Rationalizations come so easily to us, don’t they? “Sure, it was wrong, but my intentions were good. After all, I was only trying to help. And don’t the ends justify the means? It may have been the wrong way to accomplish it, but didn’t we all want it to happen eventually?”

We can imagine the Amalekite thinking in this sort of way, can’t we? Saul was mortally wounded and in terrible pain. To put him out of his misery would be the merciful thing to do. And of course, it wouldn’t hurt to bring the royal crown and bracelet to David. Yes, this Amalekite probably expected to be congratulated and perhaps even rewarded for killing the old enemy of the new king.

But David saw things differently. After all, on at least two previous occasions he himself had passed up the opportunity to kill Saul (I Samuel 24 and 26). And why? Even though Saul was obviously unfit to rule, and even though God’s prophet had clearly promised the kingdom to David, Saul had been anointed to reign over God’s people.

In fact, David had told his soldiers, “Far be it from me because of the LORD that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the LORD’s anointed” (I Samuel 24:6). Yes, even though Saul had unjustly accused David of treason and had driven him away from his home and family, David had insisted, “Who can stretch out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be without guilt” (I Samuel 26:9)?

So it didn’t matter what the Amalekite’s intentions may have been. And all too often it doesn’t matter what our intentions are either. On so many issues, right is right and wrong is wrong, and no amount of rationalization or “spin” can change that. So today, instead of trying to make excuses for doing whatever we want, let’s measure the truth by the one standard we know will never change: the inerrant, infallible Word of God.

II Samuel 1:1-16 (NASB)

Now it came about after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, that David remained two days in Ziklag.
2 And it happened on the third day, that behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes torn and dust on his head. And it came about when he came to David that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself.
3 Then David said to him, “From where do you come?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”
4 And David said to him, “How did things go? Please tell me.” And he said, “The people have fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.”
5 So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
6 And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and behold, Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold, the chariots and the horsemen pursued him closely.
7 “And when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I said, ‘Here I am.’
8 “And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ And I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’
9 “Then he said to me, ‘Please stand beside me and kill me; for agony has seized me because my life still lingers in me.’
10 “So I stood beside him and killed him, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown which was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”
11 Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him.
12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan and for the people of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
13 And David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?” And he answered, “I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite.”
14 Then David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to stretch out your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?”
15 And David called one of the young men and said, “Go, cut him down.” So he struck him and he died.
16 And David said to him, “Your blood is on your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the LORD’s anointed.'”