"WILLFUL IGNORANCE" (An Article by Christian Henry) ~ 9/1/26

“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 15:9)

Earlier in the chapter, God commissioned Saul, the current King of Israel, to attack the Amalekite people. His instructions were extremely simple: they were to beat back the enemies and destroy everything in their camp, including all commanders - some real scorched-earth stuff. If you actually went back and read about the exploits of the Israelite army, they’re always commanded in this way.

They’re told to get in, do their work, and then get out. The point of their campaigns should never be financial or material profit. Saul knows this history, and the prophet Samuel explicitly told him not to take the spoils of war. All this is to say, Saul is absolutely without excuse if he or his people take of the things designated for destruction.

As is often the case, they ignored this instruction. They chose not to listen and indulged themselves anyway. Not only did they take all of the best things, but Saul even spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites, by taking him hostage, which he was explicitly told not to do.

Saul was easily the guiltiest in this transgression, not necessarily because he took more than anyone else, but because he knew from history what was right and was also directly told what was right; yet he willfully disobeyed the order. As King, he could have commanded the soldiers not to pillage anything or spare anyone. The Lord uniquely endowed him with the power and authority to make his men knock it off. If he commanded the men to stop, they would listen. But he didn’t.

As a consequence of this, the Lord sends Samuel to confront Saul. They have a long back-and-forth where Samuel is furious that Saul would choose not to listen to the instruction from God, the very same one who has given him so much. Saul then tries to blame his people, but Samuel knows that’s no excuse. In the words of Uncle Ben from Spider-Man, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Saul had the power yet shirked his responsibility to control his people. As I said before, as king, he could have instructed them in what the Lord told him. It was Saul’s arrogance that caused him to move against the Lord in this way. He thought he didn’t need to listen to God.

Because Saul refused to listen and rejected the word of the Lord, Samuel informs him that the Lord has rejected him as king. This was the cost of Saul’s rejection of the word of the Lord. This causes God to raise David and ultimately results in Saul's death. He lost everything he had, and even some of his mind, due to his blatant disrespect for God and His commands.

This story should hold up a mirror to us. Many times, we don’t listen and sin against our Creator. We often disrespect Him, think we know better, and sometimes even think we are better than Him. We place so little stock in the Lord that we often reject His words entirely. This story is a sobering reminder of what happens when we reject the word of the Lord, and what we stand to lose when we disobey His commands.