1 Samuel 15:3
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. 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.
The Lord commanded Saul to strike Amalek and utterly destroy all people and possessions without sparing anyone or anything. The judgment came because Amalek was the first to attack Israel coming out of Egypt, with cruelty, idolatry, defiance of God, and hostility to His people. Though the sentence had been recorded through Moses, its execution was delayed four hundred years while the Amalekites did not abandon their sins and would still have destroyed God's people and worship if they could. The definite work tested whether Saul would treat God's requirements as supreme, but he only partly obeyed, destroying what was valueless while sparing Agag and the best livestock and then claiming he had fulfilled the command. That partial execution was not mercy, judgment, or worship but rebellion and disobedience, for God's commands leave no choice to spare by human reasoning, and Saul's refusal led to his rejection as king.
Command and Its Background
The Lord's command to Saul was to strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that belonged to them, sparing no people or animals — man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass — including the king and all possessions. It was given through the prophet as a commission to carry out God's sentence of total destruction, leaving nothing spared. The command recalled that Amalek was the first to attack Israel in the wilderness as the people came out of Egypt after the exodus.
Amalek brought this judgment by cruelty, idolatry, defiance of God and hostility to His people. They mocked His deliverance, vowed to wipe out Israel, declared that Israel's God could not save them, and boasted that their own wise men and magicians could do the same wonders. The sentence had been recorded through Moses but its execution was delayed four hundred years. During that time the Amalekites had not abandoned their sins and would, if able, destroy God's people and worship, so even their children were included and their possessions were under a curse.
God appointed Israel, the people Amalek had despised, to execute His judgment. It was not to be pursued as royal honor or as keeping of spoil for wealth, prestige, or sacrifice. In this way all nations would see the doom of a proud and powerful people who defied His sovereignty, as a warning of the end of those who set themselves against Him.
Obedience Tested and Required
The command laid a definite work upon Saul through the prophet, to carry out the sentence of total destruction, and it tested whether he would treat God's requirements as supreme rather than substitute his own judgment. It gave him opportunity to correct past errors, for accepting reproof with true contrition, humility, and faith could have turned his failures into victories. He failed that test, for he destroyed only what was inferior and valueless to him while sparing Agag and keeping the best livestock. The commission included people, king, and animals with nothing spared, yet he spared the wicked king and preserved the best cattle while destroying the inferior.
He then claimed he had carried out the command and returned with a captive king and valuable spoil in search of honor and renown. He excused the survival of the animals as reserved for sacrifice to God, justifying disobedience with religious aims and blaming the people. That partial execution was disobedience, not acceptable mercy, sound judgment, or worship, for the command required complete obedience and left no choice to spare according to his own reasoning. The possessions were under a curse to be carried out as appointed judgment, not kept for wealth, prestige, or sacrifice, and following his own reasoning instead brought condemnation.
The command was binding and not optional, illustrating that God's instructions are not left to personal preference, as with the command to the first human pair and the command to keep the seventh day holy. Keeping some requirements while setting aside others brings consequences. Refusal to obey was rebellion against God's command and led to rejection as king and brought God's wrath upon him. Neglecting an assigned duty is not harmless, even when the neglected work is to confront and remove wrongdoing.