When Samuel ,the last of the judges, was old, the Israelites said to him, “We want a king like the other nations have.”
Samuel was not happy about this, but God said to him, “The Israelites have rejected me as king. Ever since I brought them out of Egypt, they have turned away from Me to worship other gods. So just give them what they want. But warn them about how they will be ruled by kings who will mistreat and enslave them.”
Despite the warnings, the Israelites still demanded a king to lead them into battle.
So God led Samuel to a young man named Saul, and he anointed him with oil to make him ruler of Israel.”
Saul did help Israel defeat some of its enemies, some of the people the Israelites had failed to drive out of the Promised Land, but Saul began to trust in himself rather than in the Lord. Once, instead of waiting on Samuel, the priest of the Lord, to offer a sacrifice before the battle, he got impatient and afraid and did it himself. God was angry.
Another time God spoke through Samuel and told Saul to attack the Amalekites to avenge them for attacking Israel in the past. They were idol worshippers. God said, “Destroy everything, even the livestock.” But Saul and his men did not kill the enemy’s king, and they kept the best animals. Saul even set up a monument to honor himself.
After the battle, Samuel went to Saul. When Saul saw him coming, he said to him, “Blessed be the Lord! I have fulfilled God’s command!”
So Samuel said, “What then is this sound of sheep and cattle in my ears?”
Saul replied, “Oh, my men kept the best livestock to sacrifice to the Lord your God.
But we destroyed everything else! We obeyed God!”
“Stop!” ordered Samuel. “Do you think the Lord loves sacrifices more than obedience? Obedience is better than sacrifice. Rebellion and pride are as bad as idol worship. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as King." Samuel turned to leave, but Saul caught his robe and it tore. Samuel said, “The LORD has torn the kingdom from you today to give it to your neighbor."
Finally Saul said, “OK, I have sinned. I violated God’s command. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel. Come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD.”
So Samuel went back, and Saul worshiped the LORD, but Samuel killed the king of Amalek in front of all, and then left, and never saw Saul again.