The very day before, God
had confided in Samuel, "This time tomorrow, I’m sending a man from the
land of Benjamin to meet you. You’re to anoint him as prince over my
people Israel. I Samuel 9:15 (TM)

The story of Saul is a tragic one. We tend to remember how he blew it in the end – how he disobeyed Samuel, how he went crazy trying to kill David in fits of jealous rage, how again and again he missed the mark of what God wanted in a leader for His people. Yet, we forget that God chose Saul to be king. Saul was God’s man as much as he was the choice of the people. Why? Why would God choose someone He knew would disappoint? Could it be that He wanted to give the people an object lesson – a compare and contrast between Saul and David? I don’t know…just something I’ll be pondering today.