In 1 Samuel 15, the demise of Israel’s first king continues. King Saul fails to obey the command given to him by God, and in doing so betrays an attitude of self-governance rather than submission to God. But his disobedience takes place in the context of an instruction which we might find peculiar: God commands Saul to wipe out a neighbouring nation, the Amalekites. What are we to make of this? And what does it reveal regarding God’s attitude towards human life?