V.6-7 Here we find God’s chosen people hiding and trembling before their enemies. We also shall find the enemy too strong for us when we, through carelessness, have a bad conscience because of things we’re allowing in our life.
V.8-14 It might not seem to us that Saul made a very serious mistake, but it was disobedience to the Word of the Lord. Saul was afraid that the people would run away, and so, instead of waiting as Samuel had told him to do, he himself offered this sacrifice. This was only to be done by the priests — not by a king. How common it is today for people to feel that they have a perfect right to worship the Lord just the way they choose. God had made His will known to Samuel, but Saul rejected that, and this made his disobedience very serious. For this reason, he lost the kingdom!
V.17-23 There were no swords or spears in all the land except with Saul and Jonathan — certainly an indication that they were in a weak condition. Let us always be on guard against our enemy, and always have with us the “Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God” (Eph. 6:1717And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (Ephesians 6:17)).