1 Samuel 28:18
ESV
Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day.
NIV
Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today.
NASB
Just as you did not obey the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the Lord has done this thing to you this day.
CSB
You did not obey the Lord and did not carry out his burning anger against Amalek; therefore the Lord has done this to you today.
NLT
The Lord has done this to you today because you refused to carry out his fierce anger against the Amalekites.
KJV
Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day.
NKJV
Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day.
What does 1 Samuel 28:18 mean?
Saul is afraid of the upcoming battle with the Philistines. He's found a necromancer so he can talk to the spirit of Samuel. To the medium's surprise, Samuel appears. Saul wants to know why God won't answer him and what he should do. Samuel explains that God won't answer because Saul refused to obey God in previous battles. God has abandoned him (1 Samuel 28:3–18).In an earlier battle against the Philistines, Saul didn't wait for Samuel and presumptuously presented a sacrifice he wasn't meant to. Because of that, God told Saul his kingdom would not endure (1 Samuel 13:8–14). Often in the Old Testament, that meant the kingdom would transfer to another line during the time of the king's son. Jonathan would welcome that arrangement (1 Samuel 28:17).
Saul's greater sin came later during a battle with the Amalekites. God told Saul to destroy them all: people and livestock. Saul's soldiers wanted to keep the livestock, and Saul was too afraid of them to disagree. In addition, he kept Agag, the king, alive. God's judgment was that none of Saul's descendants would be king (1 Samuel 15). It seems that the Holy Spirit came on David at that very moment. At the same time, the Holy Spirit left Saul (Chapter 16:13–14).
Each time Samuel had to judge Saul, the judgment became more acute. Now, it escalates again. The next day, Saul and his sons will die in battle and Israel's army will fall (1 Samuel 28:19).
God really meant what He said all those years ago. Strangely, human beings tend to forget that God means what He says (Isaiah 46:10). Why is it we so easily dismiss the revealed words of God as empty lessons with no relevance to our situation?
