King Saul, the first king of Israel, was a "king after man's heart." He was tall, good-looking, and a strong leader. However, God rejected Saul as king because of his partial obedience. God commanded Saul to destroy the Amalekites because of what they had done to Israel during their time in the wilderness (1 Sam 15:2––3). Saul did not completely obey God's command, and God's message to Saul through Samuel was that he would be lose the kingdom (1 Sam 15:23). By "losing the kingdom," I understand this to mean that Saul's sons would not inherit the throne—— in other words, Saul would not be the head of a dynasty of kings.
Again, God prophesied the demise of Saul (and his sons) in battle against the Philistines (1 Sam 28:18––19). In almost poetic justice, an Amalekite happened along following Saul's defeat and death and stripped Saul of his crown and kingly jewelry (2 Sam 1:6––10). The irony is bitter: one of the Amalekites whom God had commanded Saul to exterminate ended up killing Saul. It seems that the narrative about the Amalekite man who claimed to have killed Saul has been included to point out once more that Saul was not God's choice for king because of his disobedience to God. On the other hand, the narrative also points out again David's godly responses as a "man after God's own heart."
Again, God prophesied the demise of Saul (and his sons) in battle against the Philistines (1 Sam 28:18––19). In almost poetic justice, an Amalekite happened along following Saul's defeat and death and stripped Saul of his crown and kingly jewelry (2 Sam 1:6––10). The irony is bitter: one of the Amalekites whom God had commanded Saul to exterminate ended up killing Saul. It seems that the narrative about the Amalekite man who claimed to have killed Saul has been included to point out once more that Saul was not God's choice for king because of his disobedience to God. On the other hand, the narrative also points out again David's godly responses as a "man after God's own heart."
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