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Saul gathered a great army together for this battle against the Amalekites. He had two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah, and they came up against them. Before entering into battle, Saul told the Kenites, who dwelt among the Amalekites, to depart from among them, lest they fall in the battle too. God had not forgotten the kindness of the Kenites to His people — indeed nothing done for Him is ever forgotten. His people are dear to Him, and kindness shown to them is like kindness shown to Himself, for His Word says, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.” Matt. 25:4040And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matthew 25:40). The Kenites then came out from among the Amalekites.
Before going further, we can surely see a lesson for ourselves here. Many dear Christians are living among the enemies of the Lord and do not seem to realize the wrong of their position. Of course, we cannot help being with the world in our daily duties and employment, but our real “life” ought not to be among them. The Lord therefore calls us, like the Kenites, to “Come out from among them, and be ye separate.” 2 Cor. 6:1717Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, (2 Corinthians 6:17). We read of the early disciples that “being let go, they went to their own company.” Acts 4:2323And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. (Acts 4:23). How can we go on in fellowship with a world that has rejected our blessed Lord and Saviour, and is soon to come under the judgment of God? “Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:44Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4:4).
Saul then fought against the Amalekites and utterly destroyed all that was vile and refuse, but all that was good (in his eyes) he saved. He also spared the life of Agag, the king of the Amalekites. We have already mentioned in a previous paper, that Amalek figures to us the old sinful nature within, which God has told us “profits nothing” (John 6:6363It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:63)). But sometimes we are like Saul, and while we acknowledge that there are bad things in the flesh, we are inclined to think that there is also some good in it. We see nice, kind, unsaved people, and we think there must be some good there. We even think there are some good things in our own natural selves, and that we do not need to utterly condemn self before God. Perhaps there were some nice, kind people among the Amalekites too, but they were, in spite of all that, the enemies of the Lord and of His people. And so these nice, kind friends, if unsaved, are enemies of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. The very best of them will show positive enmity if we speak very much about our blessed Saviour. Out of common courtesy they may allow us to say a little, but when they find that we really love Him and want to please Him, they will soon display their true colors. Then too, even, among real Christians, the finest and best natural characters will break down in the path of faith. God has set aside the “first man” entirely. He has condemned and crucified it at the cross.
But Saul did not destroy all, as God had commanded him, and so the word of the Lord came to Samuel to go out to meet him as he returned from this battle with Amalek. Saul thought he had won a great victory, and that he had done as the Lord had commanded. Are not we like this very often? When we have given up some evil friendship, or broken some bad habit, we think we have done something wonderful, but what about our “King Agag,” and some of his belongings? Are there some fleshly things we still cling to?
ML 08/22/1954