It was God who made Saul king over His people. To rule as king was Saul’s divine commitment. Yet, as the remaining years of his rule demonstrate, he did not satisfy God’s heart. As the divinely-appointed king, Saul had to handle many situations, but he did so by means of God’s rival—the self-life.
After Saul was made king, he felt responsible to take care of God’s people. The kingdom he ruled over, however, was actually God’s, not his own. God’s intention was that He would exercise His kingship through Saul, who would represent Him before the people. Instead, however, Saul tried to take care of whatever was needed on his own without God, the true King.
Adapted from David: After God’s Heart, pages 31-32.
Tomorrow: “How Shall We Meet the Need?”