The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 166
SECT. CLXVI.
SOmetime after Samuel by Gods appointment ſendeth Saul to deſtroy the Amalekites, but before he telleth him what God commanded him to do, he putteth him in mind of Gods ſingular favour towards him, and the high honour he had exalted him unto, that thereby he might move him to perform what God commanded him with the more diligence and chearfulneſs. And though he had formerly failed in his duty, yet now remembring what the Lord had done for him, he ſhould be ſure ſtrictly to obſerve his Commands and Injunctions. Samuel now tells him that the Lord would ſend him againſt Ameleck; three ſeveral times the Lord declared that he would deſtroy the Amalekites, Exod. 17.14. Numb. 24.20. and Deut. 25.19. And now Saul is ſent to execute that vengeance upon them which the Lord had ſo long ago at ſeveral times threatned; and though the preſent King and ſubjects of Amalek had been cruel and bloody adverſaries to the people of God (as Samuel intimates, v. 33. As thy ſword hath made many women childleſs, ſo ſhall thy mother be childleſs), and ſo deſerved to be deſtroyed for their own ſins; yet becauſe the Lord would have the Iſraelites know that he had not forgot the former injury of their Anceſtors towards his people, though 'twas four hundred years ſince it was done, he reſolves now to viſit it upon them; and he mentions one circumſtance that greatly aggravated it, viz. that when his poor people had been long under a miſerable bondage in Egypt, and were newly eſcaped from it, yet even then they came out againſt them, and ſought to deſtroy them. Nor need it ſeem ſtrange that the preſent Amalekites ſhould be utterly deſtroyed, for that which their Anceſtors had done ſo many years before. For though God deſtroys none everlaſtingly but for their own ſins, yet with temporal puniſhments he doth uſually puniſh the Children for the ſins of their Anceſtors, eſpecially when the Children go on in their Fathers ſteps, as by that which is ſaid of Agag, v. 33. it ſeems thoſe Amalekites did. Samuel therefore commands Saul, from the Lord to go and ſmite Amalek, and utterly deſtroy all that they had, and not to ſpare Man, Woman or Child, no not ſo much as their very Cattle, †V. 7. Jumenta, Bruta pereunt, quippe poſſeſſiones, organa, fulcra, gaudia peccantium.For he had anathematiz'd, and devoted them all to deſtruction as he did Jericho: Saul hereupon gathers a great Army, and numbers them in the Plains of Telaim, or Telem, a City in the Tribe of Judah, Joſh. 15.24. and finds them to be two hundred thouſand footmen, beſides ten thouſand men of Judah (a)The men of Judah are reckoned apart from the men of Iſrael: 1. Becauſe they uſually had the priviledg of going firſt againſt the enemy in any common danger. 2. Becauſe the Meſſias was to come of his Tribe., Saul marching his Army and coming near to the chief City of Amalek, he ſent to the Kenites the poſterity of Jethro, who lived in Tents [ſee Judg. 4.17.] among theſe Amalekites, to depart and get them out from among them, if they loved their lives; for Jethro and his family had ſhewed kindneſs to the Iſraelites when they came out of Egypt, he himſelf came out with much joy to meet Moſes, and to congratulate all the goodneſs which the Lord had ſhewed to Iſrael; therefore now Saul gave them warning to remove away that they might not ſuffer with the Amalekites, whom God intended at this time to puniſh for the wrong their Progenitors had done to his people; but he was willing to ſpare the Kenites for the kindneſs their Anceſtors had ſhewn to them. The Kenites accordingly removed from them; ſoon after Saul in the valley of their chief City fought(b)V. 5. Vajareb, pugnavit, contendit ſcil. cum eo. with the Amalekites and diſcomfited them, and took their King Agag priſoner, and purſued them from Havilah to Shur, which is over againſt Egypt, and deſtroyed all that came out with Agag to fight againſt them, with all others they could meet with, and deſtroyed alſo their Cities and Towns. But that many of them did eſcape this ſlaughter is manifeſt from Ch. 27.8. and Ch. 30.1. as we ſhall ſee afterwards. Saul having taken their King (whom he ſhould above all the reſt have ſlain) he and the people ſpared him(c)Saul now ſpared Agag whom God had by an abſolute command devoted to deſtruction, but ſhewed himſelf afterwards ſo bloody and barbarouſly cruel that he cauſed Gods Prieſts to be ſlaughtered (whom he ſhould have preſerved) and that upon a meer ſuſpicion, Ch. 22.11., either to make their triumph more glorious, or out of covetouſneſs *Ecce quantum abſtrahit homines avaritia ab obedientia mandatorum Dei.to get a great ranſom for him, or out of fooliſh pity becauſe he was a King(e)So Ahab ſpared Benhadad, 1 King. 20.35.. They ſpared alſo the beſt of the ſheep, oxen and lambs, pretending to reſerve them for Sacrifice; but doing it out of a covetous deſire to enrich themſelves; but God having anathematiz'd and devoted them all to deſtruction, he would have eſteemed it as a pleaſing ſacrifice if they had thus offered them unto him, as he required in the caſe of Jericho, Joſh. 6.17. but they following their own reaſon, and not Gods command, ſpared all that was good, and every thing that was vile and refuſe they deſtroyed. Then the Lord ſpake to Samuel ſaying, It repenteth †Dicitur Deus reſipiſcere cum id agit quod reſipiſcentes agunt homines, nimirum cum opus ſuum demoliri ſtatuit, vid. Jacob. 1.17:me that I have ſet up Saul to be King, for he is turned from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. God is ſaid to repent when he does as men do that repent, and are grieved for what they have done; men are ſaid to repent when they undo what they have before done, ſo God now reſolved to alter the courſe of his diſpenſations towards Saul, and to retract and revoke the benefits he had beſtowed on him. Samuel hereupon was exceedingly grieved for Saul, and prayed earneſtly all night for him, hoping to have obtain'd of the Lord not to caſt him quite off. But the Lord would not hear his prayer, ſee v. 23, 26. However Samuel going out early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told him that he came to Carmel, a Town belonging to Judah, lying in the way from Amalek, [Joſh. 15.55.] and that there he had ſet up a Monument of Triumph for this victory obtain'd over the Amalekites, having the picture of a hand upon it to ſignifie that by his hand and ſword he had conquered his enemies.V. 12. Et paravit ſibi manum, i. e. fornicem triumphalem, nam trophaeis imponebatur manus ad ſignificandum quod homines valida manu eſſent profligati. Freidlib. They further told him that from thence he was gone to Gilgal. Samuel going thither to him, Saul hearing of his coming, went out to met him, and ſaid, Bleſſed be thou of the Lord, I have performed the commandment of the Lord. How hypocritically and vain gloriouſly doth he boaſt of his obedience to God when he was ſo great a tranſgreſſour? Samuel ſaid if thou haſt obeyed the Commandment of the Lord, what meaneth this bleating of ſheep in mine ears, and this lowing of oxen which I hear; Saul replies, the people ſaved the beſt of the ſheep and oxen to ſacrifice unto the Lord thy God, that is to the Lord whom thou intirely loveſt and ſerveſt, and therefore canſt not ſure but allow of the means of his Worſhip) but the reſt we have utterly deſtroyed. Samuel anſwers that he would tell him what the Lord had ſaid to him that night. Saul bids him ſay on, as expecting poſſibly ſome good meſſage from him; ſo far doth hypocriſie blind men even then when they have done that which is notoriouſly evil. Samuel ſaid when thou waſt little in thine own eyes, and but of mean condition (as thou didſt confeſs, Ch. 9.21.) God advanced thee to be King over all Iſrael; and the Lord ſent thee on an expedition againſt the Amalekites, peremptorily charging thee to deſtroy thoſe great and notorious ſinners who had ſo much malice in them againſt his people, and to fight againſt them till they were conſumed, wherefore then didſt thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didſt fly upon the ſpoil as an hungry hawk doth upon his prey, converting that to thy own uſe, like Achan which God had devoted to deſtruction, ſee Joſh. 7. Saul juſtifies himſelf and ſays he had obeyed the voice of the Lord, he had gone the way the Lord had ſent him, and had brought with him Agag King of the Amalekites, and had deſtroyed all the reſt of the Amalekites he could light on; but indeed the people had ſaved the chief of the ſheep and oxen (which ſhould have been deſtroyed) to ſacrifice unto the Lord in Gilgal *Qui locus erat ad ſacra facienda idoneus.; if this (ſays he) be a fault, 'twas they not I that committed it. But it ſeems to me to be no fault at all, ſeeing they did it out of a good intention, and reſerved the beſt of the ſpoils to ſacrifice them to the Lord, in token of their thankfulneſs for this great victory. Samuel anſwers, hath the Lord as great delight in Burnt-offerings and Sacrifices as in obeying his voice? Behold to obey is better than ſacrifice, and to hearken to the voice of God than to offer the fat †Adeps hic ponitur pro victimis adipatis, & pinguibus.of Rams, or preſent to him the beſt of Sacrifices. And the reaſon is plain, for obedience preſerveth from ſinning, whereas ſacrifices were ordained only to cleanſe us from the guilt of ſin when committed; and 'tis much better to prevent a diſeaſe than to be cured of it when contracted. And further God always accepted of obedience (a)See Jer. 7.22, 23. Iſa. 1.13, &c. and 66.3. Pſal. 50.8, 14. Prov. 15.8. Hoſ. 6.6. Mat. 12.7., and is well pleaſed with it, but rejecteth ſacrifices as but a dead carcaſs, when obedience (which is as it were their life) is wanting. He further tells him, That rebellion is as the ſin of witchcraft, and ſtubborneſs is as iniquity and idolatry; for an act of rebellion againſt any command of God (though had it not been for that command the thing would not have been of its ſelf unlawful) is as manifeſtly a ſin as as thoſe things are that are againſt the law and light of nature, and contrary to the truth and glory of Gods Eſſence as Witchcraft and Idolatry are. And ſuch was this act of Saul's in ſparing Agag, and the beſt of the Cattel; for being done expreſly againſt the command of God, it was no leſs than rebellion and ſtubborneſs againſt the Almighty, which is as hateful to him as any wickedneſs or iniquity is, yea as Idolatry it ſelf, whereby men forſake God, and ſerve Idols. Laſtly he tells him, Becauſe thou haſt rejected the word of the Lord, therefore he hath rejected *Denuntiat ei privationem regni, cujus executio Paulo poſt faciendae erat. Saulem enim poſt…a Regem manſiſſe patet, quia eum ut Regem ſuum habuit & populus, & ipſe David & Samuel, v. 32.thee, and thou ſhalt be deprived of thy Kingdom. Saul hearing this, ſaid unto Samuel, I perceive now that I have ſinned and have tranſgreſſed the Commandment of the Lord, and have not oſerved the orders that thou gaveſt me from him. Indeed I feared the people, and obeyed their voice, which was a great fault in me; however I intreat thee earneſtly to pray to the Lord for me, that he would pleaſe to pardon my ſin, and be reconciled to me; and I beſeech thee go with me to Gilgal, that there we may together praiſe God for our late victory, and alſo pray unto him for the pardon of this great ſin which my ſelf and the people have committed. Samuel replies, I will not go with thee, I will have no converſation with thee who haſt ſhewed thy ſelf ſuch a rebel againſt God, leſt I ſhould ſeem any way to allow or approve what thou haſt done. And undoubtedly Samuel really meant†Non intendebat reverti ſed poſtea mutavit propoſitum ex cauſis quae dicentur v. 31. ſic Chriſtus, Joh. 7. dixit ego non aſcendam, ſed ſtatim poſtea aſcendit. to do as he ſaid, and accordingly turned about to go away. But Saul was extream loth that he ſhould thus go away from him in an anger, and that the people ſhould take notice of his (and conſequently of Gods) diſpleaſure againſt him, wherefore he laid hold on the skirt of his mantle to detain him, and uſing ſome force to hold him, the mantle rent; Samuel tells him that this was a ſad Omen (a)The Hebrews add that it was alſo to ſhew that the man that ſhould hereafter tear off the the skirt of his garment ſhould be the man that ſhould ſucceed him in the Throne, and hence was that which Saul ſaid, Ch. 24.20. Now behold I know that thou ſhalt be King, &c.from the Lord againſt him, and ſignified that the Kingdom ſhould be rent from him, and given to a neighbour of his that was better than he, viz. to David, who was not yet known either to Saul or Samuel himſelf. And Samuel to aſſure him that what he had denounced againſt him would certainly come to paſs, he tells him that God who is the ſtrength of Iſrael was abſolutely able to effect what he had threatned, and he would not lye nor repent, nor alter his decree (b)Mutat aliquando Deus ſententiam per Prophetas ſignificatam, non autem conſilium.and purpoſe as weak men oftentimes do. Saul hereupon confeſſes again his ſin, and though the ſentence of his depoſing was ſo firmly decreed that it could not be altered, yet he intreats Samuel for the preſent to uphold his credit with the people, and to grace him with his preſence, and and to accompany him in worſhipping God. Samuel being thus importun'd went along with him(c)Non intendebat reverti ſed poſtea mutavit propoſitum. to preſerve his Government for the preſent from the diſreſpect and contempt of the people, and that he might perform what Saul had omitted, namely to deſtroy Agag. Samuel therefore being come to Gilgal commanded that Agag ſhould be brought to him; Agag came to him delicately, that is, in the attire, and with the geſture and gate of a King, thinking ſurely that the bitterneſs of death had been paſt, ſeeing he was to be brought (not before the King that took him priſoner) but before the old Prophet, who he thought (as 'tis like) would only reprehend him. When he came before Samuel, he ſaid to him, As thy ſword hath made many women childleſs, ſo ſhall thy mother be childleſs among women; then by an extraordinary motion of the Spirit of God he hewed him in pieces *See a like inſtance, 1 Kin. 18.40.in the preſence of the Lord, and his people. Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul to his own houſe at Gibeah; and Samuel never went after to viſit Saul to inſtruct him and direct him in his affairs, or to ask counſel of the Lord for him as formerly he had done. He did indeed afterwards ſee him at Naioth, but it was accidentally and unawares, Ch. 19.24. However Samuel mourned exceedingly for him, and was grieved at his diſobedience whereby he had ſo highly provoked God.
1 Sam. Ch. 15. whole Chapter.