Death by Flesh

So here's what gets me. SAUL'S DEATH.
Saul, as we know, WAS the Lord's anointed at one point in time. Saul's anointing left when he disobeyed the Lord's command by not destroying ALL the Amalekites as commanded (1 samuel 15:2-3).

The Amalekites in the O.T. are symbolic of the flesh. Thus, Saul's (the anointed kind of Israel) battle against the Amalekites (the flesh) is tres interesante! You see, the Lord commanded the harshest of punishments to be inflicted upon the Amalekites, such is the flesh. Don't leave room for it to take over- destroy ALL of it.

God told Saul, "I will punish Amalek (king of the AMALEKites) for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them.."

So what did Saul do? (1 samuel 15:9) "but Saul and the people spared Agag (descendant of Amalek) and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to destroy them. But everything despised and worthless they utterly destroy."

EPIC FAIL. But real talk, how often do we do that when the Lord tells us to die to our flesh? "Lord i've stopped doing the drugs, the drunkenness, pre-marital sex.. But all my other flaws can stay, they aren't too major, I mean everyone cusses and is angry or jealous- hope you understand!" NO. That's NOT going to fly with the Lord.

So what was so interesting about Sauls death? Well Saul lost his anointing by not slaughtering ALL the Amalekites. In the end of 1 Samuel, a crazy battle between Israel & the Amalekites is going down. Saul falls on his own sword (as we all know cuz u read my previous note) to avoid a dishonorable death/torture (smart dude,huh).. However that didn't kill him, just wounded him severely.

What did him in, you ask? Check out what this young man who saw Saul w/ a sword thrust through him, 2 Sam 1:8
"And he said to me 'who are you?' So I answered him 'I am an Amalekite'" v.9 "he said to me again 'please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upom me, but my life still remains in me'" v.10 "so I stood over him and killed him..."

Saul spared the Amalekites, he spared the part of his sin that he could not let go of and ended up dying by an Amalekite's hand...

What ever sin you're letting linger, is it worth dying for?

Created over 2 years ago