08/21/2026
Are you like this Amalekite? I hope not.
It seems like we all grow up wanting to be the hero of the story. And sometimes we do that with the Bible. We want to be like Abraham when he showed great faith. We want to be like Moses the intercessor and leader. Or, like King David in his love and faith toward God. And those things are good. We should want to follow those examples. But what happens if God shows us something else in the Bible —that our actions or attitudes are more like the failure in the story? What if the Holy Spirit is wanting to bring conviction on us so we will repent?
That’s what I want you to think about today from the following account of what happened after king Saul died. Stay with me on this because it’s going to shed some light on a fearful statement that Jesus made in the Sermon on the mount.
It’s all written in 2nd Samuel— the 1st chapter.
David, who was soon to be made king, had to hear some tragic news from a certain man, an Amalekite. He came to the place where David was staying for a few days to tell him of the horrible death of King Saul and his son Jonathan. He fell on his knees and paid homage to David, but David would soon reject his fake honor. Does this sound familiar? Many times, David really was a type of Christ. But I’ll get back to this. The man tried to come to David as a loyal friend, for a reward. It was deceit. The Amalekite tried to seize an opportunity from the situation, but it cost him his life.
David asked him several questions.
Upon David’s close questioning, the Amalekite explained everything that had happened. But he changed the truth into a lie. He made himself the hero of the story to try to ingratiate himself with the new King- David. He wanted glory and a promotion and a reward. And he lied to get it. He told some of the truth— He actually was at the battle where Saul was killed, but he said that it was he that killed him, thinking David would honor him for that. But the man hadn’t killed Saul at all. We all know from 1st Samuel that Saul killed himself. But David didn’t know it yet. So he questioned him until the man revealed his sin. No one was to kill the Lord’s anointed king.
The Amalekite misjudged David’s character. He thought David was motivated to reward people who would help him become king, even though what they did was against God’s commands. He thought David was selfish like he was. He found out he was wrong. David honored God and honored Saul as God’s anointed king.
But here is the ironic part. David, taking the man at his word, had the man executed for killing the Lord’s anointed king, but the Amalekite hadn’t done it. His lie about that was what really got him killed. The Amalekite was put to death for a lie. He never killed Saul.
Because of the testimony of his own mouth—which was a lie- the Amalekite was judged by David as an enemy of God and executed.
Have we been like this Amalekite? Have we sought our own gain and ambitions while paying homage to Christ? Have we lied, even small lies, to look good and gain favor or money? Any wrongdoing to get ahead for selfish reasons is sin. That’s what this teaches. And we will all have to stand, not before David, but before the judgment seat of Christ. Are we anything like this Amalekite. Do we deceive to get ahead, lie, or cheat? That’s sin.
Worse yet, do we try to deceive the Lord?
Maybe a person goes to church to look good when really what they want is a business deal or to look good in the community. Or for political reasons. They really don’t love Jesus or people. They are like this Amalekite.
Maybe someone takes advantage of another person's tragedy to make themself look good, but not through love, but through plain selfishness.
Even work in the ministry must carry none of this spirit. We must not lie to get a position in the church or favor with the leadership. Paul said this to Timothy.
And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
Only as individuals can we know our hearts by the Holy Spirit as to whether we are operating from pure motives of love and faith. We need the Spirit to search our hearts and find out. And if we find any of the Amalekite there, then we need to repent! If we are lying, or doing anything unrighteous to make ourselves look better in any way we are the Amalekite man.
The Amalekite was of the devil. He was a snake coming before a godly man. He was full of deceit. But God ended him.
Listen to these words of Jesus that I hinted at in the beginning:
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
People have wondered about this statement. I believe the people who will say that to Jesus are like that Amalekite. They have the snake spirit. They are trying, believe it or not, to try to deceive the Lord Jesus Christ, just like the man in the story tried to deceive David.
They may try to fall down and worship the Lord, but he will banish them to hell. They, like the man in our story, are liars. Just like the Amalekite didn’t really kill Saul, they didn’t necessarily do those works either, or if they did, it was from the wrong motive. It was, like the man in the story, for selfish gain. They were hypocrites in the church, working iniquity and deceit. Jesus said so. They might have looked good on the outside, but Jesus knows the inside, and they were full of lies and deceit and unrighteousness. Jesus had said earlier in this sermon that "the pure in heart' would see God, and these people are not. Oh God, help us not to be one of them!
We must do our work in righteousness, love, and truth. It must be pure, not for self but for the Lord.
Do you have any of the Amalekite in you? Here is the good news….
David was a type of Christ, but he wasn’t Christ. Jesus forgives, gives grace to sinners, and saves souls. If the Lord let you know through this that you have been lying or doing wrong things to get ahead at church, in business, in your home, or anywhere, the blood of Jesus has power to cleanse you. The Lord will forgive you if you repent, but you need to ask and then turn from doing that anymore. There is forgiveness with God!
May none of us stand before Jesus on that day and hear those awful words I just mentioned, words like David said to his servant about the Amalekite “Go near and fall upon him.” He could have said. Depart from me. Worker of iniquity. And then to the man himself he said. “Thy blood be upon thy head, for thy mouth has testified against thee.”
Let it be true of all of us that our mouth will testify for us and not against us on that final day. God bless you and keep you.
