1S15-3: Who Does God Hate?

“Sh’mu’el said to Sha’ul, ‘Adonai sent me to anoint you king over his people, over Isra’el. Now listen to what Adonai has to say. Here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says: ‘I remember what ‘Amalek did to Israel, how they fought against Isra’el when they were coming up from Egypt.'”-1 Samuel 15:1-2

Who does God hate?

Does that question make you wince?

If you’re a typical Christian, I’m sure it does.

Because you’ve probably been taught that God is love and He doesn’t hate anybody.

Well, if that’s your ridiculous maple syrupy position, I’m sorry to bust your bubble homie, because that notion simply doesn’t line up with what the Scripture says.

The Lord our God DOES hate.

He DOES have those He considers to be His immortal enemies.

And one of those enemies is known as Amalek in the Scriptures.

After some amount of time had passed since the Battle of Mikhmas Pass, God had decided it was time to finally deal with this supreme earthly adversary of Israel.

God sent His Prophet Samuel to Saul and ordered him to exterminate the Amalekites.

And when I say “exterminate”, I ain’t kidding.

The instructions were to “kill every man and woman, child and baby, cows and sheep, camels and donkeys.“

Now, why Amalek was Israel’s arch-enemy and why they absolutely despised Israel may be difficult to understand.

But understand it we must.

Because their hatred for Israel is why God hated them.

The origins of Amalek are also difficult to trace unless you possess an exceptionally strong understanding of Scripture.

But we must understand who and what they are because they are a type or pattern that will show up again in the last days.

So let’s start with some basic facts.

What we do know is that they are partly related to Esau, who was Jacob’s twin brother.

They lived in the desert in places like the upper Sinai and the Negev region, and even as far as the Arabian Peninsula.

Esau, also called Edom meaning “red” had a son named Eliphaz.

Eliphaz, in turn, had a son named Amalek with a woman named Timna (a Horite).

So, in a nutshell, it can be said that the Amalekites are descendants of Esau through his grandson Amalek.

Now, let’s switch over to the takeaway for today.

I began this article with the controversial question “Who does God hate?”.

You should know by now the answer to that question is God hates those who hate His people Israel.

The promise God made to Abraham so many thousands of years ago still stands today and is as relevant as ever.

“I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
-Genesis 12:3

This should be a warning to all those who would dare stand against Israel whether it be Hamas or the United Nations.

Your destruction is assured if you continue on the path of hatred towards God’s chosen people.