Samuel’s Heartbreak

1 Samuel 13:5-14, 15:1-23 We cannot look at the life of Samuel without considering the life of Saul. The coronation of Saul marked a transition in the life of Samuel. Samuel was judge over Israel until Saul became king. With Saul’s ascension to the throne, Samuel’s role changed, but he continued to serve as prophet to the king, speaking God ’ s word so that the king would know the will of the Lord. In this way, Samuel ’ s life and work became closely connected to Saul ’ s. The ideal man for the job soon revealed that he was unfit for the task. Today, we will look at two incidents in Saul ’ s life that marked the trajectory of his reign as king. The first one is an unlawful sacrifice that he made, and the second one is an occasion of incomplete obedience. Saul made the unlawful sacrifice early in his reign. When he had been king two years, he gathered three thousand men and attacked the Philistines. As a result, both the nation of Israel and the Philistines gathered for battle.