Israel had been governed by Prophets and judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. Now, Samuel was very old and set his two sons as judges over the people of Israel. However, they did not walk in the ways of their father as we can read in 1st Samuel 8 v 3-7 "And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment."This foolish and insane behaviour soon took its toll on the people of Israel where we continue to read... from verse 4
"Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah. 5. And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. 7. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that one should not reign over them."
So Samuel obeyed the words of the Lord and appointed the people their first king, Saul.
Saul
Saul was a handsome and humble man who stood head and shoulders over his brethren. But this did not stop the people from doubting their cries to Samuel for a king and the impact it would have on them... although this doubt was soon to disappear near the beginning of Saul's reign with brilliant victory over the Ammonites.
However, Saul's humble nature was not to last and humility soon gave place to pride. We read of Saul's First mistake in 1 Samuel 13 v 9. It is here we see that his successes as king quickly went to his head. The first sign of Saul's presumptive self importance was when he offered a sacrifice to the lord, this usually being the exclusive function of priests. (in vs. 9)
"And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. 10. And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came, and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him."
Saul had no idea what he was about to hear next (and from vs. 13)
"...And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly... Thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever-. 14. But now thy kingdom shall not continue... the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee."
God's lack of faith in Saul didn't seem to bother him and he went on reigning as king getting further and further away from the heart of God.
Saul's Second Mistake we read of in chapter 14 where he orders a foolish oath for the army to abstain from food. Verse 24 of 1 Samuel 14 reads...
"Now the men of Israel were in distress that day; because Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying, Cursed be any man who eats food before evening comes, before 1 have avenged myself on my enemies". "So none of the troops tasted food."
It goes on to say...
"The entire army entered the woods, and there was honey on the ground. 26. When they went into the woods, they saw the honey oozing out, yet no one put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath. 27. But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath, so he reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honey comb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened. 28. Then one of the soldiers told him, 'Your father bound the army under a strict oath, saying, 'Cursed be any man who eats food today! 'That is why the men are faint.' 29. 'That is ridiculous!' Jonathan exclaimed, A command like that only hurts us, see how much better I feel now that I have eaten this little bit of honey. 30. If the people had been allowed to eat freely from the food they found among our enemies think how many more we could have slaughtered."
Then the senseless death sentence Saul passed down for his son Jonathan, showed the people what a fool they had for a king. In 1st Samuel chapter 15:10-23 we read of Saul's disobedience towards God where he is finally told by Samuel
"Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. 10. Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, 11. It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king... for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel, and he cried unto the LORD all night. 12. And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal. 13. And Samuel came to Saul... and Saul said unto him. Blessed be thou of the LORD... I have performed the commandment of the LORD. 14.And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 15. And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites... for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed. 16. Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. 17. And Samuel said, when thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? 18. And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 19. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? 20. And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. 22. And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king."
The lessons for us...
Saul was a man that began his reign as King with a good and pure heart, following in the ways of God. He soon strayed from walking in the Lord's footsteps and let his successes as king go to his head. This downward spiral continued to grow when he began making sacrifices to God in place of the high priests, and handing out ridiculous orders to his army. It was then when he had 'forgotten' the Lord that God gave up hope in him and went in search for another king to lead Israel. This is the same for us and our walk in the truth in that we should always keep God in the forefront of our mind if we are to have him guide our path in the way of righteousness. And if we forget him and all he does for us each and every day he too will forget us and go in search for those deserving of the Kingdom of God.
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