1 Samuel 15:1

1 Samuel 15:1 says, Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.  Samuel came to Saul, reminding him that God had sent Samuel to Saul to anoint him as king, and then calling on him to listen to the words of the LORD.  Though we aren't called to be kings, we are called to God, by His speaking to our heart directly and/or by someone He has sent witnessing to us, and once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we must listen to God's words as to how we should live our life.  Verse two adds, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.  Samuel said God remembered how the Amalekites had laid wait for Israel when they came up out of the land of Egypt.  We can also be certain that God knows when anyone, or any group of people, are attempting to harm those who are His followers today.  Verse three continues, Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.  Samuel told Saul that God said to go and utterly destroy Amalek, all the people and all their livestock.  I know that this may seem harsh and even cruel, but we need to remember that God sees things from an eternal perspective, and we can only see from a limited perspective.  Verse four states, And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.   Saul gathered the people, and there were two hundred thousand of them, plus ten thousand men of Judah.  This was quite a change from when shortly before Saul could only raise six hundred men to fight with him.  The other change was that this time Saul was acting under God's direction.  We may never gain an advantage over the world number wise as Christians, but the main thing that we need to ensure is that we are acting under God's leadership and power.  Verse five adds, And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.  When Saul got to the city of Amalek, he did not immediately enter it to destroy it, but laid wait in the valley.  Verse six continues, And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.  Saul gave the Kenites an opportunity to leave so that they wouldn't be destroyed with the Amalekites.  Matthew Henry says that Saul probably did this by the direction of God through Samuel.  The Kenites had not sought to destroy the Israelites while they were on their way to the Promised Land, but had actually been kind to them.  Through Saul, God granted them a chance to not be destroyed if they heeded his advice.  God gives everyone that same chance today, if they will only put their faith in Jesus Christ.  If we do accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then we must spiritually separate ourselves from the rest of the world, though we are told that physically we must be amongst them.  The Kenites did as Saul instructed them to do, and were spared.  We must do what God tells us to do today, and that is to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord if we are to be spared when the final judgment comes.  Verse seven declares, And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.  Saul then killed the Amalekites, from where they were all the way to Egypt.  Verse eight adds, And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. Saul and his forces utterly destroyed the Amalekites, except for Agag their king.  This was not in accordance with what God had told Saul to do.  If we as Christians are following God's commands today, we must obey it totally, and not stop short of what He has called us to do.  Verse nine continues, But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.  The people of Israel and Saul also deviated from God's command by keeping the best of the livestock and only destroying those which were vile and refuse.  They did not obey God's command, and as king, Saul should have ensured that they did.  We cannot allow anything to come between God and us, no matter how desirable it may look.