What Is This Bleating?


1 Samuel 15:10-23
10The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11“I regret 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. 12And 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.” 13And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15Saul 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.” 16Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.” 17And 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. 18And 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.’ 19Why 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?” 20And 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. 21But 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.” 22And 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. 23For 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.”

Up to this point in the story of King Saul’s reign we have seen a slow degrading of his character and his relationship (such as it is) with God. In the reading for today, we find open rebellion from the king and Samuel calls him out on his disobedience. It is an ugly scene. Saul is spinning out of control. Any attachment he had to God is gone.

I’ve highlighted several phrases in the passage that show us the downward spiral that Saul is taking as he fails in his leadership of God’s people.

I was stunned by the number of phrases that leapt off of the page in just thirteen verses. 
he cried to the Lord all night.
Samuel’s heart comes right off of the page as we learn of his prayer life. He is so hurt (and angered) by Saul’s rebellion that he must spend an entire night in prayer.

he set up a monument for himself
Really? Saul felt the need to memorialize this battle with a monument to himself. We’re getting a clear picture of his internal life.

what then is this bleating of the sheep?
One of the truly most ironic phrases in all of Scripture. Since Saul was told to kill everything, why are there sheep bleating in the background? Samuel’s sense of the ironic is magnificent.

for the people – twice, see below
Saul throws his own soldiers under the bus. Just as Eve blamed the Serpent and Adam blamed Eve and God, so too Saul blames his soldiers for taking the animals. (Although he is willing to admit to taking the Amalekite king.

the Lord your God,
God is placed in Samuel’s hands and Saul doesn’t claim any fidelity to Him whatsoever. This is shocking.

why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord?
The instructions were clear. Saul just chose not to obey.

do what was evil
Samuel calls a spade a spade. What Saul did was openly evil.

But the people – twice, see above

to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams
God is not looking for sacrifice. He is looking for obedience.

rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry
Saul’s sin is open rebellion against God – plain and simple.

he has also rejected you from being king.

The consequences of Saul’s rebellion are dire. He has lost the throne to someone else. None of his sons will follow him as king.

Saul and God have now parted company – by Saul’s desire, apparently. The next chapter will find Samuel anointing a new king in the person of a young boy named David. The king may fail, but God will not and in anointing David, continues of the path of keeping His promises.

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