David: God's own heart Chapter 5: The order to destroy the Amalekites

The Order to Destroy the Amalekites

To fully understand Samuel’s prophetic role, we must consider 1 Samuel 15:3. The instruction was unambiguous: total destruction of the Amalekites. This wasn’t a passage open to interpretation—it was a command rooted in divine justice, not human emotion. It was a moment of judgment where mercy was withheld and God's wrath was fully revealed in favor of Israel.

This passage has caused many Christians to wrestle with its implications. Some have struggled in their faith, comparing the wrathful God of the Old Testament to the loving Jesus of the New. But the same God who is loving is also just. As seen in Exodus 17:15, God remembers what humans often forget. His justice operates on a divine scale, not by human standards.

God is a forgiving God, but He is also the righteous Judge who punishes transgressors. His justice restores order and defends the innocent—it’s not only about wrath, but also about vindication for the oppressed. What seems harsh to man is, from God’s view, a necessary act to preserve righteousness and fulfill His promises.

To understand this, we must look backward. God instructed Samuel to have Saul completely eradicate the Amalekites. Saul nearly obeyed—but spared one: the queen, rumored to be pregnant. This act of false mercy was disobedience. That single spared life led to greater consequences: from her line came Haman, the Agagite seccond in command at that time who sought to annihilate the Jews during Queen Esther’s time.

This disobedience forced God to act again—this time through a woman, Esther, to protect His people and administer justice. What Saul failed to finish, God had to correct generations later. Samuel fulfilled his role; Saul did not. And through it, we see a powerful truth: partial obedience is still disobedience.

AC

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