Lit., he.

This associate was David (1 Sam. 16:1-13; 28:17).

Lit., he.

If we are not absolute in dealing with our flesh, we, like Saul, will lose our kingship. This account of Saul’s disobedience is a warning, indicating that we should not do anything in the kingdom of God by our flesh. In everything we must crucify our flesh with its passions and its lusts (Gal. 5:24; Rom. 8:13) and faithfully exercise our spirit to follow the Lord, who is the life-giving, consummated Spirit indwelling our spirit and who is one with us (1 Cor. 15:45; 6:17; 2 Tim. 4:22; Gal. 5:16, 25). Then the kingdom of God, the church as the intrinsic Body of Christ (Matt. 16:18-19; Rom. 14:17; Eph. 1:22-23), which will consummate in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2), will be built up.

Lit., devote (i.e., to destruction). So throughout this chapter. In charging Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites, God wisely put Saul in a situation in order to test him.

In typology the Amalekites signify the flesh — the fallen man (Exo. 17:8-16; Gen. 6:3a; Rom. 3:20a). God created man, not the flesh, but man became fallen and eventually became flesh. In the entire universe God’s unique enemy, in a practical sense, is not Satan but the flesh (Rom. 8:7). The flesh, the fallen man, is altogether one with Satan (Matt. 16:23) and is used by Satan to fight against God (Gal. 5:17).

Doing good according to our own will is actually an act of rebellion against God’s throne and His economy (see note Exo. 17:16¹). Saul’s disobedience exposed him as being a rebel against God and an enemy of God (see note 1 Sam. 22:17¹). What Saul did was as evil as contacting an evil spirit for the purpose of carrying out the intention of that spirit, not God’s intention. Samuel’s word in this verse indicates that sparing the good aspects of our flesh involves us with evil spirits and idolatry.

God did not want the best of the cattle to be used as a sacrifice to Him. In His eyes, such a thing was evil (v. 19). Anything presented and sacrificed to God that has its source in the flesh is evil in His sight. To offer something to God according to our own will is presumptuous and is sinful. See Gen. 4:5 and note Gen. 4:5¹; Matt. 7:22-23 and note Matt. 7:23^1a.

Saul built this monument not for the kingdom of God but for the remembrance of himself because of the victory that made both him and his monarchy rich. This was a strong indication that Saul’s intention was to build up his monarchy within God’s kingdom.

Saul and the people’s sparing the best of the things that should have been utterly destroyed portrays the fact that, experientially, we treasure the good aspects of our flesh, our natural life, and do not wish to destroy them. Whatever we do apart from God’s grace and apart from depending on Him and trusting in Him is of the flesh. Every aspect of the flesh, whether good or evil, is in opposition to grace and God’s kingship and keeps us from enjoying Christ (cf. Gal. 3:3; 5:2-4, and notes). Therefore, we must hate every aspect of the flesh and be absolute in destroying the flesh.