This is a tragic story. We can feel Saul’s desperation and perhaps even feel a sense of pity for the old king. But above all, we are thankful that his time is coming to an end. We are thankful that he is being removed from the throne so that David can finally take his rightful place. That is where the narrative has been leading us over the past few weeks and where it will take us in the weeks to come. When comparing Saul and David, we are looking forward to the rule of a faithful king and the blessings that will accompany his rule. A King who listens to the LORD. A King who does what the LORD commands. A King who is content with what God has revealed.

Such a king would most certainly be like David, but ultimately be a king who is greater than David: our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who came to do the will of the Father, and there was never a moment in his life when he did not obey the Father, and never a moment even when he did not desire to listen. Saul was set on his own glory and vengeance and David almost followed suit were it not for Abigail’s intervention. For Jesus, however, a rebuke was never necessary. Even when he was in the Garden, preparing to face the wrath of his Father against your sin and mine, he still prioritized the Father’s will over his own. That was his focus and that was the means by which he worked our redemption. Through his perfect obedience in life and death on the cross, he paid the penalty for the sins of all God’s people and he secured our future in the new creation—not a halfway victory that requires more work to be done, but full redemption and full salvation for all those who trust in him.