And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.  But now your kingdom shall not continue.  The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

1 Samuel 13:13-14

This is a tiny glimpse into the reign of the first king over a nation chosen by God to be His representative to the world. God used Israel to accomplish His plan to bring salvation to all mankind. Throughout Old Testament scripture, we read of the promise of a coming prince who would bring salvation and world peace. That promised king was to be from the lineage of the established king of Israel.

King Saul was anointed to be Israel’s first king and that placed him to be the one whose family line would fulfill God’s plan. Sadly, for King Saul, his rebellion toward God forfeited the right to receive the blessing of that promise. Saul, although chosen first, was never the one to be used by God to fulfill His promise. That was because he was not a man who desired God.

God chose Saul to reflect the unfaithfulness of Israel and to show our need for a perfect savior. Both King Saul and the nation he ruled did what was right in their own eyes. They chose their own way, rather than the path God designed for them to follow. Their failure showed that God would need to intervene.  Instead of a king who pleased the people, God chose another king who would bring about the One to save His people. 

It was the next anointed king through whom our Savior would come. David was the king whose kingdom was established forever in Christ because he was a man after God’s own heart. He represented God’s plan in that he saw himself as a lost sinner in need of God to save him. He desired God because he knew God desired him.

Jesus Christ our Savior, the eternal Son of God, born of a virgin from the lineage of King David, came to earth to fulfill God’s promise. Jesus’ first coming was to save us from our sins. And one day still in the future, He is coming back as king to fully establish real peace on earth. God chose David to start a kingdom that Jesus will complete.

This week, as we look to the future this year, let us reflect on the significance of God sending Immanuel, and what that means for all of us. Jesus is coming again. What we must ask ourselves is do we desire His return?