THE TRUTH about The AmalekitesThe Amalekites were nomadic, desert people. They were not a settled people like the Canaanites. The Amalekites attacked the Israelites without apparent provocation as they were travelling during the Exodus: Exodus 17:8The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.
The Amalekites targeted the weak and weary, children, elders, cripples, etc., who were lagging behind: Deuteronomy 25:17-18Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.
Many years later, The Amalekites attacked Israel again: Judges 3:13Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms
The Amalekites often raided the Israelites' land after they had planted crops, leaving them with nothing: Judges 6:2-52 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it.
After about 300 years of nations suffering in the hands of the Amalekites, God finally punished the Amalekites. Notice that God had given them plenty of time to repent and turn from their evil ways. Notice too that for 300 years, younger generations of the Amalekites were no better than their fathers, but their wickedness only increased and they continued to raid and plunder other cities. 1 Samuel 15:2This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.' "
1 Samuel 14:48He fought valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, delivering Israel from the hands of those who had plundered them.
Although Saul defeated the Amalekites, he disobayed God and, in his own wisdom, decided to let some of the Amalekites live. What were the consequences? Some 30 or so years later, the Amalekites regrouped, multiplied, increased in numbers and wickedness, and resumed their raiding and plundering, again.
The Amalekites burned down cities, raided other people in the land, and took survivors as slaves for slave trade: 1 Samuel 30:1-41 David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, 2 and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way. 3 When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.
Saul should have listened to God and obeyed Him. This is what happens when we think that we know better than God. It is very unlikely that the Amalekites had among them any weak people(handicapped, elderly, chronically ill, deformed, crippled, weak males, etc.), much like the Spartans. They could not afford to be slowed down by the weak. They had room only for those who could directly or indirectly contribute to their plundering, such as women to produce children who would be raised to become evil raiders like their parents. Their history is evidence of this. 1 Samuel 30:11-1311 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat- 12 part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. 13 David asked him, "To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?" He said, "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago.
God gave the Amalekites plenty of time to repent and turn from their evil ways. But not only did God withhold punishing the Amalekites for many years, but God's law also allowed for any good Amalekites, if any existed, and their children to leave their people and join Israel. As evil as the Amalekites were, any good people among them would have been more than willing to leave. But where would they go? The Amalekites' allies were just as evil, and the Amalekites' enemies would not have welcomed them, except Israel. Leviticus 19:34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
Exodus 22:21 "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.
Exodus 23:9 "Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.
Leviticus 19:10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 25:35 " 'If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you.
Deuteronomy 10:18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.
Deuteronomy 14:28-29 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, 29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
Deuteronomy 23:7 Do not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not abhor an Egyptian, because you lived as an alien in his country.
That's history written by the victors.
No, this is not history written by the victors. Israel did not leave what they considered their own criminal acts out of their own writings. Anyone who has read the Old Testament history and prophetic writings could see this. The Old Testament record is literally filled with their evil, especially of the elites and religious authorities! And, they never seem to have a problem describing how frequently they get defeated in battle, for their texts are filled with their defeats too.
If this is not from God, then who is it from? Why would Israel make up a story that God told them not to take anything from the Amalikites, no gold, no animals, no food, no prisoner salves, nothing. If Israel was not allowed to take anything, even after the Amalekites had taken so much from Israel, what was Israel's motivation then? That does not make any sense.
Why would Israel make up a story that God commanded them to completely destroy the Amalekites, and then disobey God's command and let some of the Amalekites go, as king Saul did? That doesn't make any sense either.
The only explanation is that this was from God. God gave the Amalekites plenty of time to repent. God gave any good Amalekite a way out by leaving their people and taking refuge in Israel. Israel was unable to adopt the Amalekite children and did not leave them behind to die a slow, painful death. The blood of the Amalekite children is on the head of their parents, not on Israel and not on God.
