This Sunday morning, we are going further in our study of one of the most important events in the history of the Biblical story of redemption. And it is one that upon first observation may not seem to be all that exciting, or connected to the theme of salvation—the rise of the monarchy, or the office of king, in Israel.

Last Lord’s Day we considered how, during the time of the judgeship of Samuel, the elders of Israel approached him out of frustration and demanded a king for the covenant nation. The leaders of Israel desired a king to do for them what the kings of other nations, the heathen nations surrounding Israel, did for their people. And we learned that the Lord instructed Samuel to listen to their voice, to give the people what they wanted, a king. Yet, what the elders had in mind was not a king after God’s own heart—a covenant–keeping king, a spiritually faithful man of the Word of the Lord, a humble servant of the people—but a powerful, impressive monarch who would be like all the other kings of the world.

Well, following that episode where Samuel was commanded by the Lord to give the people the king they demanded, the Lord revealed to Samuel that he was to anoint the man named Saul as the first king of Israel (1 Samuel 9:15ff). And, as the Scripture reveals, Samuel did exactly this.

In 1 Samuel 10 we read that Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him and said,

Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies (v. 1).

But, as we might have already suspected, king Saul did not prove to be a faithful, covenant-keeping leader or savior of God’s people. In the end he was, is so many ways, a king just like all the pagan nations had—wealthy, powerful, impressive by worldly measures, and only slightly concerned about the Lord and His will or the covenants He had made with His people through Abraham and Moses.

And that brings us to the strange and perplexing words that confront us in 1 Samuel 15:10-11–

The word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night.

What could this possibly mean, that the Lord regretted that He had installed Saul as Israel’s king? Did the Lord change His mind? Was this a mistake? Did the Lord not know in advance that Saul would make a real mess of things?

For the next two Sundays we will explore this entire scene (1 Samuel 15:1-35) and the mystifying comment the Lord made about His own decision to raise up Saul to this position of leadership (15:10-11). And as we do so, we will learn more about the awesome, sovereign, and gracious God who has saved us, and called us to His service through His Blessed Son.