Based on 2 Samuel 1 (New King James Version)
“Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in Ziklag, on the third day, behold, it happened that a man came from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. So it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. And David said to him, ‘Where have you come from?’ So he said to him, ‘I have escaped from the camp of Israel.’ Then David said to him, ‘How did the matter go? Please tell me.’ And he answered, ‘The people have fled from the battle, many of the people are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.’ So David said to the young man who told him, ‘How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?’ Then the young man who told him said, ‘As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa, there was Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ So I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ He said to me again, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.’ So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord.’ Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. Then David said to the young man who told him, ‘Where are you from?’ And he answered, ‘I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite.’ So David said to him, ‘How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?’ Then David called one of the young men and said, ‘Go near, and execute him!’ And he struck him so that he died. So David said to him, ‘Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’ ’ Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow; indeed it is written in the Book of Jasher: ‘The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen! Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon—lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. ‘O mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew nor rain upon you, nor fields of offerings. For the shield of the mighty is cast away there! The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, and the sword of Saul did not return empty. ‘Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. ‘O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury; who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. ‘How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan was slain in your high places. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; you have been very pleasant to me; your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women. ‘How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!’ ’
One of the biggest problems that man can have with God is the sin of disobedience. It is possible that God can have mercy on the evils that people do when they do not know God’s will (which is almost impossible not to know today). But when God's will is known, when God has given the necessary instruction (that is what the Bible is for), and it is disobeyed, then serious problems arise. God simply does not have much tolerance for disobedience. He is loving and very merciful, but ultimately, He is also God and the supreme King of the entire universe. And as King, He is the highest authority, something that is not governed by democracy, nor by votes, nor even less by human opinion, because we are nothing before Him, nor can we do anything to affect His authority and position in any way. And this is something that human beings must accept and guide themselves accordingly if they wish to see good, especially in eternity.
Saul brought his own destruction to himself and to those around him precisely because of his disobedience. Saul knew what God's will was, but he chose not to obey, but rather, let himself be carried away by his own opinion, or even worse, by public opinion. And although God gave him the undeserved opportunity to be king over Israel, the Lord regretted having done such a thing, not because God made a mistake (because God does not make mistakes), but because He gave the opportunity. But, anyway, and here we see free will in full action, God lets us make our decisions, and that is what dictates our path on this earth and what happens to us in eternity. This is what the Word says about what God felt about Saul, after his disobedience (because it was not just an incident): “Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, ‘I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.’” 1 Samuel 15:10-11a. And in the following passage, we will see what exhausted God’s patience, and where we can see that our obedience is of supreme importance to God: “Then Samuel said to Saul, ‘Be quiet! And I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.’ And he said to him, ‘Speak on.’ So Samuel said, ‘When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?’ And Saul said to Samuel, ‘But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.’ So Samuel said: ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.” 1 Samuel 15:16-23.
The matter is very simple. We were created and made by God for one purpose only, to do His will. And even though we sinned, God gave us another chance (a final one) by His grace through the Lord Jesus Christ to return to that original purpose. But, if we discard this gift from God to be useful to Him again, there is nothing more to do. And every human being, without exception, will give an account before Almighty God, who they are, because there is no power that can oppose God’s judgment. Saul was powerful, but his power came to an end. Everything has its consequences here, but even more so, in eternity. That is why the Word says: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27. So then, are you looking to obey the Lord, or are you still looking to cause your own destruction? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel!