1 Samuel 16 Footnotes

16:2 If God hates lying, why did he tell Samuel to lie? God is truthful (15:29), hates lying (Pr 6:16-17; Zch 8:16-17), and expects people to tell the truth (Ex 20:16; Lv 19:11; Eph 4:25; Col 3:9; Rv 22:15). He commanded Samuel to offer a sacrifice, and the prophet was to tell that to anyone who asked without revealing the Lord’s fuller intentions. To disclose them would only help Saul and his supporters carry out their murderous plans against an innocent man. They were not owed the full truth, and they did not get it.