In Exodus 18 we have a type, a portrait, of the kingdom of God. The fact that this portrait is presented after the war against Amalek indicates that when Amalek is dealt with, the kingdom with the kingship immediately comes in. This also indicates that Amalek is versus kingship.
In 1 Samuel 15, another portion of the Word concerning Amalek, we see how King Saul lost his kingship. Although Saul was properly anointed to be king, he lost the kingship because of the way he dealt with Amalek. From this we should learn to be careful in dealing with the flesh. We may deal with it in such a way that we shall lose our kingship.
According to Revelation 5:10, we Christians have been saved to be not only priests, but also kings. We are today’s Aarons and Hurs. We have been born into a royal family, a kingly family. Peter says that we are a royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9). However, not many Christians realize that they are kings by birth. Those who have some realization of this fact may pay little attention to it. Since we are kings, we should conduct ourselves like kings.
When we contact certain Christians, we sense that they bear the kingship, the authority. But when we contact other believers, we sense that they are lacking in the kingship. They are very far below the level of kingship. Since we have been born kings and shall be kings in the future, it is important for us to exercise our kingship today.
Saul lost the kingship because he did not utterly destroy Amalek. According to 1 Samuel 15:3, Saul had been charged to “go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” Whatever belonged to Amalek was to be destroyed utterly. Nothing was to be spared. Although Saul did destroy the Amalekites, he did not do so in an absolute way.
First Samuel 15:9 says, “But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.” Saul spared the best of the sheep and the “choice of the things which should have been utterly destroyed” (v. 21, Heb.). This portrays the fact that, experientially, we treasure the good aspects of our natural life, our natural virtue, for example, and do not wish to destroy them. We all treasure the good points of our flesh. All of us are Sauls. When we are charged by God to destroy the flesh, we destroy the negative things, such as our temper. But few are willing to destroy the good aspects of the natural life. No matter what kind of persons we may be, we all treasure the choice parts of our natural being. However, we should be encouraged by the fact that the Lord is still working on us and within us. From the New Testament we can see that Paul and John were delivered from their flesh. They utterly destroyed Amalek.
We need an intense light to shine upon us to show us that whatever we are in the natural life is Amalek. The Amalek within us must be utterly destroyed. We should not take any excuse for sparing any aspect of the Amalek within us.
Saul tried to excuse his failure to utterly destroy Amalek. First, he claimed that “the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen” (v. 15). I cannot find a verse in 1 Samuel 15 which tells us that Saul wanted to kill all the cattle, but the people refused to do so. I believe that Saul was lying in blaming the people for this. Saul must have been very pleased about his victory over Amalek. He even set up a pillar, a monument, for himself to serve as a memorial of his achievement (v. 12, ASV).
Second, Saul told Samuel that the best of the sheep and oxen had been spared for the purpose of offering sacrifice to God (vv. 15, 21). I do not believe, however, that Saul had such a heart for the Lord. Instead, I believe that he was lying to Samuel about the purpose of sparing the best sheep and oxen.
As I read 1 Samuel 15, I have no trust that in myself I am any better than Saul. I recognize that the picture of Saul portrays what is in me. In the matter of making excuses, we may be even worse than Saul. Every excuse is a lie. This is also true with us. Never try to excuse yourself to the Lord. No excuse can stand before Him.
Do not excuse your failure to utterly destroy the flesh. Do not say that you have a particular habit and cannot do anything about it. The claim that you cannot destroy it is a lie. If we review our past, we shall see how many times we have failed to utterly destroy the flesh. We did not obey God’s commandment to utterly destroy Amalek. Very few among the Lord’s people are absolute in destroying the flesh. This is the reason that in our practical daily life we do not have much sense of the kingship. Because we have not utterly destroyed Amalek, in our experience the kingdom has not come in full.
Recently in a particular meeting I pointed out that we all have peculiar traits which hinder us from enjoying Christ. Another thing that damages our spiritual life is our habits, which preserve the good aspects of the flesh. We are in the habit of destroying the evil aspects of the flesh and preserving the good aspects. Not many among us truly hate the “good flesh.” Nevertheless, we must come to hate every aspect of the flesh, because it is versus grace and keeps us from enjoying Christ. We must also hate the flesh because it is versus the kingship.
Sparing the good aspects of the flesh causes a definite shortage of spiritual authority. Many believers lack the weight of spiritual authority simply because they have not utterly dealt with their peculiarities. Culture, opinions, peculiarities, and habits are all hiding places of the flesh, and these damage our spiritual life. Because we spare the good aspects of the flesh, these aspects consume our kingship, our authority. As those who have been in the Lord for many years and who love Him and seek Him, we should have considerable spiritual weight. We should be filled with the kingship, with divine authority. But in many cases the opposite is true. Because they have not destroyed the “Agag” within them and the best cattle of Amalek, many saints are lacking in authority, in kingship, in spiritual weight.