Amalek had made derision of the fears of his people, and made sport of God’s wonderful works for the deliverance of Israel performed by the hand of Moses before the Egyptians. They had boasted that their wise men and magicians could perform all those wonders. And if the children of Israel had been their captives, in their power as they were in Pharaoh’s, that the God of Israel Himself would not have been able to deliver them out of their hands. They despised Israel, and vowed to plague them until there should not be one left (4SG 72, 73).{1BC 1103.1}God did not wish His people to possess anything which belonged to the Amalekites, for His curse rested upon them and their possessions. He designed that they should have an end, and that His people should not preserve anything for themselves which He had cursed. He also wished the nations to see the end of that people who had defied Him, and to mark that they were destroyed by the very people they had despised. They were not to destroy them to add to their own possessions, or to get glory to themselves, but to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken in regard to Amalek (Spiritual Gifts 3:75).{1BC 1103.2}

Amalek havde forhånet sit folks frygt, og spøgt med Guds forunderlige udfrielsesarbejde af Israel, der blev udført ved Mose’ hånd, for Ægypterne. De havde pralet af at deres kloge mænd og troldmænd kunne udføre alle disse gerninger. Og hvis Israels børn var blevet deres fanger, i deres magt ligesom de var i Faraos magt, at Israels Gud selv ville kunne udfri dem fra deres hænder. De foragtede Israel, og aflagde løfte om at de ville plage dem, indtil der ikke var en eneste tilbage (4SG 72, 73).

Gud ønskede ikke at Hans folk skulle have noget der tilhørte amalekitterne, for Hans forbandelse hvilede over dem og deres ejendomme. Han ønskede at de ville få en ende, og at Hans folk ikke skulle gemme noget for sig selv, som Han havde forbandet. Han ønskede også at folkene skulle se afslutningen af det folk, som havde trodset Ham, og markere at de blev udslettet af det folk som de havde foragtet. De skulle ikke udslette dem for at berige deres egne ejendomme, eller tage ære for sig selv, men opfylde Herrens ord der blev sagt om Amalek (Samme., 75).