What a difference we see between Saul and David. One impressed men by his exterior appearance; the other impressed God by the condition of his heart.
In this chapter, Saul illustrates the sin of willful rebellion and God’s reaction to this sin. Saul’s rebellion leads to God’s rejection of him as king of Israel.
Both the sin of Saul in sacrificing and the absence of smiths (blacksmiths) in Israel point to the danger of fighting God’s battles according to the ways of man and the world
God brings a man into the world who will begin to bring Israel back to God. That man is Samuel.
An overview of 1 Samuel including statistics of the book and background material.
