Dear Reader,

In the Bible Samuel instructed King Saul to kill all the Amalekites and not to leave one alive. Saul killed all of the Amalekites, but took the king captive and spared the livestock.

“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. 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.

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.”(1 Samuel 20-23 King James Bible)

As humans we would probably have thought that King Saul did a pretty good job. He slaughtered all of the Amalekites, but one and didn’t kill the livestock. God said he wanted nothing alive not even the sheep. Samuel told Saul “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry”. 1 Samuel 15:23 King James Bible) During that time doing witchcraft was a horrible thing. And Samuel compared being rebellious to doing witchcraft. When we disobey God we do like Saul did and are being rebellious.

If Saul who killed everything but one man and livestock was being rebellious to God. When we do what God does not want us to do we are acting like King Saul did.

Amber