King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Saturday, April 12, 2025
Chapters: I Samuel 15-16
Message: I Samuel: God Chooses A New King
Hello My Friend,
As we continue in the reading of 1 Samuel we learn that God does repent, while He is merciful it is better to obey Him than to continually disobey Him, and whenever He chooses someone to serve Him in whatever it is that He has called them to do He chooses them based on what is their heart and soul as opposed to their physical appearance and capabilities.
[1 Corinthians 12:13-14,23-24 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:]
It is fitting that these Scriptures came up since the Holy Spirit plays a part in these chapters for today. Yesterday we learned that Saul’s heart was turning away from God as he defied Him several times, and He said that He was removing Saul from being king and choosing a man of His heart. Today, we learn that God was not ready to give up on Saul just yet, He sends Samuel over to Saul with an order.
[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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.]
The order was to destroy all the Amalekites as well as everything in the land, so Saul gathered an army together and headed over to their side of town, he knew that the Kenites lived there so he warned them to get out of there before they took the city, [1 Samuel 15:4-6 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. 6 And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.]
Incidentally all saved born again Christians are commanded by Jesus to go out into the world and warn them of the judgment to come and how they can get from among those who will be destroyed on the earth who reject the Gospel, [Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.]
These Kenites were the children of Moses, since he married a woman who was a Kenite they were not numbered a children of Israel, but were granted land to live on because they were of kin to them. As soon as yhey hightailed it out of there the army invaded Amalekites and while they did execute all the people they took the spoils which they normally do and instead of killing the king they took him captive.
[1 Samuel 15:8-11 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 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. 10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, 11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.]
When God repents that means that He has grieved Himself over the person or people that He had changed His mind about. Now, God can repent of the bad that was intended for disobeying Him when one comes to Him through sincere confession, but He can also repent of the good that was intended should they turn on Him, such as the case with Saul. Saul, was to take out the entire nation, man, woman, child, and even all the livestock. Why? This goes back to the Exodus.
[Exodus 17:8-9,13-16 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14 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. 15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi: 16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.]
We could ask ourselves why God gave such a harsh command, but they were reprobates years ago and nothing changed so the judgment stood. Of course, Saul, once again while he had good intentions did not do everything that God had commanded him to do so when Samuel came over to him he expected praise and honor, but what he got was a reprimand, [1 Samuel 15:13-16 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. 14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 15 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.]
Not only did he give an excuse as to why he did not do everything God commanded him to do he also lied and said that his army pushed him into. What really pushed Samuel over the edge was that he said that they took the spoils to worship God with. Well, Saul’s excuses were over, Samuel reminds him of what God had commanded him to do, [1 Samuel 15:17-19 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? 18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?]
Now, they had a lot of good stuff that was right there for the taking, and while they were accustom to taking the spoils in this case God forbade it. However, the worse thing we could ever do is say that we went against God’s Word and did it for His glory when it was clearly for our own selfish desire. God is never the one to tempt us into sin, [James 1:13-14 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.]
Saul actually thought that he did nothing wrong in taking the spoils and told him that and continues to give the same excuse, [1 Samuel 15:20-22 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. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. 22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.]
Samuel does have a point, God is so merciful and gracious to us that we can mess up a thousand times a day and as long as we are repentant then He is forgiving, but if we are not sincere in our confession then God will not accept the apology. Our salvation is not a free for all to do as we please because Jesus went through a lot to free us not only from hell, but our sinful life, [Romans 6:15-17 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.]
When we continuously go against God, even under good intentions or simply out of arrogance, then God will see it as rebellion. This is exactly what Samuel tells Saul, [1 Samuel 15:23-26 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. 24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD. 26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.]
As soon as Saul heard that God had rejected him as being king he should have been down on his knees in humility, begging God to forgive him. You kind of feel bad for Saul, he really had no clue that what he was doing was wrong, but every time he was confronted he blamed someone else. Samuel probably did what was one of the most saddest things that he ever had to do, and that was strip Saul of his title as being king. As Samuel walked away, Saul, reached for him, and ripped the edge of his clothes, and while he did admit that he sinned, God was not buying his confession.
[1 Samuel 15:28-30 And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. 29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent. 30 Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.]
Notice that Samuel said that God had taken the kingdom from him, that did not mean that He was done with Saul, all he had to do was be sincere in his confession and God would have at least forgiven him. However, God and Samuel both knew that Saul was not sincere in his confession because he had absolutely no remorse and in fact wanted to be honored for what he had done. Jesus said it this way, [Matthew 15:8-9 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.]
The Strength of Israel is the very backbone of the Christian faith, and believe it or not, God feels great grief in one of His own turning on Him, but He is righteous and just, and will not continue to watch His people go against Him without repentance. Repentance is more than just feeling great sorrow for sin, and turning from it, it is also changing your thinking. And God will not repent of His decision to put a soul’s salvation solely in the hands of His Son, [John 5:22-24 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.]
This is exactly how Saul was, his once strong heart for God was turning into something that was only on the surface. Now, the entire time they were talking the king was still their captive, if Saul was not going to do what God had commanded him to do then Samuel was going to show him how it was done.
[1 Samuel 15:32-35 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. 33 And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal. 34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul. 35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.]
Samuel, might have been up in age, but he was still a judge and capable of defending his nation. When it comes to God there is no retirement, we may not be able to do everything that we did when we were younger, but we can do what is in our ability to do in our own strength, then Jesus will give us the strength to do the rest, [1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.]
It is actually quite interesting to learn of how hard Samuel was taking this when at the beginning it grieved him even becoming the first king. Nevertheless, God allowed Samuel to mourn for some time, but things needed to move forward, He literally commands him to get up and go anoint His next king.
[1 Samuel 16:1-3 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. 2 And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. 3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.]
Apparently, things had gotten so bad between Saul and Samuel that everyone feared either one of them coming into their town. Bethlehem, was a small town so the elders were naturally apprehensive at his arrival. Nevertheless, Samuel assured them that he came in peace and actually sanctified Jesse’s sons before offering the sacrifice.
[1 Samuel 16:4-6 And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? 5 And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. 6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him.]
Samuel thought that this was going to be a piece of cake, perhaps because Saul was so tall and stocky, seeing Eliab automatically gave him the assumption that he would be the next king. While God did not directly come out and tell Samuel who it was He did give him a clue what to look for.
[1 Samuel 16:7-8,10 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this. 10 Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.]
One by one, Samuel stood before seven men, and by that time they were all curious, not one of them even thinking to go get their brother. Finally, Samuel asks if Jesse had any other children, [1 Samuel 16:11-13 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. 12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.]
[Ruddy; Of a red color; of a lively flesh color, or the color of the human skin in high health.] David was a shepherd boy, and appeared to be a quite lively one at that, ambitious and feared nothing, he was also very handsome yet somewhat small in his physique. The ones whom have Christ in their heart and are the most useful to Him have a healthy glow about them that shines through them like no other, and are often the least expected, [John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.]
Well, that may have been the strangest encounter ever, and I am sure that David had all sorts of questions, but he had no idea what he was going to go through the second that oil was poured on his head and the Spirit of God indwelt him. Things only got worse for Saul after Samuel told him that God was taking the throne from him and giving it to another. His heart turned away from Him completely and that was when God’s Spirit removed itself from Saul.
[1 Samuel 16:14-17 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. 15 And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. 16 Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. 17 And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.]
So, how was it possible that God’s Spirit departed from Saul? His heart changed. While those whom have sincerely called on Christ to save them with all their heart can never lose their salvation because they put their heart into it, those who only played the part for a while are quite capable of their heart changing. Jesus said it this way, [Matthew 24:12-13 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.]
This was getting to be the case with Saul, while his heart had not turned completely from God yet, it was put to the challenge and so was David’s. Talk about someone getting thrown right into the fire pit so to speak, David, goes on to become Saul’s armor bearer when he was the only one to get rid of the evil spirit that oppressed Saul.
[1 Samuel 16:18-19,21-23 Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him. 19 Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep. 21 And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer. 22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight. 23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.]
Do you see what happened? Even though Saul still believed in God, and wanted His blessings, he wanted to worship Him his own way, and God would not have that. You either believe all of His Word, accept it, and follow it, or He will reject you. This is included as one of the saddest moments in the entire Bible, and is proof that true repentance brings everlasting salvation, but true rebellion will always bring eternal death, [Matthew 25:31-33,41,46 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [1 Samuel 15:29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your mercy and grace, and for giving me eternal life, when I accepted Your Son as my Saviour alone. Thank You, Jesus, for taking my place on the cross, for dying for the sin that I am guilty of, and for giving me life beyond the grave. You paid the price for my sin, and for that reason I pray that all the things I am going through will turn me into a vessel of honor who will glorify You. Lord, Keep my heart tender and pure, watch over me, guide me, and keep me as the apple of Your eye. Teach me, discern me, grow me, and show me what to learn, follow, and teach so that I can be a vessel of honor. I love You, and ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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