Key Verse: 1 Samuel 13:14, "But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command."
In one Episode of the television classic The Andy Griffith Show, Aunt Bea ran for city council. Her motto was that if the people of Mayberry wanted something, she'd do her best to accomplish it. Her opponent Howard Sprague pointed out that what people wanted wasn't necessarily what was best for them.
The period of the judges was coming to an end. Samuel, the last of the judges, was growing old. His sons were greedy and corrupt, not suitable successors. The people cried out for a king to lead them so they could be like other nations. Samuel told them a king would draft their sons for battle and make slaves of their daughters. He pointed out that a king would tax them and take their crops and cattle. Still the people cried for a king.
Saul became the first king of Israel at the age of 30, and he ruled for 42 years. A few victories in the early years of his reign convinced the Hebrews they'd made the right choice. Then things started going downhill. Saul showed impatience and a lack of respect fro the priesthood by offering his own sacrifice. Then, during a battle with the Amalekites, Saul disobeyed Samuel's instructions by not killing King Agag. The book of 1 Samuel records that God was sorry he'd made Saul king of Israel.
The overall failure of Saul's rule as king can be summed up in one word-disobedience. The Hebrew people were disobedient to God when they demanded a king, and Saul was disobedient in many of his actions while he was king. But God's purposes always prevail, and the best days in the history of Israel were about to begin.
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