“Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. 2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy[a] all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’” 4 So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim—two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand from Judah. 5 Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. 6 Then he said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites. 7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt. 8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves[b] and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed. 10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.” 1 Samuel 15.1-10
King Saul was at it again. When the word of the Lord came through Samuel instructing Saul to completely destroy the Amalekites, it seems Saul missed the emphasis on “completely.” It’s like a child telling his mother, “I know you told me to do my homework, and I did most of it.” But some is not all. In this case, Saul brought destruction upon the enemy but did not fully obey the word of the Lord.
So, what did he do? He destroyed everything except King Agag and the best sheep, cattle, calves, lambs, and “everything that was good.” Saul chose to follow his eyes rather than his heart and mind. It’s reminiscent of Adam and Eve in the garden — the serpent convinced them that it made no sense not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Similarly, it seemed foolish to Saul to destroy the best livestock. So, he disobeyed. As a result, God told Samuel, “I regret that I have made Saul king.”
Have you ever deeply disappointed someone? Not just a little, but enough to see the disappointment, regret, and sadness in their eyes? I believe this is what God felt in that moment about King Saul. Samuel felt it too. He had mentored Saul, guided him, rebuked him, and directed him. Now, seeing the king’s failure, Samuel wasn’t just angry because Saul knew better — he was heartbroken. Scripture tells us that Samuel was in anguish and “cried out to the Lord all night.”
When we face regret, whether from God or from someone else, we know the weight of our actions. The consequences feel final. Yet, we can choose to learn from Saul’s mistake. We can listen to God’s voice, run from sin and evil, and place our hope in His hands. The lessons in Scripture are here to shape us into the people God has called us to be.
All of us who are in Christ Jesus have been grafted into God’s family. As 1 Peter 2:10 says, “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
Do you need mercy today? Have your actions led you to moments of personal regret? Be like Samuel — cry out to the Lord. Seek His face, and you will receive His mercy over and over again.
“O Lord God, this is the season of Advent, and we have access to You through Your Son, Jesus! When we turn away, Your love compels us to return. When we fail, You lift us up. When we falter, You remain our faithful Father. Come now, Holy Spirit, and fill me with Your love. Help me find my rest in You, for You are good, and Your love endures forever.” Amen.