It is interesting to see how God, in the Old Testament, at times seems remorseful that He did something. In Genesis, God was remorseful that He made man (Gen. 6:5-7). In 1 Samuel 15, God said to Samuel that He regretted having made Saul king. It is in the following chapter that God reveals He has chosen a replacement.
God said to Samuel to specifically go to the house of Jesse, “for I have selected one of his sons to be my new king” (1 Samuel 16:1). What is interesting here is that what happens in the transition from Saul to David is similar to what had happened in the transition from Eli to Samuel. God saw in Saul’s replacement a boy who was after God’s own heart. Biblecharts.org gives a comparison of the life of David and the life of Saul. The chart points out that David was God’s kind of king, whereas Saul was man’s kind of king. Saul cared about what man thought; David cared about what God thought. The chart also notes:
- David’s kingship was everlasting with Christ (2 Sam. 7:29); Saul’s was rejected (1 Sam. 15:23).
- David was kind and benevolent (2 Sam. 7:29); Saul was cruel (1 Sam. 20:30-32; 22:11-29)
- David was forgiving (1 Sam. 26); Saul was unforgiving (1 Sam. 14:44; 18:9)
- David was repentant (2 Sam. 12:13, 24:10); When confronted, Saul lied about his sins and made excuses (1 Sam. 15:10-31).
- David was courageous (1 Sam. 17; 2 Sam. 17:1; 1 Chron. 18); Samuel was fearful (1 Sam. 17:11; 18-22)
- David was at peace with God (Ps. 4:8; 37:11); Saul was tormented (1 Sam. 16:14).
What kind of man or woman are you?
http://jmdansville.wordpress.com/2013/11/27/winds-of-change-eli-and-samuel-2/
Life Less Ordinary 
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