wait. His men are growing impatient. Saul is losing his confidence. There must be a sacrifice before battle. In his impatience and presumption, he believes Samuel won't come, so he takes Samuel's place as priest and prophet and performs the sacrifice himself.
Suddenly, a voice can be heard shouting angrily at Saul. "May God forgive you," cries Samuel. "May God forgive you!"
Saul looks up to see Samuel striding up the hill toward him, pushing his way through a thick crowd of impatient soldiers. "Where were you?" cries a furious Saul. "Seven days we've been waiting. My men are deserting."
"Focus on being a military leader," Samuel orders. "And leave the job of being a priest to me. God will not honor your sacrifice."
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"I don't have time to argue, Samuel. Some of us have a fight to win. Some of us might not return."
"Remember, God instructs you to destroy everything in this battle you are about to wage. Do not spare anyone."
Saul then orders his men to assemble.
The attack goes according to plan. After a week of waiting, the entire battle takes just ten minutes. His men have even taken a battle-scarred warrior prisoner, and they lead him to a small wooden cage.
Saul has won his first victory since becoming king. "God is with me," he shouts, thrusting his arms to the heavens. "God is with me."
His men cheer Saul as they round up the goats and cattle captured from the enemy. The Israelites have eaten little in the past few weeks, and the prospect of a hot meal does wonders for morale.
Samuel watches from atop a nearby ridge. He has seen the battle and hears Saul's delighted cries. "Are you really with him, Lord?" Samuel asks.
"Really?"
The prisoner is alive. And so are the best of his herds of cattle and goats. Yet Samuel told Saul that God specifically ordered him to destroy everything in the 82 village. Now, as the evening campfires roar, Samuel confronts Saul in front of his army. "You had one task. One simple command from God. And what was that?"
"I have done what God commanded," replies a seething Saul.
"Your descendants could have ruled for a thousand years, but because of your actions today, God has forsaken you."
Saul grabs Samuel as he turns away. The fabric of his robe tears off in Saul's clenched fist. Rather than be outraged, Samuel quickly seizes the opportunity to make a point.
"Just as you have torn my robe, so God has torn your power from you. He wants a man after his own heart."
Saul storms away, muttering under his breath about Samuel's arrogance.
Back in his tent, he stares hard at the scrap of fabric in his hands. "Perhaps I was too hasty," he says, shaking his head. "Perhaps I should ask Samuel's forgiveness."
Saul calls to his servant. "Bring Samuel to me," he orders.
"He's gone, Highness," replies the servant.
Saul storms out, screaming for Samuel, but the prophet is long gone--gone to find a new king.
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PART FOUR
A MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART
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Saul remains Israel's king for now. He knows nothing of Samuel's whereabouts or actions. It is the end of yet another battle in the midst of the endless, arid desert of the Promised Land. Once again, Saul's army has won, for he has no equal in waging war. Although he is outnumbered, he continues to defeat the Philistines, Israel's most feared enemy.
Despite his victories, he still stings from his final confrontation with Samuel.
And the question, that infernal question, constantly nags at him: has God turned his back on me?
Saul's sleep is not restful. It never is. It's been years since Samuel left, and he has since died. But Saul's fear that he disobeyed God haunts him each and every time he closes his eyes. In his dreams, he relives that long-ago battle. He winces at the memory of ignoring Samuel. Saul's impatience--his insistence on not
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waiting those seven full days, and his offering sacrifice himself before Samuel could arrive--haunts him. He was so youthful then, so callow, so eager for his first battle to be won.
Night after night, Saul dreams of how he would do it all differently if he had
the chance. He would wait those seven days and listen closely to Samuel as he shared God's word and then performed the sacrifice. Saul would not just run roughshod over the field of battle; he would swing his great sword like an avenging angel.
Alone in his tent, Saul cries out in his sleep. "No... no... Lord, please, I beg of you: forgive your servant." But