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Why did Samuel reject Saul after the war against the Amalekites?
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Samuel
Samuel anointing David as king, stained-glass window by Charles Blakeman, 1953ā56; in St. Etheldreda's Church, London.
Samuel rejected Saul as king because Saul failed to follow the divine command of holy war regarding the Amalekites.
Although Saul defeated the Amalekites, he did not carry out the required ban (herem), which mandated the total destruction of the enemy and their possessions. Instead, Saul spared the Amalekite king, Agag, and kept the best of the sheep and cattle, ostensibly for use as a sacrifice. Samuel condemned this act of disobedience, declaring that to obey is better than to sacrifice. Consequently, Samuel informed Saul that he had been rejected by God, and the two men never saw each other again.1