“Sh’mu’el said,
‘Just as your sword has
left women childless,
so will your mother be
left childless among women.’
Then Sh’mu’el cut Agag in pieces
before Adonai in Gilgal.“
-1 Samuel 15:33
So we’re told Samuel began to hack Agag into pieces before the Lord.
A couple of things here.
First, recall that the expression “before the Lord” means whatever action being done was taking place in front of the Ark of the Covenant or a worship sanctuary established for God.
I’m well aware there isn’t archeological proof for the existence of a sanctuary…
Nor is there direct mention of a designated worship place in Gilgal.
However, I do know the territory of Gilgal WAS Israel’s designated holy spot at this time.
So it’s unimaginable they hadn’t set up a sanctuary for God here.
Now, here’s what’s even more interesting.
There are a ton of idiot theologians out there who claim that Samuel turned Agag into a divine sacrifice here.
They argue that Agag getting chopped up into pieces was the same thing that happened to animals that were sacrificed.
Therefore, Agag was made a sacrifice to God.
Like, really?
Are you freaking serious?
Honestly, I think they got that one wrong big time.
So here’s another one of those points you should embed into the deepest recesses of your cranium for all time and forever.
Human sacrifice is NOT permitted by God.
He finds it DISGUSTING.
He doesn’t ask for it, nor does He want it.
And it doesn’t matter whether the human is a Hebrew or a gentile.
God abhors human sacrifice and the Torah forbids it.
Got it?
So let’s get it straight.
We’re dealing with the Holy War protocol of HEREM (חרם) or the ban here, NOT some ritual sacrifice.
A ban per holy war protocol is anything but sacrifice.
The meaning and intent is completely different.
Anything under the ban is devoted to destruction.
So Agag was meant to be wiped out, not offered up as some kind of atoning sacrifice.
So rest assured, any scholar or theologian who says Agag was made into a human sacrifice because Samuel went full lumberjack mode on him DOES NOT KNOW WHAT THE HECK THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT.
Done.
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