Call to Worship July 18 2021
Expository Thoughts on 1 Samuel 15:9-23
October 3 rd , 2003 is not particularly memorable for most people. Yet it was a day Mr. Roy Horn
will never forget because he was almost killed. A tiger he had trained for years attacked him and
left him with life threatening injuries. He worked with large wild cats for decades and knew the
danger, but had become somewhat over confident in his work. One of his professional animal
handlers thought “Horn was spending too little time with the tigers before shows, eroding the
bond between animal and performer. ‘Many of the handlers thought that Roy was treating the
cats more like props…’” 1 Years earlier Mr. Horn stated, “There’s really never been any big
incident; they are perfectly well trained,” he said. “But there is no such thing as complete
security…” 2 After October 3 rd , Roy Horn was never the same and his Las Vegas career abruptly
ended. It seems you can never truly tame a tiger and to get too close or used to them is not wise.
Israel had forgotten the bite and scars left by the roaming Amalekites. For approximately two to
three hundred years Israel had lived just north and west of this nomadic people. 3 They had
become more accustom to their attacks, and their culture, rather than alert and vigilant. Even
though God had granted them a king, they still struggled to obey the word of the LORD. Saul
received command to “utterly destroy” the Amalekites. Everything was to be destroyed, but Saul
spared Agag and the people saved the best of the livestock (vs. 9, 21).
Israel forgot who they were dealing with on two fronts. First, they were to destroy the same
Amalekites who had antagonized and killed their people. These were the same people who had
set their hand against God. The Amalekites were like an untamable tiger. Second, it was God
Almighty who promised to judge the Amalekites. He is the God who delivered Israel from their
enemies on multiple occasions and who set them apart as a nation. Now they chose to interpret
God’s command according to their thought and wisdom. They forgot that the Lion of Judah is
good, but not safe. 4
Israel and Saul trusted their own reasoning more than the truth they had been taught. If Israel had
listened to the command in full remembrance of the brutality of the Amalekites and their
defiance of God, they would not have spared anyone or thing (vs. 21). If Saul had remembered
he was God’s kingly instrument to lead and protect Israel he would not have allowed any
disobedience. Yet Israel repeatedly played with the untamed tiger and dared to stare down the
Lion-like Jehovah, King of creation. They thought their reasoning for using the livestock was
better than the command itself (vs. 21). “To reject Yahweh’s word,” according to D.R. Davis, “is
to reject Yahweh Himself.” 5 In other words, Israel and Saul acted more like the Amalekites in
defiance of God than children of the Most High King.
Israel did not remember or heed the words and warnings of the Lord and Saul did not follow His
command. Our sins are no different. We often fear the world more than we fear God (vs.24).
Sometimes we convince ourselves of our obedience. We tell God and others what we did or we
1 https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2019/03/28/siegfried-roy-tiger-handler-says-cause-2003-mauling-
covered-up/3305790002/
2 https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/decade-after-roy-horns-mauling-earlier-attack-recalled/
3 Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, ed. Merrill C. Tenney, (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI., 1975-76.), pg.
122.
4 C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, (Harper Trophy, 2000.), pg. 79-80.
5 Dale Ralph Davis, I Samuel: Looking on the Heart, (Christian Focus Pub., 2014.), 159.
Expository Thoughts on 1 Samuel 15:9-23
October 3 rd , 2003 is not particularly memorable for most people. Yet it was a day Mr. Roy Horn
will never forget because he was almost killed. A tiger he had trained for years attacked him and
left him with life threatening injuries. He worked with large wild cats for decades and knew the
danger, but had become somewhat over confident in his work. One of his professional animal
handlers thought “Horn was spending too little time with the tigers before shows, eroding the
bond between animal and performer. ‘Many of the handlers thought that Roy was treating the
cats more like props…’” 1 Years earlier Mr. Horn stated, “There’s really never been any big
incident; they are perfectly well trained,” he said. “But there is no such thing as complete
security…” 2 After October 3 rd , Roy Horn was never the same and his Las Vegas career abruptly
ended. It seems you can never truly tame a tiger and to get too close or used to them is not wise.
Israel had forgotten the bite and scars left by the roaming Amalekites. For approximately two to
three hundred years Israel had lived just north and west of this nomadic people. 3 They had
become more accustom to their attacks, and their culture, rather than alert and vigilant. Even
though God had granted them a king, they still struggled to obey the word of the LORD. Saul
received command to “utterly destroy” the Amalekites. Everything was to be destroyed, but Saul
spared Agag and the people saved the best of the livestock (vs. 9, 21).
Israel forgot who they were dealing with on two fronts. First, they were to destroy the same
Amalekites who had antagonized and killed their people. These were the same people who had
set their hand against God. The Amalekites were like an untamable tiger. Second, it was God
Almighty who promised to judge the Amalekites. He is the God who delivered Israel from their
enemies on multiple occasions and who set them apart as a nation. Now they chose to interpret
God’s command according to their thought and wisdom. They forgot that the Lion of Judah is
good, but not safe. 4
Israel and Saul trusted their own reasoning more than the truth they had been taught. If Israel had
listened to the command in full remembrance of the brutality of the Amalekites and their
defiance of God, they would not have spared anyone or thing (vs. 21). If Saul had remembered
he was God’s kingly instrument to lead and protect Israel he would not have allowed any
disobedience. Yet Israel repeatedly played with the untamed tiger and dared to stare down the
Lion-like Jehovah, King of creation. They thought their reasoning for using the livestock was
better than the command itself (vs. 21). “To reject Yahweh’s word,” according to D.R. Davis, “is
to reject Yahweh Himself.” 5 In other words, Israel and Saul acted more like the Amalekites in
defiance of God than children of the Most High King.
Israel did not remember or heed the words and warnings of the Lord and Saul did not follow His
command. Our sins are no different. We often fear the world more than we fear God (vs.24).
Sometimes we convince ourselves of our obedience. We tell God and others what we did or we
1 https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2019/03/28/siegfried-roy-tiger-handler-says-cause-2003-mauling-
covered-up/3305790002/
2 https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/decade-after-roy-horns-mauling-earlier-attack-recalled/
3 Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, ed. Merrill C. Tenney, (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI., 1975-76.), pg.
122.
4 C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, (Harper Trophy, 2000.), pg. 79-80.
5 Dale Ralph Davis, I Samuel: Looking on the Heart, (Christian Focus Pub., 2014.), 159.
Expository Thoughts on 1 Samuel 15:9-23
October 3rd, 2003 is not particularly memorable for most people. Yet it was a day Mr. Roy Horn will never forget because he was almost killed. A tiger he had trained for years attacked him and left him with life threatening injuries. He worked with large wild cats for decades and knew the danger, but had become somewhat over confident in his work. One of his professional animal handlers thought “Horn was spending too little time with the tigers before shows, eroding the bond between animal and performer. ‘Many of the handlers thought that Roy was treating the cats more like props…’”[1] Years earlier Mr. Horn stated, “There’s really never been any big incident; they are perfectly well trained,” he said. “But there is no such thing as complete security…”[2] After October 3rd, Roy Horn was never the same and his Las Vegas career abruptly ended. It seems you can never truly tame a tiger and to get too close or used to them is not wise.
Israel had forgotten the bite and scars left by the roaming Amalekites. For approximately two to three hundred years Israel had lived just north and west of this nomadic people.[3] They had become more accustom to their attacks, and their culture, rather than alert and vigilant. Even though God had granted them a king, they still struggled to obey the word of the LORD. Saul received command to “utterly destroy” the Amalekites. Everything was to be destroyed, but Saul spared Agag and the people saved the best of the livestock (vs. 9, 21).
Israel forgot who they were dealing with on two fronts. First, they were to destroy the same Amalekites who had antagonized and killed their people. These were the same people who had set their hand against God. The Amalekites were like an untamable tiger. Second, it was God Almighty who promised to judge the Amalekites. He is the God who delivered Israel from their enemies on multiple occasions and who set them apart as a nation. Now they chose to interpret God’s command according to their thought and wisdom. They forgot that the Lion of Judah is good, but not safe.[4]
Israel and Saul trusted their own reasoning more than the truth they had been taught. If Israel had listened to the command in full remembrance of the brutality of the Amalekites and their defiance of God, they would not have spared anyone or thing (vs. 21). If Saul had remembered he was God’s kingly instrument to lead and protect Israel he would not have allowed any disobedience. Yet Israel repeatedly played with the untamed tiger and dared to stare down the Lion-like Jehovah, King of creation. They thought their reasoning for using the livestock was better than the command itself (vs. 21). “To reject Yahweh’s word,” according to D.R. Davis, “is to reject Yahweh Himself.”[5] In other words, Israel and Saul acted more like the Amalekites in defiance of God than children of the Most High King.
Israel did not remember or heed the words and warnings of the Lord and Saul did not follow His command. Our sins are no different. We often fear the world more than we fear God (vs.24). Sometimes we convince ourselves of our obedience. We tell God and others what we did or we erect mental monuments to praise ourselves (vs. 12). We think we understand the world and its ways. We become use to worldliness, the flesh, and the devil. We often entertain them as a pet, but they are for us an untamable tiger. God desires our obedience to His commands over our own thoughts and ways of pleasing Him. May we remember, “All sin is God-murder. The sinner hates God, and hate always seeks the destruction of its object…Oh how odious, loathsome, and abominable is sin!”[6] Remember first and foremost we have sinned against the incomparable God and may that thought keep us striving against sin. Soli Deo Gloria!
[1] https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2019/03/28/siegfried-roy-tiger-handler-says-cause-2003-mauling-covered-up/3305790002/
[2] https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/decade-after-roy-horns-mauling-earlier-attack-recalled/
[3] Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, ed. Merrill C. Tenney, (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI., 1975-76.), pg. 122.
[4] C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, (Harper Trophy, 2000.), pg. 79-80.
[5] Dale Ralph Davis, I Samuel: Looking on the Heart, (Christian Focus Pub., 2014.), 159.
[6] George Swinnock, The Blessed and Boundless God, (Reformation Heritage Pub., Grand Rapids, 2014), pg. 112-113.