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What God Desires

Mark Dunagan
10/15/17 - Sunday Morning

What God Desires

 

In Old Testament times, south of Israel, large areas of land were occupied by a people well known for their fighting ability. Shortly after Israel’s exodus from Egypt it was the Amalekites who attacked Israel (Exodus 17:8). At that time, God promised to one day bring judgment upon them, to be specific, to completely wipe them out (17:14). In addition, the attack at that time was underhanded, with the Amalekites attacking the weak and the stragglers (Deuteronomy 25:17). God then added, that in attacking Israel who He had just delivered from Egypt with great miracles, which became well known to other nations in this region, and was still well known centuries later (1 Samuel 6:6). Even after hearing all this, Amalek did not fear God but attacked Israel anyway (Deuteronomy 25:18). The prophecy is then given once more in reference to wiping out Amalek in the future (25:19). For 400 years God’s patience and mercy waited, but the Amalekites never repented.

 

The Actual Command: 1 Samuel 15:1-3

• The destruction was to be complete (15:3), just as God had warned in Exodus and Deuteronomy. This is not a command to slaughter “innocent” people, but rather is a reminder that God reserves the right to judge sin at any point in history.
• This culture had been given 400 years of mercy and grace, they had been given plenty of time to change, as well as there being two specific warnings in the Law of Moses long before judgment arrived.
• This battle was a holy task. Saul and his army were given by God the responsibility of caring out His judgment against these people. The soldiers were not allowed to profit from their assignment.
• This is not an example of one generation suffering because of the sins of their forefathers, because the text in 1 Samuel 15 is clear. Samuel refers to the current generation of Amalekites as “sinners” (v. 18).

Woman, Infant and Nursing Child

 

Admittedly a command that includes the killing of all the children is a hard command to accept. Some have attempted to argue that God would never give such a command as this, and therefore the Bible is either not from God or God does not exist. Yet consider the following:

• If these children continue to grow up in this culture, they will become “sinners” as well, and thus will end up lost forever. In the long range perspective, their deaths prevented them from suffering eternally in hell, seeing that are children are born innocent (1 Corinthians 14:20).
• The atheist actually has a huge problem here. For without God, morality does not exist, and there would be nothing wrong with killing innocent people, not to mention guilty people.
• The problem that the nonbeliever has when he or she encounters real or perceived “injustice” is where did they get the idea of justice in the first place? Because if we are just the product of chance and mindless evolution, then the issue of morality should not even surface in our minds.
• Yet, the fact is even unbelievers struggle and wrestle with what are called moral dilemmas. The fact that non-Christians struggle with this text is proof that we are indeed made in the image of a moral God. If not, no one should be interested in questions concerning morality or justice.

Mercy Extended

 

God extended 400 years of undeserved mercy to the Amalekites. He could have rightly wiped them out in Exodus chapter 17, but He did not. The Old Testament contained at least two specific prophecies against them, that should have caught their attention. In addition, before the attack, Saul urged the Kenites, who were living in or near Amalekite territory to move out, so they weren’t killed in the crossfire. The Kenites were nomadic Midianites (Numbers 10:29; Judges 1:16) who were well disposed toward Israel from ancient times (Exodus 2:18; 18:9-10). This was another opportunity to repent and an impending warning that judgment was coming.

 

The Problem is Not with Scripture

 

The command to Saul was clear (15:3), and yet Saul and the people spared not only the king, but the best of the livestock, and were unwilling to destroy them (1 Samuel 15:9). When it comes to obeying God, often the problem is not in interpreting what the Bible says, but rather it is often found in submitting to what it says. The term “unwilling” admits that they completely understood what God had said.

 

God’s Regret: 15:10-11

 

God takes it personally when we violate His will. God was truly disappointed in Saul, especially in light of all the providential and miraculous assistance that He had given Saul. This verse really challenges the concept that God always has warm feelings towards us – no matter what we do or don’t do.  

 

My Reality, Not God’s Reality

 

Samuel is told that Saul has returned and has set up a monument to himself (15:12). Saul considers all of this to be a great success and that he is a great success as well. When Saul meets Samuel he boldly proclaims that he has carried out the command of the Lord (15:13). Yet, Samuel simply points to the clear evidence of the existence of Amakelite livestock that should have been destroyed (15:15). The facts say otherwise.

 

Saul’s Argument

 

It almost seems that Saul is ready for what Samuel says. He quickly presents the argument that the people spared the best to sacrifice to God (15:15). I believe that many people today fall into this type of reasoning.  

• God said to exterminate the animals, but isn’t offering them in a sacrifice, which would edify (in the eyes of man) the worshippers and give everyone a good meal, a far more efficient and better use for those animals?
• It is easy to read a command, and then think that we have a better idea, and since our idea seems better, it must be right.
• It is clear that offering up the animals in a big sacrifice was far more popular, yet it did not make it right.
• Such a sacrifice would make a lot of people feel good, thus how can it be wrong, when it appears to do so much good?
• It is also tempting to argue technicalities with God. “It only looks like a violation, while the animals weren’t killed in the heat of battle, technically they were, because they will eventually be killed when we offer them in sacrifice”.
• Also observe how Saul attempted to blame the people for this decision, “they have” (15:15). This is a popular argument as well. It is the idea that if the people or the public want something, then we need to give it to them. We see this today when churches poll the neighborhood and ask what they would like in a church, and then proceed to create a church that would meet those needs.

Remembering God’s Point of View

 

From a human point of view everything sounds pretty good until God responds. Unfortunately, many people make the mistake of thinking that God would be either impressed with or simply be okay with their modifications to His commands. 

• God first reminds Saul of his former humility (15:17).
• Then God reminds Saul of the mission he had been given, a very clear mission (15:18).
• Then asks the question, “Why then did you not obey”? (15:19). To be even more specific, why did you not obey a command from God Himself? (the voice of the Lord).

Still Rebelling

 

Saul utterly disagrees with Samuel. Like many people, Saul cannot see or will not see how his partial obedience is rebellion against God. He is convinced in his own mind that he has obeyed, but then quickly places the sparing of the livestock on the shoulders of the people (15:21). 

 

What God Really Loves 

 

This is God’s view of partial obedience, situation ethics, the end justifies the means, or that good intentions and what might appear to get better results in the eyes of men will pass for obedience with God. God is very clear, Saul’s actions are not just another interpretation, rather, it is rebellion and is right up there with the sin of idolatry or witchcraft.

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net