Tag: Amalekites

Much Better To Listen And Obey

Neal Pollard

God has a straightforward task for Saul in 1 Samuel 15. As a consequence for their opposition to Israel as they are fleeing Egypt in the battle where Aaron and Hur hold up Moses’ arm as Joshua leads the battle (Ex. 17:8-16), Amalek was devoted for destruction by God (Deut. 25:17-19)(1 Sam. 15:1-3). God is not ambiguous. He says “devote to destruction all they have” (3) and “do not spare them” whether man, woman, child, infant, or livestock (3). 

Saul is given the task of carrying out that total annihilation. He amasses a huge army of 210,000 soldiers and sets out against Amalek (4). After warning the Kenites (5-6; Num. 10:29-32) among the Amalekites to leave or die, Saul and his army thoroughly defeat this enemy (7). Up to this point, Saul’s effort has been nothing but a success!

However, Saul decides to do things the way he thinks is best. While he kills all the people as God instructs, “Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction” (9). God commanded Saul and he “would not” do it.

Samuel records some pretty chilling words regarding His choice of Saul. God says, “I regret that I made Saul king” (11,35). This is very similar to what God said about humanity in Noah’s day (Gen. 6:6-7). The text reveals several factors that led to God’s grief. 

  • Saul turned back from following God (11)–He followed what he wanted to do
  • Saul had not performed God’s commandments (11)–He neglected or omitted what God instructed
  • Saul blamed his followers for this sin (15,21)–He left out his part as decision-maker and pinned it on the people
  • Saul forgot his humble roots (17)–He allowed his position to go to his head
  • Saul was disobedient (19)–This was at the very core of Saul’s issues
  • Saul was greedy (19)–He pounced on the spoil
  • Saul had no fear of God (19)–He did evil in the very sight of Him
  • Saul rationalized (20-21)–He claimed to have done what God said except for the “best of the spoil” in order to sacrifice them to God; He reasoned that it was OK since his motives, he claimed, were right.
  • Saul feared the people and listened to them (24)–He got things backward!

But, that is when Samuel delivers the well-known, oft-quoted response to Saul. He tells the king, ““Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king” (22-23). What was going through Saul’s mind? Whatever it specifically was, he decided his way was better than the way God commanded him to go. 

God’s attitude toward such a spirit and mindset is crystal clear. God rejects it! It’s obvious that Saul knew what he was doing. His confession of sin reflects he completely understood what he had done wrong (24-25), but he still feels more concerned about his image with the people than his integrity before God (25,30). He falls at Samuel’s feet and tears the prophet’s robe, and Samuel tells him that symbolized how the kingdom has been torn away from him and his descendants (27-29). Samuel tells him he cannot and he will not keep up appearances for Saul’s sake, but he does follow Saul back to the people so that he can finish the job Saul had not done. He kills Agag (32-34). Then, he leaves Saul never to see him again (35). Samuel was far from hard-hearted, but instead grieved over how Saul had turned out.

It is dangerous for us to put question marks where God has put periods and exclamation marks. We have no right to make right what God has clearly deemed wrong, and we’re wrong to make wrong what God has not forbidden. Saul put himself in God’s place and thereby placed himself in spiritual danger. Perhaps worst of all is behaving in such a way that God regrets choosing to use us to accomplish His will because we would not trust and obey! We can always be sure that what God says is right and only His way is the way to go. In case we lose sight of that, we help ourselves by reviewing the sad case of Saul! “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams” (22).

Hur The Hero

Friday’s Column: Brent’s Bent

“Hur” appears three times in the Bible, all in the Old Testament. Many people have also heard of an extra-biblical Hur. This latter Hur is associated with the character “Judah Ben-Hur” from the film Ben-Hur. However, the character in the movie is not based on any of the men named “Hur” in the Bible. Instead, the author of Ben-Hur likely chose the name Judah Ben-Hur as a nod to the biblical Hurs. Still, the character in the movie is entirely made up, except for maybe their name, and has nothing to do with any of the men in the Bible named Hur.

Nehemiah mentions the least-known of the three in passing in Nehemiah 3.9. Hur was the father of Rephaiah, who was a leader in Jerusalem and fixed a part of the city’s walls while Nehemiah was in charge of rebuilding.

A Midianite king was another Hur in the Bible during Moses’ time. In the land of Shittim, the Midianites deceived God’s people, leading them into sexual immorality and idolatry. As a result, God gave Moses the command to exact vengeance on the Midianites and their chiefs: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. As a result, the Israelites slaughtered every Midianite man, including all five commanders (Numbers 31.7–8). This battle was Moses’ last.

But the most famous Hur is found in the book of Exodus. He is said to be of the Judah tribe. Hur was probably in charge of the Israelites because Moses talks a lot about him in connection with Aaron, his brother, and the high priest of the Israelites. During the Israelites’ battle with the Amalekites, Hur was one of two men who supported Moses’ arms. Moses stood on a hill with his staff in hand and raised his arms in prayer when the Israelites were under attack from the Amalekites on their way to the Promised Land (Exodus 17.8–9). The Israelites were victorious as long as Moses raised his arms, but once he did, the Amalekites began to overtake the Israelites (Exodus 17.11). When Moses’ arms grew tired, he sat down on a stone, with Aaron and Hur standing beside him to support his arms. Joshua used the sword to defeat the Amalekite army as they did so (Exodus 17.12–13).

When Moses went to Mount Sinai to get the Ten Commandments, he gave Aaron and Hur the responsibility of caring for the people (Exodus 24:13–15). When Moses returned, he found the people worshiping a golden calf instead of the Lord. So Aaron created a golden calf (Exodus 32.2–4)!

We don’t know what role, if any, Hur played in this incident, but according to Jewish tradition, the people killed Hur because he tried to prevent idolatry. The story goes that when the Israelites murdered Hur, Aaron capitulated to the people out of fear. The Midrash says that Satan used Moses’ lateness to make the Israelites think that Moses had died. The terrified Israelites demanded that Aaron and Hur produce gods to lead them. Hur stood up and rebuked the people, reminding them of God’s miracles. People rose and killed him right away. As a result, Jewish tradition holds that the Israelites broke three commandments on the day of the Golden Calf, the last of which was the murder of Hur. Of course, there is no way to validate this Jewish tradition.

Still, this Jewish tradition may have come about to explain why Moses doesn’t talk about Hur after Exodus 32 and the golden calf. Hur’s name appears only once more in the Torah, within a genealogy. So, what became of Hur? Moses had again left him in charge with Aaron before ascending to the top of Mount Sinai. He was a man of some importance. So, it is odd that he seemingly evaporates.

The last time the Bible talks about Hur is when it says that he was the grandfather of Bezalel, the inspired craftsman who oversaw the building of the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 31:1–11). Returning to Jewish tradition, it concludes with redemption. According to Rabbi Ohr Hachaim (1696–1743), the name Hur derives from the same root word as “freedom.” He explains that the Israelites were only finally freed from the stain of their sins with the golden calf through the tabernacle’s construction. Their penance for their sinful behavior that had driven God away was to build a house for God. In other words, Betzalel, Hur’s grandson, provided a way for the Israelites to atone for their sins, including his grandfather’s murder.

That is all very well, but it is a Jewish tradition. Moses’ inspired account is silent on whether or not God granted Hur’s grandson the task because of its symbolism. But we can draw some lessons from Hur’s life for today’s people.

The first application is that we must support those who do church work, whether leaders, evangelists, or servants. Hur may not have been able to fight the Amalekites, but he could help Moses, whose obedience brought the Israelites victory. We can inspire others. In this way, we should always appreciate our ability to influence Christ’s cause. The second application is that we can never know how our lives will affect God’s eternal plans. Hur may have made a small name for himself, but his grandson was in charge of building the Tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant. Thus, without Hur, there could have been no Betzalel. God could have chosen someone else for the job, but Betzalel was the one God chose. As a result, the good you’ve done in the world may live on in the person whose life you’ve touched.

Brother Flavil Nichols tells how a young woman’s baptism resulted in the conversion of over 21,000 people! She taught her husband to read, so he studied the Bible. That man became a preacher and converted another man, who also became a preacher. And that preacher was the one who baptized Flavil’s father, Gus Nichols. Because of this long chain of influence, one woman’s life has incredible value. How many people will eventually receive salvation as a result of her actions? It reminds you of the importance of one life in this world.

So, whether it’s helping other people with their work or leaving a mark on the world through our actions, one thing is sure: we must stay strong (1 Corinthians 15.58)! Paul’s message reminds us to remain steadfast in our work and not give up, while Hur’s example reminds us that even those who work behind the scenes can make a significant impact. Both teachings encourage us to stick with our goals and make a positive difference in the lives of those around us.

Yes, we must emulate Hur, the unsung hero.

Brent Pollard