Saul's sin at Amalek - 1 Samuel 15
Many times, the Israelites did not want what God wanted for them. In this case, they wanted a king. They claimed that all the other nations had a king and they wanted one too. So, God gave them a king. But God did warn them about the hardships that they would have because they wanted to have a king so badly.
Saul was chosen to be the king. Saul started out as a nobody, but in time, he became prideful and was totally ineffective in serving God's purposes.
One of the things God wanted Saul to do was to go fight a group of people called the 'Amalekites'. He was to kill every person and every animal. Well, Saul did defeat the Amalekites, except that he spared the king. He also spared the best of the king's animals.
Saul encountered Samuel and as he did, right away, he informed Samuel that he had done what God had told him to do. While he was talking, the noise from the sheep was in the background. He was caught in his lie! Samuel could tell that Saul was not telling the truth and asked him "What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of cattle which I hear?" Saul thought quickly and replied that the soldiers spared the animals so that they could be used in the sacrifices that were to be made to God. He didn't even tell yet about his sparing the king. Then Samuel rebuked Saul. Saul was now rejected as king over Israel.
This was not the first time Saul sinned. Another time, he got tired of waiting for Samuel to come, so he went ahead and offered the sacrifice himself. That was someone only the priests were allowed to do. So Saul had developed some troubling patterns in his behavior which was detrimental to his kingship. God would find someone else to be king. We will find out who it is in another lesson.
All this took place around 1032 B.C.
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