The first return is a trip into the fog. They do not know exactly what will greet them. They do not fully know the condition of the land. The journey of hundreds of miles will take them weeks to complete. Yet they go because they have a higher purpose in mind. They go to rebuild God’s holy temple and to reestablish the true worship of God in God’s chosen city of Jerusalem. They go also to replant the land given to their father Abraham.
The price for serving other gods will not be furnished by God. Taxation of the people must be accomplished. This lesson shows the folly of a compromising nation who has turned from serving The Lord God Jehovah.
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.
The Israelites were determined to have a king like all the nations and God had granted their request.
