and they attacked all your stragglers; they had no fear of God. When the LORD your God gives you rest from the enemies around you in the land that He is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you are to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!”Moses described Amalek’s attack on Israel’s weary stragglers and repeated God’s sentence.
General
Why did Saul warn the Kenites to separate from Amalek before the attack?
Answer: They had been kind to Israel after Egypt
Before attacking, Saul told the Kenites to leave the Amalekites, because they had been kind to Israel at the time of the exodus; otherwise they would be swept away too, and the Kenites left (15:6). The Kenites were relatives of Moses by marriage who moved with Judah’s people to settle in the land (Judges 1:16). Moses had invited Hobab to travel with Israel and promised to treat him well (Numbers 10:29), and Judges later calls the Kenites Hobab’s descendants (Judges 4:11). Their old kindness was remembered and repaid with mercy. God’s judgment fell on Amalek, not on everyone living nearby.
- 1 Samuel 15:6 (BSB)“And he warned the Kenites, “Since you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt, go on and get away from the Amalekites. Otherwise I will sweep you away with them.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.”Saul warns the Kenites to separate from Amalek because of their past kindness to Israel.
- Judges 1:16 (BSB)“Now the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms to the Wilderness of Judah in the Negev near Arad. They went to live among the people.”The descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up with the men of Judah and settled in the Wilderness of Judah.
- Numbers 10:29 (BSB)“Then Moses said to Hobab, the son of Moses’ father-in-law Reuel the Midianite, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said: ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.””Moses invited Hobab, son of his father-in-law Reuel, to travel with Israel and promised to treat him well.
- Judges 4:11 (BSB)“Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent by the great tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh.”The Kenites are named as the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ relative by marriage.
Theological
On what ground did Saul spare the Kenites from the attack on Amalek?
Answer: They had been kind to Israel after Egypt
Saul warns the Kenites to separate themselves because of the kindness they showed Israel at the exodus, and they withdraw (15:6). As kin of Moses by marriage they went up with Judah to settle in the land (Judges 1:16); Moses had invited Hobab to journey with Israel and promised him good (Numbers 10:29), and the Kenites are later named as Hobab’s descendants (Judges 4:11). Their past loyalty is honored, and the judgment is directed at Amalek alone.
- 1 Samuel 15:6 (BSB)“And he warned the Kenites, “Since you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt, go on and get away from the Amalekites. Otherwise I will sweep you away with them.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.”Saul warns the Kenites to separate from Amalek because of their past kindness to Israel.
- Judges 1:16 (BSB)“Now the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms to the Wilderness of Judah in the Negev near Arad. They went to live among the people.”The descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up with the men of Judah and settled in the Wilderness of Judah.
- Numbers 10:29 (BSB)“Then Moses said to Hobab, the son of Moses’ father-in-law Reuel the Midianite, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said: ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.””Moses invited Hobab, son of his father-in-law Reuel, to travel with Israel and promised to treat him well.
- Judges 4:11 (BSB)“Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent by the great tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh.”The Kenites are named as the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ relative by marriage.
General
When Saul grabbed Samuel’s robe and tore it, what did Samuel declare?
Answer: The LORD had ripped the kingship from Saul that day
As Samuel began to leave, Saul seized the edge of his garment, ripping it (15:27). Samuel used the torn cloth as a picture of what God had done: the LORD had ripped Israel’s kingdom away from Saul that day and handed it to a neighbor of his who was better than he (15:28). Chapter 16 shows who this was, and later the same words name David outright (28:17). Paul summed up this history by saying that God removed Saul and made David king in his place (Acts 13:22).
- 1 Samuel 15:27-28 (BSB)“As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed the hem of his robe, and it tore. So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.”Saul grabs Samuel’s robe and tears it, and Samuel declares the kingdom torn from him.
- 1 Samuel 28:17 (BSB)“He has done exactly what He spoke through me: The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David.”Samuel’s words are later repeated, naming David as the neighbor who received the kingdom.
- Acts 13:22 (BSB)“After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.’”Paul recounts that God removed Saul and raised up David as king.
Theological
What did Samuel declare after his robe tore in Saul’s grasp?
Answer: The LORD had ripped the kingship from Saul that day
The torn robe becomes a sign-act: the LORD has ripped the kingdom from Saul that day and handed it to a neighbor better than he (15:27-28). The neighbor is anointed in chapter 16 and named as David in 28:17; Paul summarizes the transfer as God removing Saul and raising up David (Acts 13:22).
- 1 Samuel 15:27-28 (BSB)“As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed the hem of his robe, and it tore. So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.”Saul grabs Samuel’s robe and tears it, and Samuel declares the kingdom torn from him.
- 1 Samuel 28:17 (BSB)“He has done exactly what He spoke through me: The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David.”Samuel’s words are later repeated, naming David as the neighbor who received the kingdom.
- Acts 13:22 (BSB)“After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.’”Paul recounts that God removed Saul and raised up David as king.
General
What reason did the LORD give Samuel in His word about Saul (1 Samuel 15:11)?
Answer: Saul had turned from Him and ignored His commands
God spoke to Samuel: Saul had turned back from following Him and had not done what He commanded (15:10-11). Samuel was deeply troubled and called out to God the whole night. Samuel had warned at Saul’s coronation that all would be well only if the people and their king followed the LORD and obeyed Him (12:14-15). Saul had already been told once that his kingdom would not last because he had not kept God’s command (13:13-14). Now God names the same problem again: not following Him and not obeying.
- 1 Samuel 15:10-11 (BSB)“Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all that night.”The LORD speaks to Samuel about Saul, and Samuel cries out all night.
- 1 Samuel 12:14-15 (BSB)“If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and if you do not rebel against the command of the LORD, and if both you and the king who rules over you follow the LORD your God, then all will be well. But if you disobey the LORD and rebel against His command, then the hand of the LORD will be against you as it was against your fathers.”Samuel had warned that blessing for Israel and its king depended on following and obeying the LORD.
- 1 Samuel 13:13-14 (BSB)““You have acted foolishly,” Samuel declared. “You have not kept the command that the LORD your God gave you; if you had, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept the command of the LORD.””Saul had already been told his kingdom would not endure because he had not kept the LORD’s command.
Theological
What grounds does the LORD state to Samuel concerning Saul in 1 Samuel 15:11?
Answer: Saul had turned from Him and ignored His commands
The LORD charges Saul with turning back from following Him and failing to perform His commands (15:10-11), and Samuel, grieved, cries out all night. The charge fulfills the conditional warning of 12:14-15, where blessing for king and people depended on following and obeying the LORD, and it repeats the grounds of the earlier rebuke at Gilgal (13:13-14).
- 1 Samuel 15:10-11 (BSB)“Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all that night.”The LORD speaks to Samuel about Saul, and Samuel cries out all night.
- 1 Samuel 12:14-15 (BSB)“If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and if you do not rebel against the command of the LORD, and if both you and the king who rules over you follow the LORD your God, then all will be well. But if you disobey the LORD and rebel against His command, then the hand of the LORD will be against you as it was against your fathers.”Samuel had warned that blessing for Israel and its king depended on following and obeying the LORD.
- 1 Samuel 13:13-14 (BSB)““You have acted foolishly,” Samuel declared. “You have not kept the command that the LORD your God gave you; if you had, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept the command of the LORD.””Saul had already been told his kingdom would not endure because he had not kept the LORD’s command.
General
True or False: When Samuel went to find Saul, he was told that Saul had been to Carmel and erected a monument in his own honor.
Answer: True
This is true. At dawn Samuel set out to confront Saul and was told that Saul had gone to Carmel, put up a monument to himself, and then gone on to Gilgal (15:12). The narrator simply reports it, yet it sits right after the LORD’s word that Saul had turned away from Him (15:11). Instead of honoring the LORD for the victory, Saul honored himself. Scripture warns that pride comes before a fall (Proverbs 16:18), that praise should come from others rather than ourselves (Proverbs 27:2), and that the only fitting boast is in knowing the LORD (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
- 1 Samuel 15:12 (BSB)“Early in the morning Samuel got up to confront Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel, and behold, he has set up a monument for himself and has turned and gone down to Gilgal.””Samuel learns that Saul has been to Carmel and has gone on to Gilgal.
- Proverbs 16:18 (BSB)“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”Pride comes before destruction.
- Proverbs 27:2 (BSB)“Let another praise you, and not your own mouth—a stranger, and not your own lips.”Praise should come from others, not from one’s own mouth.
- Jeremiah 9:23-24 (BSB)“This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches. But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.”The only proper boast is in knowing the LORD.
Theological
True or False: Samuel was informed that Saul had been to Carmel and erected a monument to himself.
Answer: True
This is true. Samuel learns that Saul has erected a monument for his own honor at Carmel before proceeding to Gilgal (15:12). Placed immediately after the LORD’s indictment (15:11), the detail shows a king commemorating himself rather than the LORD who gave the victory, the self-exaltation that precedes a fall (Proverbs 16:18; Proverbs 27:2) and that contrasts with boasting in the LORD alone (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
- 1 Samuel 15:12 (BSB)“Early in the morning Samuel got up to confront Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel, and behold, he has set up a monument for himself and has turned and gone down to Gilgal.””Samuel learns that Saul has been to Carmel and has gone on to Gilgal.
- Proverbs 16:18 (BSB)“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”Pride comes before destruction.
- Proverbs 27:2 (BSB)“Let another praise you, and not your own mouth—a stranger, and not your own lips.”Praise should come from others, not from one’s own mouth.
- Jeremiah 9:23-24 (BSB)“This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches. But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.”The only proper boast is in knowing the LORD.
General
In reply to Saul’s excuse about keeping animals for sacrifice, what did Samuel say the LORD values more than offerings?
Answer: Obeying His voice and listening to Him
Saul claimed he had obeyed and that the animals were kept for sacrifice at Gilgal (15:20-21). Samuel answered that the LORD takes more delight in being obeyed than in offerings; obeying ranks above sacrifice, and listening above the richest offerings of rams (15:22). Sacrifices were commanded by God, but they could never replace obedience, and Saul was using worship to cover disobedience. The prophets say the same: God desires mercy and knowledge of Him more than offerings (Hosea 6:6), and Jesus quoted Hosea to the Pharisees (Matthew 9:13). God values a humble, repentant heart above sacrifices (Psalm 51:16-17), and doing what is right pleases Him more than offerings (Proverbs 21:3).
- 1 Samuel 15:22 (BSB)“But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.”Samuel answers Saul’s claim about sacrifice by setting obedience above offerings.
- Hosea 6:6 (BSB)“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”God says through Hosea that He desires mercy and knowledge of Him more than offerings.
- Matthew 9:13 (BSB)“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.””Jesus quotes Hosea to teach the same priority.
- Psalm 51:16-17 (BSB)“For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”David confesses that God values a broken and contrite heart above sacrifice.
- Proverbs 21:3 (BSB)“To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice.”Doing righteousness and justice pleases the LORD more than sacrifice.
Theological
In answer to Saul’s appeal to sacrifice, what did Samuel declare the LORD prefers?
Answer: Obeying His voice and listening to Him
Saul justifies the spared livestock as offerings for Gilgal (15:20-21); Samuel replies that the LORD delights in being obeyed more than in offerings, that obeying surpasses sacrifice and heeding surpasses the choicest fat (15:22). The sacrificial system was God-given, but ritual can never substitute for obedience, and Saul invoked worship as a cover for rebellion. The same priority runs through the prophets (Hosea 6:6), is reaffirmed by Christ (Matthew 9:13), is confessed by David, who knows God wants a contrite heart above offerings (Psalm 51:16-17), and is taught in Proverbs, where doing what is right and just outweighs offerings (Proverbs 21:3).
- 1 Samuel 15:22 (BSB)“But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.”Samuel answers Saul’s claim about sacrifice by setting obedience above offerings.
- Hosea 6:6 (BSB)“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”God says through Hosea that He desires mercy and knowledge of Him more than offerings.
- Matthew 9:13 (BSB)“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.””Jesus quotes Hosea to teach the same priority.
- Psalm 51:16-17 (BSB)“For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”David confesses that God values a broken and contrite heart above sacrifice.
- Proverbs 21:3 (BSB)“To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice.”Doing righteousness and justice pleases the LORD more than sacrifice.
General
The chapter says the LORD regretted making Saul king (15:11, 35), yet also that God does not change His mind (15:29). How do these fit together?
Answer: God regrets Saul’s turning away, yet His word stands firm
Both statements are in the same chapter, and both are true. The LORD’s regret is tied to what Saul did: Saul had stopped following Him and had not carried out His instructions (15:11), and the chapter closes by repeating that the LORD regretted making Saul king (15:35). This regret is God’s real response to Saul’s sin, not a sign that God was surprised or mistaken; elsewhere Scripture joins the LORD’s regret to grief in His heart (Genesis 6:6). God is not like a human who changes his mind because he was caught off guard. Samuel says this right after Saul pleads for pardon and the kingdom is declared torn away (15:25-29): God’s decision to remove Saul will not be reversed. Balaam’s oracle had said the same, that God, unlike a man, never lies or reverses Himself, and always does what He says (Numbers 23:19), and through Malachi the LORD says He does not change (Malachi 3:6). So the chapter holds together God’s real response to Saul’s disobedience and His fixed, unchanging word.
- 1 Samuel 15:11 (BSB)““I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all that night.”The LORD tells Samuel that He regrets making Saul king, because Saul has turned away and not obeyed.
- 1 Samuel 15:29 (BSB)“Moreover, the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind, for He is not a man, that He should change His mind.””Samuel declares that God does not lie or change His mind as a man does.
- 1 Samuel 15:35 (BSB)“And to the day of his death, Samuel never again visited Saul. Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.”The narrator repeats that the LORD regretted making Saul king.
- Genesis 6:6 (BSB)“And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”God’s regret over mankind is joined to real grief in His heart.
- Numbers 23:19 (BSB)“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”God is not a man who lies or changes His mind; what He promises He does.
- Malachi 3:6 (BSB)““Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.”The LORD does not change.
Theological
How do the LORD’s regret over Saul’s kingship (15:11, 35) and the declaration that He does not change His mind (15:29) fit together?
Answer: God regrets Saul’s turning away, yet His word stands firm
The chapter frames the episode with divine regret (15:11, 35) and places at its center the affirmation that God, Israel’s Glory, neither lies nor relents (15:29). Both are true. In 15:11 the regret is grounded in Saul’s conduct: he has turned back from following the LORD and has not performed His commands. The regret is God’s genuine response to that sin, and Scripture elsewhere joins the LORD’s regret to grief in His heart (Genesis 6:6). It does not imply error, surprise or revision of His purposes. Samuel’s affirmation comes just after Saul pleads for pardon and the kingdom is declared torn from him (15:25-28): God’s word of rejection stands. Numbers 23:19 and Malachi 3:6 ground this in God’s unchanging character. Scripture holds God’s real responsiveness to sin and His unalterable purpose together without setting one against the other.
- 1 Samuel 15:11 (BSB)““I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all that night.”The LORD tells Samuel that He regrets making Saul king, because Saul has turned away and not obeyed.
- 1 Samuel 15:29 (BSB)“Moreover, the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind, for He is not a man, that He should change His mind.””Samuel declares that God does not lie or change His mind as a man does.
- 1 Samuel 15:35 (BSB)“And to the day of his death, Samuel never again visited Saul. Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.”The narrator repeats that the LORD regretted making Saul king.
- Genesis 6:6 (BSB)“And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”God’s regret over mankind is joined to real grief in His heart.
- Numbers 23:19 (BSB)“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”God is not a man who lies or changes His mind; what He promises He does.
- Malachi 3:6 (BSB)““Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.”The LORD does not change.
General
According to Samuel, why had the LORD rejected Saul as king (1 Samuel 15:23)?
Answer: Saul had cast aside what the LORD had commanded
Samuel compares rebellion to divination, the forbidden practice of seeking hidden knowledge through omens, and compares arrogance to idolatry (15:23). God’s law had called divination detestable (Deuteronomy 18:10-12), so Samuel puts Saul’s disobedience in the same class as false religion. Because Saul had rejected the LORD’s word, the LORD had rejected him as king. Saul had already been told at Gilgal that his kingdom would not endure (13:13-14), and near the end of his life he would hear again that disobedience regarding Amalek was the reason the kingdom was taken (28:18).
- 1 Samuel 15:23 (BSB)“For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.””Samuel compares rebellion and arrogance to divination and idolatry and announces Saul’s rejection.
- Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (BSB)“Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery, casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD. And because of these detestable things, the LORD your God is driving out the nations before you.”Divination and related practices were detestable to the LORD.
- 1 Samuel 13:13-14 (BSB)““You have acted foolishly,” Samuel declared. “You have not kept the command that the LORD your God gave you; if you had, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept the command of the LORD.””Samuel had already told Saul his kingdom would not endure because he had not kept the LORD’s command.
- 1 Samuel 28:18 (BSB)“Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out His burning anger against Amalek, the LORD has done this to you today.”Later Saul is told again that his failure to obey regarding Amalek was the reason for the LORD’s action.
Theological
On what ground did Samuel declare Saul rejected as king (1 Samuel 15:23)?
Answer: Saul had cast aside what the LORD had commanded
Samuel equates rebellion with divination and arrogance with idolatry (15:23), placing Saul’s disobedience alongside the practices the law calls detestable (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). The sentence is strictly reciprocal: Saul rejected the LORD’s word, so the LORD rejected Saul as king. It confirms the earlier verdict at Gilgal (13:13-14) and is recalled at the end of Saul’s life with explicit reference to Amalek (28:18).
- 1 Samuel 15:23 (BSB)“For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.””Samuel compares rebellion and arrogance to divination and idolatry and announces Saul’s rejection.
- Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (BSB)“Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery, casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD. And because of these detestable things, the LORD your God is driving out the nations before you.”Divination and related practices were detestable to the LORD.
- 1 Samuel 13:13-14 (BSB)““You have acted foolishly,” Samuel declared. “You have not kept the command that the LORD your God gave you; if you had, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept the command of the LORD.””Samuel had already told Saul his kingdom would not endure because he had not kept the LORD’s command.
- 1 Samuel 28:18 (BSB)“Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out His burning anger against Amalek, the LORD has done this to you today.”Later Saul is told again that his failure to obey regarding Amalek was the reason for the LORD’s action.
General
When Samuel asked about the sounds of sheep and cattle he could hear, how did Saul explain them?
Answer: The troops had kept them as offerings for the LORD
Saul greeted Samuel with a blessing and claimed he had done what the LORD commanded (15:13). Samuel asked what the noise of the flocks and herds was, then. Saul answered that the troops had brought them from Amalek and spared the best as offerings for the LORD, while the rest had been destroyed (15:14-15). The wording shifts the blame: the troops spared the animals, while the destruction is something we did. Adam and Eve had likewise shifted the blame when the LORD questioned them (Genesis 3:12-13). Scripture says those who hide their sin will not prosper (Proverbs 28:13), and hearing God’s word without doing it is self-deception (James 1:22).
- 1 Samuel 15:13 (BSB)“When Samuel reached him, Saul said to him, “May the LORD bless you. I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.””Saul greets Samuel by claiming to have done what the LORD commanded.
- 1 Samuel 15:14-15 (BSB)“But Samuel replied, “Then what is this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?” Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but the rest we devoted to destruction.””Samuel hears the animals, and Saul explains they were kept for sacrifice.
- Genesis 3:12-13 (BSB)“And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.””Adam and Eve also shifted the blame when God confronted them.
- Proverbs 28:13 (BSB)“He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.”Whoever hides sin will not prosper, but whoever confesses finds mercy.
- James 1:22 (BSB)“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.”Hearing God’s word without doing it is self-deception.
Theological
How did Saul account for the livestock Samuel could hear when they met?
Answer: The troops had kept them as offerings for the LORD
Saul opens by asserting his obedience (15:13). Confronted with the sound of the animals, he attributes their preservation to the people, who spared the best for sacrifice, while claiming the destruction for himself and the army (15:14-15). The response combines self-justification and blame-shifting, as in Eden (Genesis 3:12-13). Concealment of sin does not prosper (Proverbs 28:13), and hearing without doing is self-deceit (James 1:22).
- 1 Samuel 15:13 (BSB)“When Samuel reached him, Saul said to him, “May the LORD bless you. I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.””Saul greets Samuel by claiming to have done what the LORD commanded.
- 1 Samuel 15:14-15 (BSB)“But Samuel replied, “Then what is this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?” Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but the rest we devoted to destruction.””Samuel hears the animals, and Saul explains they were kept for sacrifice.
- Genesis 3:12-13 (BSB)“And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.””Adam and Eve also shifted the blame when God confronted them.
- Proverbs 28:13 (BSB)“He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.”Whoever hides sin will not prosper, but whoever confesses finds mercy.
- James 1:22 (BSB)“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.”Hearing God’s word without doing it is self-deception.
General
When Saul finally admitted his sin, what reason did he give for disobeying?
Answer: He was afraid of the people and gave in to them
Saul confessed that he had sinned and broken the LORD’s command, explaining that he was afraid of the people and did what they wanted (15:24). He then asked Samuel to pardon him and come back with him to worship (15:25). After Samuel announced the kingdom torn away, Saul again admitted his sin but asked Samuel to honor him before the elders and the people (15:30). His words keep returning to how he stood before people. Samuel did go back with him, and Saul worshiped there (15:31). Scripture warns that fearing people traps us (Proverbs 29:25), and John describes those who loved the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:43).
- 1 Samuel 15:24-25 (BSB)“Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have transgressed the LORD’s commandment and your instructions, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, please forgive my sin and return with me so I can worship the LORD.””Saul admits his sin, explains it by his fear of the people, and asks Samuel to return with him.
- 1 Samuel 15:30-31 (BSB)““I have sinned,” Saul replied. “Please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel. Come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God.” So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.”Saul asks Samuel to honor him before the elders and the people, and Samuel goes back with him.
- Proverbs 29:25 (BSB)“The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.”The fear of man is a snare.
- John 12:43 (BSB)“For they loved praise from men more than praise from God.”Some loved praise from men more than praise from God.
Theological
What explanation did Saul offer for his disobedience when he confessed it?
Answer: He was afraid of the people and gave in to them
Saul acknowledges transgressing the LORD’s command and attributes it to fearing the people and yielding to them (15:24), then asks for pardon and Samuel’s company in worship (15:25). His second confession is coupled with a request to be honored before the elders and Israel (15:30), revealing a persistent concern for standing before men; Samuel returns with him, and Saul worships the LORD (15:31). Scripture names fear of people as a trap (Proverbs 29:25) and warns against loving human praise more than God’s (John 12:43).
- 1 Samuel 15:24-25 (BSB)“Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have transgressed the LORD’s commandment and your instructions, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, please forgive my sin and return with me so I can worship the LORD.””Saul admits his sin, explains it by his fear of the people, and asks Samuel to return with him.
- 1 Samuel 15:30-31 (BSB)““I have sinned,” Saul replied. “Please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel. Come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God.” So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.”Saul asks Samuel to honor him before the elders and the people, and Samuel goes back with him.
- Proverbs 29:25 (BSB)“The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.”The fear of man is a snare.
- John 12:43 (BSB)“For they loved praise from men more than praise from God.”Some loved praise from men more than praise from God.
General
What did Saul and the army refuse to devote to destruction?
Answer: King Agag and the finest livestock and goods
Saul struck the Amalekites over a wide area, but he took Agag their king alive (15:7-8). He and the troops also kept the choicest flocks and herds and whatever else was valuable. They would not destroy those things, and destroyed only what they considered worthless (15:9). This was partial obedience, which is disobedience. The law said that no devoted thing was to stick to Israel’s hands (Deuteronomy 13:17), and Israel had been warned at Jericho to keep away from such things (Joshua 6:18). Achan’s taking of devoted things had been called a breaking of God’s covenant (Joshua 7:11).
- 1 Samuel 15:8-9 (BSB)“He captured Agag king of Amalek alive, but devoted all the others to destruction with the sword. Saul and his troops spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to devote them to destruction, but they devoted to destruction all that was despised and worthless.”Saul captures Agag alive, and he and the troops keep the best animals while destroying what they despise.
- Deuteronomy 13:17 (BSB)“Nothing devoted to destruction shall cling to your hands, so that the LORD will turn from His fierce anger, grant you mercy, show you compassion, and multiply you as He swore to your fathers,”Nothing devoted to destruction was to cling to Israel’s hands.
- Joshua 6:18 (BSB)“But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it.”At Jericho Israel was warned to keep away from devoted things.
- Joshua 7:11 (BSB)“Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant that I commanded them, and they have taken some of what was devoted to destruction. Indeed, they have stolen and lied, and they have put these things with their own possessions.”Achan’s taking of devoted things was called sin against God’s covenant.
Theological
What did Saul and the army spare in violation of the ban?
Answer: King Agag and the choicest livestock and goods
Saul takes Agag alive (15:8), and he and the people keep the choice livestock and everything of value, destroying only what they despise (15:9). Selective obedience to a clear command is disobedience. The law forbade anything under the ban to cling to Israel’s hands (Deuteronomy 13:17); Jericho’s warning (Joshua 6:18) and Achan’s covenant-breaking (Joshua 7:11) had already shown how seriously God treated devoted things.
- 1 Samuel 15:8-9 (BSB)“He captured Agag king of Amalek alive, but devoted all the others to destruction with the sword. Saul and his troops spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to devote them to destruction, but they devoted to destruction all that was despised and worthless.”Saul captures Agag alive, and he and the troops keep the best animals while destroying what they despise.
- Deuteronomy 13:17 (BSB)“Nothing devoted to destruction shall cling to your hands, so that the LORD will turn from His fierce anger, grant you mercy, show you compassion, and multiply you as He swore to your fathers,”Nothing devoted to destruction was to cling to Israel’s hands.
- Joshua 6:18 (BSB)“But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it.”At Jericho Israel was warned to keep away from devoted things.
- Joshua 7:11 (BSB)“Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant that I commanded them, and they have taken some of what was devoted to destruction. Indeed, they have stolen and lied, and they have put these things with their own possessions.”Achan’s taking of devoted things was called sin against God’s covenant.
General
As Samuel confronted Saul, what did he remind Saul about his past (1 Samuel 15:17)?
Answer: He had once thought of himself as insignificant
Samuel reminds Saul that he was once lowly in his own estimation, yet God made him head of Israel’s tribes and anointed him king (15:17). When Samuel first spoke to him, Saul had protested that his tribe and clan were the least in Israel (9:21), and on the day he was chosen he hid among the baggage (10:22). The LORD had raised him and sent him on a clear mission, so Samuel asks why he swooped on the plunder and did evil in God’s sight (15:18-19). God sets Himself against the proud and shows favor to the lowly (James 4:6).
- 1 Samuel 15:17 (BSB)“And Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, have you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel”Samuel reminds Saul of how lowly he once considered himself and how the LORD raised him.
- 1 Samuel 9:21 (BSB)“Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjamite from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of Benjamin? So why would you say such a thing to me?””At his calling Saul protested that he came from the smallest tribe and the least clan.
- 1 Samuel 10:22 (BSB)“So again they inquired of the LORD, “Has the man come here yet?” And the LORD replied, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.””On the day he was chosen, Saul was found hiding among the baggage.
- James 4:6 (BSB)“But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.””God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Theological
What did Samuel recall about Saul’s former estimate of himself (1 Samuel 15:17)?
Answer: He had once thought of himself as insignificant
Samuel recalls that Saul was once little in his own eyes, yet the LORD exalted him as leader over Israel’s tribes and anointed him (15:17). That humility had been evident at his calling (9:21) and at his public selection, when he hid among the baggage (10:22). Having been raised by God and commissioned plainly, Saul nonetheless seized the spoil and did evil (15:18-19). God resists the proud and shows favor to the lowly (James 4:6).
- 1 Samuel 15:17 (BSB)“And Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, have you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel”Samuel reminds Saul of how lowly he once considered himself and how the LORD raised him.
- 1 Samuel 9:21 (BSB)“Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjamite from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of Benjamin? So why would you say such a thing to me?””At his calling Saul protested that he came from the smallest tribe and the least clan.
- 1 Samuel 10:22 (BSB)“So again they inquired of the LORD, “Has the man come here yet?” And the LORD replied, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.””On the day he was chosen, Saul was found hiding among the baggage.
- James 4:6 (BSB)“But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.””God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.