Notes from the Study | 1 Samuel 15

Notes from the Study is a series that discusses some of the more interesting details of our sermon text that may not fit into the weekly sermon.

This week we look at 1 Samuel 15 where God finally rejects Saul as king over his people, Israel.

In "Saul, the Messiah," we discuss the Hebrew word for "anoint," from which we get the word Messiah, as well as the symbolism that anointing carries elsewhere in Scripture.

In "Who Is Amalek?" we discuss the Amalekites, whom God commanded Saul to utterly destroy. What did these people do to deserve this?

Finally, in "Did God Regret?" we ask whether God actually regretted making Saul King over Israel as we read in 1 Samuel 15, verses 11 and 35—especially since Samuel tells Saul that God does not regret.

What is the author of 1 Samuel trying to accomplish with this apparent contradiction?