Observation

This question was verypopular among the candidates. In part A, some candidates did not give the account of how Saul disobeyed God by sparing the King of Amalek and their best livestock but instead wrote about how Saul disobeyed God when he offered burnt offerings himself without waiting for prophet Samuel because he was seeking Gods’ help to fight the Philistines. Few of the exceptional candidates who wrote about the actual incidence of disobedience, left out details about the size of Saul’s army and the exemption of the Kenites from destruction.Candidateswere unable to give adequate consequences that children experience for disobeying their parents in the B part. Other points candidates were expected to list include;

1. God through the prophet Samuel commanded King Saul to destroy the Amalekites and everything they owned.
1. It was a holy war and nothing was to be spared.
2. The Amalekites were being punished for ambushing the Israelites on their way from Egypt.
3. Saul, with his army (200,000 and 10,000) went to Amalek to lay ambush in a valley.
4. Saul asked the Kenites (the in-laws of Moses) to leave the territory to avoid annihilation.
5. Saul attacked and utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
6. However, he disobeyed God by sparing Agag, the king and took for himself the best of their livestock.
7. Saul claimed to have discharged the assignment given to him when he met Samuel.
8. Samuel demanded why he could hear the bleating of sheep and lowing of oxen in his ears.
9. Saul offered excuse that he was going to offer the livestock as sacrifice to the Lord.
10. Samuel reminded Saul of the assignment given to him and that he failed to heed the voice of the Lord.
11. Samuel did not listen to Saul’s rationalization and said, behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
12. Samuel said because he had rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord also had rejected him as being King over his people.
13. Saul’s plea for forgiveness and mercy was rejected by Samuel.

Consequences of disobeying parents

1. Brings the family’s name into disrepute.
2. Loss of respect for oneself and family.
3. Fallen into a bad company/Negative peer influence.
4. Involvement in social vices.
5. Imprisonment due to crime.
6. Leads to destruction/suffering/Death.
7. Leads to school drop-out.
8. Destroys talents/Gifts.
9. Estrange relationship between parents and child.
10. God’s blessing would cease.