Living in the Image of God M04S05
Through the punishment of King Saul for discriminatory execution of judgment against the Amalekites, we learn that Equality Under the Law is important to God for human interactions and relationships. God terminated Saul as king of Israel because he did not execute judgment equally against the Amalekites as God directed him. Instead, Saul captured alive those he considered good but destroyed at sight those he considered despised and weak, in violation of his instructions and the principle of Equality Under the Law. God punished him swiftly for the violation, thereby providing a message of individual responsibility for Equality Under the Law as guiding principle for participation in society.
This bible study is the first of a two-part miniseries to understand the biblical basis for individual responsibility regarding civil rights. We discuss two events from the bible to understand their significance regarding relationships between individuals and society. The first event provides a message regarding the principle of Equality Under the Law, based on the punishment of first king of Israel Saul for discriminatory execution of judgment against the Amalekites. God had instructed Saul to destroy the Amalekites to implement his judgment against them but Saul applied a discriminatory criterion in executing the instruction.
Instead of destroying Amalek totally as God commanded, Saul captured alive whatever he considered good and destroyed at sight whatever he considered despised and worthless. Thus, he violated the principle of Equality Under the Law and disobeyed God’s instruction as a result. God terminated him swiftly as king of Israel, thereby conveying a message of individual responsibility regarding Equality Under the Law.
The second study will be based on a ruling by David, long before he became the second king of Israel, regarding the distribution of battle proceeds among his followers. The current study focuses on Equality Under the Law, based on 1 Samuel 15.
Command to King Saul Regarding Amalek
God judged Amalek for complete destruction and sent Prophet Samuel to command the king of Israel Saul to execute the judgment: “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’” [1 Samuel 15:1]. God commanded Saul to kill all the people of Amalek and destroy everything that belonged to them [1 Samuel 15:2–3]: “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. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
Equal application of the law regarding execution of the judgment means destruction of every Amalekite and their possession, irrespective of differences or classifications among them.
Discrimination and Violation by King Saul
In executing the judgment, Saul devised discriminatory criteria to separate the Amalekites and their possessions into two classes. He used the classification as a basis for discriminatory execution of God’s judgment. Everything he considered good he spared for special treatment later. In contrast, he destroyed at sight people or things he considered despised and weak.
That is, King Saul did not apply the law equally to all in executing God’s judgment against the Amalekites [1 Samuel 15:9]: “But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.”
God had commanded Saul to totally destroy the Amalekites and all that belonged to them. He was to put to death everyone: men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys, and all that belonged to the Amalekites. The command meant that Saul was to execute the judgment to all equally, irrespective of who or what. That is the underlying principle of Equality Under the Law.
In contrast, Saul spared Agag the king. Also, he spared the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs: he captured alive everything that he considered good. He led his army to preserve whatever they considered good for a different treatment later. But they totally destroyed everything that they classified as despised and weak. That is, Saul divided the Amalekites into two classes according to his criteria and used the classification for a discriminatory application of the law. Thus, King Saul violated the principle of Equality Under the Law and disobeyed God’s command as a result.
Punishment for Saul
God was swift in punishing Saul for the violation. He announced the punishment through Prophet Samuel. He informed Samuel that he regretted making Saul king [1 Samuel 15:10]: “Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: ‘I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.’”
Samuel confronted Saul regarding his mission against the Amalekites. Saul responded that the best of what he captured alive will be sacrificed to God: “The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal” [1 Samuel 15:21].
But Samuel scolded Saul that God does not tolerate disobedience and announced Saul’s termination as king [1 Samuel 15: 22–23]: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
God terminated Saul’s position as king of Israel because he disobeyed instructions regarding execution of judgment against the Amalekites. Saul disobeyed the instructions by violating the principle of Equality Under the Law.
Individual Responsibility
The punishment of Saul for discriminatory execution of judgment against the Amalekites conveys a message that Equality Under the Law is important to God. Equality Under the Law means that every law of a people must apply equally to every person, irrespective of differences or classifications. Any features or conditions that tend to hinder equality under the law must be modified. Also, any law that in its ramification does not apply equally to every person must be modified to apply equally.
Every person is individually responsible to understand the principle and biblical basis of Equality Under the Law; understand potential applications of the principle in human interactions and relationships; and use the understanding to guide individual participation in society.
Summary of What We Learned
Through the punishment of King Saul for discriminatory execution of judgment against the Amalekites, we learn that Equality Under the Law is important to God for human interactions and relationships.
God terminated Saul as king of Israel because he did not execute judgment equally against the Amalekites as God directed him. Instead, Saul captured alive those he considered good but destroyed at sight those he considered despised and weak, in violation of his instructions and the principle of Equality Under the Law.
God punished him swiftly for the violation, thereby providing a message of individual responsibility for Equality Under the Law as guiding principle for participation in society.