1 Samuel 15
The Lord Rejects Saul
And Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'I have noted what Amalek (lust) did to Israel (dominion with God) in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt (dark side of ignorance). Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man (being) and woman (love coming from flesh), child (thoughts) and infant, (influence) ox (strength) and sheep (vulnerability), camel (patience) and donkey (stubborn).'"
After having made a conscious effort to abstain, our channel with the Holy Spirit is once again reestablished along with a reminder of the power lust possessed, when we were not ignorant to it. That from here on out, anything within ourselves, expressions, thoughts, influences it has, strength it contained, our vulnerabilities it manipulated, it's patient waiting, and it's stubborn ways must be rid completely.
So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim (fresh ideas), 200,000 men (thoughts) on foot (manifest), and 10,000 men of Judah (praise). And Saul came to the city of Amalek (lust) and lay in wait (open to) in the valley (external worship). Then Saul said to the Kenites (carnal but hopeful), "Go, Depart; go down from among the Amalekites (desires that deny the Spirit), lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites departed from among the Amelkites. And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah (mentally struggle) as far as Shur (unceasing progress), which is east (redemption) of Egypt (obscurity). And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.
So we move on. We start thinking and giving those thoughts power. When lust creeps in, we choose to face it in our own way. Though we see value in our ability to recognize lust for what it is, we cast it aside. We don't resent the fact that we can distinguish right from wrong as it has helped us in other areas. It's like, "Move on. I got this." We may struggle with it, but we power ahead. There comes a time when, in denial, we are faced with a comprise. Remember, we decided to set aside this response triggered by recognizing lust and reserve it for everything else. As a result, eventually we become obscure. We give in to temptation and succumb to temptation. We abort any rational thinking and venture back into recklessness. We continue to hold on to it's power; sacrificing our obedience, strength, intellect, and innocence, along with the potential they have in areas focused around good acts. Our consequence is resentment towards self.
10 The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret[c] that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night. 12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.” 13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14 And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”
At some point, the Lord intervenes and says, "Enough is enough." Our conscience has a way of piecing things together, after the deeds. Call it divine intervention. Guilt and it's anger phase have now stepped. We pray and wait for God's renewing peace. We discover that there is more to it and we feel hope, but it can be fleeting. Just as much as we desire discovering a new potential, denial can pull us back in. We are at conflict. One side sees no harm, while the damage lays around us. We cry inside, because we knows it's insane. We even reason with ourselves, attempting to justify that there are acceptable qualities. Before we can utter another word, in walks the Lord. :)
17 And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” 20 And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22 And Samuel said,
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Our spiritual intuitiveness realizes it's limitations. In humility, we confirm our weakness. Over time, our experiences confirm this, when our actions do not align with intent. At one time, we may have believed that we could maintain dominion over our sins, but we are just not that good. We were never meant to be. God puts these challenges before us, not so that we fail and be convicted, but to lean on him and be free. In fact, at times, we forget that God is even there and take control. We then ask ourselves why. We pick out what we want and discard the rest, rather than complete surrender. We deny the part we play. Fortunately. as the bible outlines, it is better to abstain and completely sacrifice than the small yield we perceive to covet. By rebelling, we deny God, and worship ourselves. In doing so, the result is not of God.
24 Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the Lord.” 26 And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 27 As Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore. 28 And Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. 29 And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” 30 Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may bow before the Lord your God.” 31 So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul bowed before the Lord.
We attempt to pardon ourselves by placing blame on our thoughts, when our decisions were at the root of the problems. The only way to truly unify with the spirit of Christ within us is to completely remove that of which cannot align with God's will and place our trust in a new path. By putting our past behind us along with regret, we can admit defeat and bow before God.
32 Then Samuel said, “Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully.[d] Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.” 33 And Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
Once our spirit is realized, we confront this major form of self worship, where it had comfortably settled in. We admit to wrongful acts associated by this form of idolatry and this idol is no more.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. 35 And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
Our body houses the holy spirit. Once consciousness is exalted, we place self will in it's proper place. Our spirit allows realization that reveals truth. This truth confirms that self will rests where it began. Regret is a form of remembrance that in truth we cast away self will and move forward in our new journey never forgetting the origin that led us to stray from God.
How this speaks to me...
I see this as those final days leading up to God's intervention. We don't quite let go and dip further. Eventually, God steps in when least expected and cleanses us. Not without one final plea that what may have happened were purely circumstantial. Deep down, we know these acts of worship must go and God makes that happen. Once removed, we walk a new pathway where love leads the way.
And Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'I have noted what Amalek (lust) did to Israel (dominion with God) in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt (dark side of ignorance). Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man (being) and woman (love coming from flesh), child (thoughts) and infant, (influence) ox (strength) and sheep (vulnerability), camel (patience) and donkey (stubborn).'"
After having made a conscious effort to abstain, our channel with the Holy Spirit is once again reestablished along with a reminder of the power lust possessed, when we were not ignorant to it. That from here on out, anything within ourselves, expressions, thoughts, influences it has, strength it contained, our vulnerabilities it manipulated, it's patient waiting, and it's stubborn ways must be rid completely.
So we move on. We start thinking and giving those thoughts power. When lust creeps in, we choose to face it in our own way. Though we see value in our ability to recognize lust for what it is, we cast it aside. We don't resent the fact that we can distinguish right from wrong as it has helped us in other areas. It's like, "Move on. I got this." We may struggle with it, but we power ahead. There comes a time when, in denial, we are faced with a comprise. Remember, we decided to set aside this response triggered by recognizing lust and reserve it for everything else. As a result, eventually we become obscure. We give in to temptation and succumb to temptation. We abort any rational thinking and venture back into recklessness. We continue to hold on to it's power; sacrificing our obedience, strength, intellect, and innocence, along with the potential they have in areas focused around good acts. Our consequence is resentment towards self.
10 The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret[c] that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night. 12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.” 13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14 And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”
17 And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” 20 And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22 And Samuel said,
“Has 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 listen than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”
Our spiritual intuitiveness realizes it's limitations. In humility, we confirm our weakness. Over time, our experiences confirm this, when our actions do not align with intent. At one time, we may have believed that we could maintain dominion over our sins, but we are just not that good. We were never meant to be. God puts these challenges before us, not so that we fail and be convicted, but to lean on him and be free. In fact, at times, we forget that God is even there and take control. We then ask ourselves why. We pick out what we want and discard the rest, rather than complete surrender. We deny the part we play. Fortunately. as the bible outlines, it is better to abstain and completely sacrifice than the small yield we perceive to covet. By rebelling, we deny God, and worship ourselves. In doing so, the result is not of God.
24 Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the Lord.” 26 And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 27 As Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore. 28 And Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. 29 And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” 30 Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may bow before the Lord your God.” 31 So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul bowed before the Lord.
We attempt to pardon ourselves by placing blame on our thoughts, when our decisions were at the root of the problems. The only way to truly unify with the spirit of Christ within us is to completely remove that of which cannot align with God's will and place our trust in a new path. By putting our past behind us along with regret, we can admit defeat and bow before God.
32 Then Samuel said, “Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully.[d] Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.” 33 And Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
Once our spirit is realized, we confront this major form of self worship, where it had comfortably settled in. We admit to wrongful acts associated by this form of idolatry and this idol is no more.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. 35 And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
Our body houses the holy spirit. Once consciousness is exalted, we place self will in it's proper place. Our spirit allows realization that reveals truth. This truth confirms that self will rests where it began. Regret is a form of remembrance that in truth we cast away self will and move forward in our new journey never forgetting the origin that led us to stray from God.
How this speaks to me...
I see this as those final days leading up to God's intervention. We don't quite let go and dip further. Eventually, God steps in when least expected and cleanses us. Not without one final plea that what may have happened were purely circumstantial. Deep down, we know these acts of worship must go and God makes that happen. Once removed, we walk a new pathway where love leads the way.
