“In the last passage, Saul was confirmed as God’s chosen king over Israel, but at the same time the authority of God was reasserted in his prophet. Israel now has a king — but a king who remains king at God’s pleasure. A king who must obey the word of the Lord through his prophet. The Israelite king was rightly king only as far as he was the representative of the King…By offering the sacrifices that Samuel said that he himself would offer, Saul has undermined the prophetic office and rebelled against the command of God. Despite changes in covenant, God has not changed. And neither does the way he requires his people to live in relationship with him. He still requires our detailed and specific obedience, even in the minutiae. Perfect conformity…Like Saul, we all parallel Adam’s first sin and experience the consequences of our failure to perfectly obey. Thankfully, Saul is not the end of the story. God promised an eternal dynasty to his replacement, David, who was the ancestor of Christ. Jesus Christ has succeeded as Israel’s king where every king before him has failed. He perfectly represented the Father, doing only his will. He was already King of the universe, but he condescended to be our obedient king, not only as an example to us, but as our covenant head. His obedience is on our behalf…”
