1 Samuel 13:14

1 Samuel 13:14 . A man after his own heart — That is, such a man as will fulfil all the desires of his heart, and not oppose, them as thou dost. The Lord hath commanded — That is, hath appointed, as the word commanded is often used. But although God threatened Saul with the loss of his kingdom for his sin, yet, it is not improbable, there was a tacit condition implied, namely, if he did not repent of this, and of all his sins; for the full, and final, and peremptory sentence of Saul’s rejection is plainly ascribed to another cause, 1 Samuel 15:11 ; 1 Samuel 15:23-29 ; and, till that second offence, neither the Spirit of the Lord departed from him, nor was David anointed in his stead. But, “was not this a severe sentence now passed on Saul? Was it not hard to punish so little a sin with the loss of his kingdom?” Not to mention that no sin is little, because God, against whom all sin is committed, is a being of infinite majesty; and not to insist that what to men seems a small offence, to him, who knows the heart, may appear a heinous crime; this sin of Saul certainly can in no point of view be thought little, being an act of manifest disobedience to a known and express command of God; and disobedience to God, though in a small matter, is a great provocation. “Samuel expressly says, Thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee. What was this commandment?

Why, not only to wait seven days till Samuel came to assist at the sacrifice, but to receive God’s direction, by the prophet, what he should do, or what measures he was to take upon the invasion of the Philistines, and not to act in so critical a conjuncture without his orders. Saul, under a pretence of piety, and making supplication to the Lord, absolutely contradicts the command, thinks himself above waiting for the prophet, takes upon himself the ordinance of an affair that no way belonged to him; and, as though God’s direction by the prophet was of no consequence to him, resolves to act for himself, and deal with the Philistines as well as he could. Let any inferior prince thus violate the orders of his sovereign, and act in any affair of importance directly contrary to his instructions and duty, and no one will scruple to pronounce him guilty of rebellion, or think he was too hardly treated by being removed from his dignity and government.” — Dodd and Chandler.

Verse 14. - Jehovah hath sought him a man after his own heart. The language of prophecy constantly describes that as already done which is but just determined upon. As David was but twenty-three years of age at Saul's death, he must now have been a mere child, even if he was born, (see ver. 1). But the Divine choice of Saul, which upon his obedience would that day have been confirmed, was now annulled, and the succession transferred elsewhere. Years might elapse before the first earthly step was taken to appoint his successor ( 1 Samuel 16:13 ); nay, had Saul repented, we gather from 1 Samuel 15:26 that he might have been forgiven: for God's threatenings, like his promises, are conditional. There is no fatalism in the Bible, but a loving discipline for man's recovery. But behind it stands the Divine foreknowledge and omnipotence; and so to the prophetic view Saul's refusal to repent, his repeated disobedience, and the succession of David were all revealed as accomplished facts. CONTINUANCE OF THE WAR (vers. 15-18). 1 Samuel 13:14

Thou hast done foolishly ... - Motives of worldly expediency were not to be weighed against the express commandment of God. All the circumstances and all the dangers were as well known to God as they were to Saul, and God had bidden him wait until Samuel came. Here was exactly the same sin of willful disobedience which broke out again, and was so severely reproved 1 Samuel 15:17-23 .

(14) Now thy kingdom shall not continue. —The succession was thus formally transferred elsewhere; still, when the words of doom were spoken by the prophet, David, the son of Jesse, the man after God’s own heart, could at that time have been but a mere child. Had King Saul repented what he had done, he might have been forgiven, “for God’s threatenings, like His promises, are conditional. There is no fatalism in the Bible, but a loving discipline for man’s recovery. But behind it stands the Divine foreknowledge and omnipotence, and so to the prophetic view Saul’s refusal to repent, his repeated disobedience, and the succession of David were all revealed as accomplished facts.”— Dean Payne Smith.

Hath sought, i.e. hath found or discovered, as men do by seeking, an anthropopathy. A man after his own heart, i.e. such a man as he desires, one who will fulfil all the desires of his heart, and not oppose them, as thou dost. Hath commanded, i.e. hath appointed or decreed, as the word command is sometimes used; for it was not yet actually done. Because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee. Quest. First, What was Saul’s sin? Answ. Either, first, That Saul invaded the priest’s office, and offered the sacrifice himself; which is not probable, both because he had priests with him, and among others an eminent one, Ahiah, 1 Samuel 14:3 , and therefore had no occasion nor pretence for that presumption. Or rather, secondly, That Saul did not wait the full time for Samuel’s coming; for that is the thing which God commanded, 1 Samuel 10:8 , and the breach of this command is the only thing for which Saul makes an apology, 1 Samuel 13:11,12 . Quest. Secondly, Why did God so severely punish Saul for so small an offence, and that occasioned by great necessity, and done with an honest intention? Answ. First, Men are very incompetent judges of God’s judgments, because they see but very little, either of the majesty of the offended God, or of the heinous nature and aggravations of the offence.

For instance, men see nothing but Saul’s outward act, which seems small; but God saw with how wicked a mind and heart he did this; with what rebellion against the light of his own conscience, as his own words imply; with what gross infidelity and distrust of God’s providence; with what contempt of God’s authority, and justice, and many other wicked principles and motions of his heart, unknown to men. Besides, God clearly saw all that wickedness that yet lay hid in his heart, and foresaw all his other crimes; and therefore had far more grounds for his sentence against him than we can imagine. Secondly, God doth sometimes punish small sins severely, and that for divers weighty reasons, as that all men may see what the least sin deserves, and how much they owe to God’s free and rich mercy for passing by their great offences; and what need they have not to indulge themselves in any small sin, as men are very prone to do, upon vain presumptions of God’s mercy, whereby they are easily and commonly drawn on to heinous crimes; and for many other reasons: so that some such instances of God’s severity are necessary discipline and caution to all mankind in the present and future ages; and therefore there is far more of mercy and kindness in such actions, than of rigour and harshness, since this is but particular to one person, and the other is a universal good.

1Sa 13:9-16. Saul, Weary of Waiting for Samuel, Sacrifices. 9-14. Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings—Saul, though patriotic enough in his own way, was more ambitious of gaining the glory of a triumph to himself than ascribing it to God. He did not understand his proper position as king of Israel; and although aware of the restrictions under which he held the sovereignty, he wished to rule as an autocrat, who possessed absolute power both in civil and sacred things. This occasion was his first trial. Samuel waited till the last day of the seven, in order to put the constitutional character of the king to the test; and, as Saul, in his impatient and passionate haste knowingly transgressed (1Sa 13:12) by invading the priest's office and thus showing his unfitness for his high office (as he showed nothing of the faith of Gideon and other Hebrew generals), he incurred a threat of the rejection which his subsequent waywardness confirmed.