Few stories in the Bible are more tragic than the story of Saul, the first King over all of Israel, but the saddest aspect of his story is that the worst parts of what ended a life that was so filled with potential in such sadness and tragedy were all because Saul allowed himself to be consumed by the evils of fear, paranoia, bitterness, and hatred. He was so consumed by all these things he became a wretched shell of his former self, dying by committing suicide and nearly destroying the people he was supposed to lead in the process.
The Books of Samuel describe Saul's life rather innocently. In fact, when Saul is first introduced, he seemed the most unlikely candidate for being King. Not only is he on a very unassuming quest to hunt down some lost donkeys for his father, when he's anointed by the prophet Samuel and told he will be the one to rule all of Israel, he's basically so in shock it's like he has a hard time believing it, not even telling his dad when he gets back.
Later, he's so humble that at the ceremony where Saul is supposed to be announced as King officially before all of Israel, he's still so humble he hides off in a storeroom out of embarrassment and they basically have to get him on the stage to accept the title due to stage fright.
This is the beginning of his rise to glory.
While some people at the time were all "this guy is supposed to be King?", and scorned him, Saul paid no attention. Not long after, the men of the province of Jabesh-Gilead were threatened by an Ammonite warlord named Nahash.
As soon as Saul heard they were doomed if no one came to their aid, the qualities that made him worthy of being able to lead the people came to the fore, and he chopped up a bunch of livestock, had messengers send the pieces to the leading men of Israel, and delivered a simple but awesome message:
"I'm delivering the people of Jabesh-Gilead from their oppressors alongside the prophet who anointed me as your King. If you do not help me liberate them, your livestock will meet this end as well."
Not only did this display of solid brass cojones overcome any doubt Saul was indeed their King, but the resulting lopsided battle was also a curb stomp victory for Saul, proving he could lead his people in war as their defender. He even showed true restraint and refused to punish those who earlier doubted him.
Saul would reign over Israel for forty years since this, but he'd eventually screw up and let his darker qualities overtake him until his initial good was destroyed and consumed.
His first major screwup was sometime later when a campaign against the Philistine people started going down the tubes because Samuel was supposed to show up and offer sacrifices to the Lord on behalf of Saul's forces. Samuel was a bit late to arrive, his army started breaking up, and Saul let panic win out and started doing Samuel's job and did the offerings himself. Samuel showed up as he was doing this and basically warned him he had just earned a huge black mark in God's good books for being faithful to the Lord's commands.
The Israelites won anyway, but Saul later made another blunder, making a really stupid oath for his army to follow to basically not eat anything until they won, and as a result, his army suffered due to hunger. His son Johnathan was unaware and didn't follow this, and he pointed out when he was told his dad has made his army do something really stupid.
Later, while Saul partially redeemed himself before God when his starving troops started eating slaughtered animals without cooking out all the blood (a big sin in God's eyes) and offered a sacrifice to God in forgiveness on their behalf as their leader, he tried to crawl his own son for breaking his stupid promise, but he was basically told off by his entire army because Saul's stupid oath to starve everyone had nearly screwed everything up in the first place.
It was sometime later in a campaign against the Amalekites (a raiding band of thugs who had menaced Israel since their days wandering in the desert) that Saul finally wore out God's patience with him.
Samuel gave him strict instructions from God:
Then Samuel said to Saul, "I was the one the LORD sent to anoint you as king over his people Israel. Now listen to what the LORD says. Here is what the LORD of hosts says: 'I carefully observed how the Amalekites opposed Israel along the way when Israel came up from Egypt. So go now and strike down the Amalekites. Destroy everything that they have. Don't spare them. Put them to death - man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and donkey alike.'"
(I Samuel 15:1-3 [NETfree])
Now, this sounds pretty brutal, but the Amalekites had made a point throughout their history to make the life of the Israelites as terrible as possible, so this was God's way of instructing Saul to return the favor.
Saul then pulled the same stunts he did during that Philistine battle and let his own way of thinking overcome his instructions, and so they spared Agag (the Amalekite ruler) and the best animals for sacrifices but did everything else.
When God saw this, he was NOT happy, and this was the result:
[10] Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: [11] "I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from me and has not done what I told him to do." Samuel became angry and he cried out to the LORD all that night. [12] Then Samuel got up early to meet Saul the next morning. But Samuel was informed, "Saul has gone to Carmel where he is setting up a monument for himself. Then Samuel left and went down to Gilgal." [13] When Samuel came to him, Saul said to him, "May the LORD bless you! I have done what the LORD said." [14] Samuel replied, "If that is the case, then what is this sound of sheep in my ears and the sound of cattle that I hear?" [15] Saul said, "They were brought from the Amalekites; the army spared the best of the flocks and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD our God. But everything else we slaughtered." [16] Then Samuel said to Saul, "Wait a minute! Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night." Saul said to him, "Tell me." [17] Samuel said, "Is it not true that when you were insignificant in your own eyes, you became head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD chose you as king over Israel. [18] The LORD sent you on a campaign saying, 'Go and exterminate those sinful Amalekites! Fight against them until you have destroyed them.' [19] Why haven't you obeyed the LORD? Instead you have greedily rushed upon the plunder! You have done what is wrong in the LORD's estimation." [20] Then Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the LORD! I went on the campaign the LORD sent me on. I brought back King Agag of the Amalekites after exterminating the Amalekites. [21] But the army took from the plunder some of the sheep and cattle - the best of what was to be slaughtered - to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal." [22] Then Samuel said,"Does the LORD take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as he does in obedience? Certainly, obedience is better than sacrifice; paying attention is better than the fat of rams. [23] For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and presumption is like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king." [24] Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have disobeyed what the LORD commanded and what you said as well. For I was afraid of the army, and I followed their wishes. [25] Now please forgive my sin! Go back with me so I can worship the LORD." [26] Samuel said to Saul, "I will not go back with you, for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel!" [27] When Samuel turned to leave, Saul grabbed the edge of his robe and it tore. [28] Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to one of your colleagues who is better than you! [29] The Preeminent One of Israel does not go back on his word or change his mind, for he is not a human being who changes his mind."
(I Samuel 15:10-29 [NETfree])
Short version, Saul screwed up big time. He was given a big warning the first time he screwed up he was crossing the line ignoring God's instructions, but the second time was the last time God was going to put up with it.
Not only did Saul get told his sanction as King of Israel was no longer valid in the eyes of God, but he was also told someone else God considered better would get those rights because God was mad someone who initially did the right thing decided he thought he could do whatever he wanted, despite knowing that even a mortal king was subject to the dictates of the Heavenly one.
For Saul's arrogance and defiance, he lost God's favor. His blunders would no longer be forgiven and smoothed over, and this was the beginning of everything going downhill since for him.
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