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Saul Rejected as King
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and placed him where he could develop the qualities that a ruler of
Israel needed. If he had remained humble, every good quality would
have grown stronger, while evil tendencies would have lost their
power. This is the work that the Lord will do for all who consecrate
themselves to Him. He will reveal to them their defects of character
and will give them strength to correct their errors.
When he was first called to the throne, Saul was humble and
did not put trust in himself, but success made him self-confident.
The valor and military skill he displayed in delivering Jabesh Gilead
roused the enthusiasm of the whole nation. At first he gave the
glory to God, but afterward he took honor to himself. He lost sight
of his dependence on God, and his heart strayed from the Lord.
This prepared the way for his sin of presumption at Gilgal. The
same blind self-confidence led him to reject Samuel’s reproof. If he
had been willing to confess his error, this bitter experience would
have protected him in the future. If the Lord had separated Himself
entirely from Saul at that time, He would not have spoken to him
again through His prophet, entrusting him with a definite work to
perform, so that he might correct the errors of the past.
When Saul persisted in stubbornly justifying himself, he rejected
the only means God could use to save him from himself. At Gil-
gal, the religious service he performed in direct opposition to the
command of God only placed him beyond the help that God was
willing to grant. In the expedition against Amalek, the Lord was not
pleased with partial obedience. God has never given us liberty to
depart from His requirements.
Obedience the Fruit of Faith
“To obey is better than sacrifice.” Without patience, faith, and
an obedient heart, sacrificial offerings were worthless. When Saul
proposed presenting a sacrifice of the things that God commanded to
be destroyed, he was showing open hatred for divine authority. The
sacrifice would have been an insult to Heaven. Yet many are follow-
ing a similar course—they offer up to God their formal services of
religion while they refuse to believe and obey some requirement of
the Lord. The Lord cannot accept them if they persist in willfully
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violating even one of His commands.