The story of King Saul is one of the saddest in the Bible. He was God's choice to be Israel's first king and the answer to their prayers in the face of the Philistine threat. Samuel prophesied about the many signs that would confirm this to him and we read: "As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart". All the signs were fulfilled that same day, including him being filled with the Spirit.

In his first opportunity to lead, he did not fail. He owned his responsibilities and the Spirit came powerfully upon him. He successfully summoned the people for battle and, by faith, declared to them that victory was certain. He employed a good strategy, fought bravely and defeated the enemy. With such an amazing start, we would think he would become one of the great heroes of faith, but this was not to be. What went wrong?

The second time he needed to take the lead, it followed his son Jonathan's daring destruction of a Philistine garrison. This provoked a major war. The Israelites were so vastly out-numbered that they tried to hide. Saul waited in vain for the seven days Samuel had instructed, but by then his own troops were trembling with fear and deserting him. He could wait no longer; he unlawfully sacrificed the burnt offering himself. No sooner had he done this than Samuel arrived and rebuked him in the severest of terms.

"You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart."

However, God seems to have given him a second chance. It came in being instructed to completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation and all their livestock. But he failed to obey in every detail, blamed the army and, hypocritically, said their actions had been spiritually motivated.

Samuel said: "'Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king and … sent you on a mission … Why haven’t you obeyed? … Because you have rejected the command of the Lord he has rejected you as king … The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to someone else … and he who is the Glory of Israel will not change his mind".

This could not have been clearer: "Step aside Saul, stand down and serve the man after my own heart: David, the son of Jesse." God wasn't rejecting Saul as a man, but as the king. His refusal to step down had dire consequences.

He found himself abandoned by God's Spirit and opposed by God himself; the Lord had become his enemy. On numerous occasions he tried to kill David. The Lord sent him a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear. He cut himself off from Samuel, and actively sought his death. He became consumed with jealousy concerning the love the people had for David and irrationally afraid of him. He ordered the killing of 85 priests for allegedly helping David to escape from him. Finally, frantic with fear as he faced the Philistine army, he consulted a medium in an attempt to get counsel from the deceased Samuel. All to no avail; and he was slain in battle.

Yet, there are indications that Saul continued to desire to please God and to hear from Him. After his disobedience concerning the Amalekites he said: "'Yes, I have sinned. I disobeyed the Lord's command and your instructions … But now I beg you, forgive my sin and go back with me, so that I can worship the Lord.'"

The spirit of Samuel had prophesied: "Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me." The question could be asked, do Samuel’s words refer simply to the place of the dead, or do they refer to the abode of the righteous? The fact that Samuel was there and Saul’s son Jonathan would be there seems to indicate that Saul would also be eternally saved. That would be my own view for we are all sinners and only saved by grace. What do you think?