𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥: 𝐀 𝐓𝐲𝐩𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝: 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟓: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝’𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠

1 Samuel 15

1 Samuel 15 begins with Samuel giving vital instructions to the ruler of God's people:

I Samuel 15:1 NKJV

[1] Samuel also said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord..."

Have you ever considered the responsibility that Saul and the other kings of Israel had as the overseers of God's people? It was crucial that they "heed the voice of the words of the Lord" in order to lead them in the way in which God wanted them to go. Overseers of the church today can relate.

Unfortunately Saul did not heed the voice of the Lord's words. When Samuel gave him God's message to destroy every single Amalekite and all of their livestock because He was punishing them for what they had done to His people, Samuel did not obey Him. He spared the king of the Amalekites and the best livestock. God was displeased and He said to Saul, 

I Samuel 15:11 NKJV

[11] “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night.

Here again, we see that though God had chosen Saul, he deeply regretted it, and He said it was because he had turned back from following Him, and because he had not been obedient to His commands.

So basically, God chose Saul, Saul agreed to obey God, God gave him His Spirit to guide him, and yet he still had the ability on his own to turn back from following God, which caused God to deeply regret choosing him, and as we'll see later, remove His Spirit from him and give him an evil spirit to torment him, which caused Saul to rebel against God and His anointed king.

The lesson is that God's people must continue to follow and obey the Lord, otherwise they are no longer followers of the Lord (disciples), and God will eventually remove His Spirit from them and eject them from among His people, if they continually disobey Him or completely rebel against Him. 

When Samuel came to Saul after praying all night, Saul said "Look! I have obeyed the Lord’s commands! I spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord, but we totally destroyed the rest!"

Saul thought that he had done a pleasing thing to the Lord. Evidently this angered Samuel, because he said to him, "Stop! Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night!" Then he reminded Saul that although he was once small in his own eyes, he became the head of the tribes of Israel because the Lord had anointed him as their king. Once again, the writer describes the weight of responsibility that God had given Saul when He appointed him to lead His people. 

Samuel goes on to tell him, "The Lord sent you on a mission to go and completely destroy those wicked people and to war against them until you have completely wiped them out. Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?"

Saul argues, "But I did obey the Lord. I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back their king. The soldiers brought back the best of the sheep and cattle from the plunder devoted to God in order to sacrifice them to the Lord at Gilgal. "

Saul seemed to really believe that he obeyed God's command. 

But Samuel replied,

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. [23] For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”

Disobedience to God is rebellion against God, which is a very serious sin, as is arrogance, which Saul exuded. He disobeyed God's command, and therefore he rejected the word of the Lord, which caused God to reject him as the king of His people. 

Saul seemed to be repentant in his reply:

“I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.” 

It almost sounds as if Saul had the mindset that he could sin against God, and that it wasn't that big of a deal - he could sin and just ask for forgiveness and all would be well. 

But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!”

Samuel had to reiterate to Saul that the Lord had rejected him as king of Israel. Asking for forgiveness and offering sacrifices was not going to change God's mind in the matter.

As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you. He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.”

To be a king and have your kingship revoked and your kingdom taken from you, must have been one of the most humiliating and devastating experiences that could happen to a king. But Samuel was clear: “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you." The one whom God was giving His Kingdom to was David. This is again very similar to what Jesus said to the Jews in the Parable of the Tenants about the kingdom being taken from them and given to another nation who will produce its fruits. 

For some reason, Samuel did give in to Saul’s request and went with him so that he could worship the Lord. Perhaps it was for Saul’s honor before Israel, or perhaps it was because Samuel mourned for Saul. Or, perhaps it was to carry out God's command of destroying all of the Amalekites, because when they returned to Gilgal, he called for the king of the Amalekites to be brought before him and he put him to death before the Lord. 

The chapter closes very sadly, with Samuel and Saul departing and going in different ways  - Samuel to Ramah, and Saul to his home in Gibeah. Samuel never went to see Saul again, though he mourned for him. "And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel."