Regret

 "I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments." And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night.
1 Samuel 15:11 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/1sa.15.11.ESV

Later in this chapter we're told that God doesn't have regrets. So how do we reconcile that to this verse? There's a difference between what God permits and what He decrees.

God permitted Israel to have a human king when they clamoured for one. But His decree was that He Himself ought to have been their King. Israel had king Saul because they had rejected God as King.

Typically of human kings, Saul failed to obey God's commandments. At least his successor David was a man after God's own heart, even if he himself wasn't perfect either. We need to be careful to obey the Lord, we can't just do what seems right in our own eyes.

Understandably, Samuel felt conflicted about Saul's failures and rejection by God. He knew the earthly kingship was a mistake of Israel, but he had anointed Saul as king and had invested much in him. He was evidently bitterly disappointed that it had come to this.

'Sovereign Lord, help us to obey You wholeheartedly, and to love You as we ought. Please forgive our failures and restore us when we stumble. In Christ's name, amen'

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