Not long after he took command of Israel, Saul made a huge error, and by doing so, proved himself an unfit leader. Saul took upon himself to act not only as their king but as their priest as well. He offered sacrifices, which was unlawful for him to do, and then tried to make justification for his actions before Samuel. Saul was chosen by Israel, but God had chosen another.
Israel had departed from their unique position as God’s people in desiring to have a king. Instead of being led by God through the prophets, they wanted to have a king like every other nation around them. Their dissatisfaction with God’s leadership through the prophets was sin (1 Sam 12:19). So they chose a king. He stood taller than other men. He fit the bill of being kingly. However, he was the people’s man, not God’s man and his actions proved it to be true.
God had chosen a man to lead the nation. Samuel tells Saul in 1 Samuel 13:14, “The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people...” God’s man was kingly on the inside where it counts the most! By saying that David would be prince of his people, God was reminding Saul that there is only one true King! No matter what the people may wrongly desire, God will be King even when he leads his people through a king.
The lesson for us in this narrative is to learn that God is enough. We do not have to maintain a status quo or keep us with the times. We only need God! He will rule over us as his people, and he will prove to us that our ways will never suffice to replace or improve upon his will for us!
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