Saul’s beginning looked promising. He seemed to be a humble man (1 Samuel 9:21) who would courageously lead the people of Israel in battle against their enemies (1 Samuel 11). On top of that, he was tall and handsome – qualities that people naturally admire and feel inclined to follow. However, shortly after his reign began it became clear Saul was not going to lead the people in obedience and faithfulness to the LORD; instead, under pressure, he disobeyed the word of the LORD through Samuel. It seems like such a small infraction. Before going into battle with the Philistines, Saul was to wait seven days for Samuel to arrive and offer the burnt offering. When Samuel did not arrive at the time Saul expected, he took matters into his own hands and offered the burnt offering to the LORD. As soon as he had finished offering the sacrifice Samuel arrived on the scene and questioned what Saul had done. The punishment for Saul’s sin was that his kingdom would not be passed on to his son. Instead, the LORD would give the kingdom to another man. Some scholars have viewed this rejection of King Saul as a negative reflection on God’s character. One writes that Saul is “essentially an innocent victim of God,” and in this passage we are seeing “the dark side of God.” The main reason for this misinterpretation is the seemingly unfair punishment meted out to Saul because of his sin in offering the burnt offering. Why would God remove the kingdom from Saul when his disobedience was caused by so much stress and pressure? The enemy was near, the people of Israel were scattering, and Samuel wasn’t showing up! Shouldn’t the LORD be more merciful and understanding? Isn’t this punishment far too severe for such a minor act of disobedience? In commenting on this passage a discerning man wrote, “…indeed, there is no little sin, because there is no little God to sin against. In general, what to [humans] seems a small offense, to him who knows the heart may appear a heinous crime.” It is often the case that we do not know what is truly in our hearts until the pressures of life come upon us. The pressure Saul was facing simply drew out and revealed his lack of commitment to obey the LORD. Obedience is no small matter in the Christian life. In fact it is an essential mark of a disciple (e.g. John 14:23-24; 1 John 2:4). This is what God was looking for in the king that would replace Saul, and it is still what God looks for in people today: a person committed to obeying Him. It behooves us to consider what it means to be a person after God’s heart.