Mark,

Although I'm not a big fan of the Historical Critical Method of biblical exegesis whereby everything is called a literary device, I would imagine the text in 1 Samuel 15 makes use of exactly that method.

When the people of Israel took possession of the Promised land, they repeatedly fell into the idolatrous and sinful practices of the pagan nations they displaced. So the command to kill every man woman and child could be understood as a command to wipe out the idolatrous culture and traditions of their enemy and not a command to commit genocide.

That said, the Old Testament is full of accounts that paint God as a God of Wrath. The emphasis on justice is meant to instill an appreciation for God's Mercy.

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom because it is only after one understands divine justice can one comprehend the extent of God's Mercy.

The wages of sin is death, (Romans 6:23) hence all men deserve death, yet God sent his Son to pay that wage.

That said, everything written in the Old Testament is meant to point to the grace and mercy that would be dispensed as a result of Christ's redemptive work.

John