But God is always merciful to His own, whatever sorrows and complications we may bring upon ourselves by our folly. Accordingly the Spirit of God came upon Saul, and all Israel was summoned to go “forth after Saul and after Samuel,” and so complete a victory was granted “that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.” Oh, the goodness of our faithful God, who, whatever the fickleness and evil of His people, never forgets them in their hour of need!
Saul did well in the moment of his triumph. When the people suggested to Samuel that the men who had said that Saul should not reign over them should be put to death, the new king in his clemency said: “There shall not a man be put to death this day: for today the Lord hath wrought salvation in Israel.” He exercised patience towards certain children of Belial in 1 Sam. 10:2727But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace. (1 Samuel 10:27); he showed clemency in 1 Sam. 11:1313And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day: for to day the Lord hath wrought salvation in Israel. (1 Samuel 11:13), and he acknowledged the Lord in the great deliverance that the nation had experienced. Such was the fair start of the king of Israel's choice. But, alas, for flesh; who can trust it? It was not long before its evil was fully manifested and the new kingdom brought to ruin.