1 Samuel 15-16

1. The Lord Rejects Saul as King
In this passage, the Lord commands Saul to attack the Amalekites for ambushing the Israelites when they arrived at the Promised Land; He also commands him to "totally destroy everything that belongs to" the Amalekites.  Saul then achieves a great victory over the Amalekites - yet he spares the life of their king, Agag, and preserves their finest sheep and cattle.  The Lord is grieved at Saul's actions, and He sends Samuel to Saul at Gilgal.  Saul attempts to convince Samuel that he has obeyed the Lord's commands, yet Samuel exposes his deception.  Samuel then declares that Saul's rebellious and arrogant attitude has caused the Lord to reject him as the king of His people.  Samuel executes Agag and leaves for Ramah; he will not see Saul for the rest of his life.

Now Saul attempts to justify his actions concerning the Amalekites in verses 20 and 21, and so I wonder if he fully understood the Lord's requirements as stated in verse 3.  Was Saul genuinely ignorant of the Lord's desires in this matter?

2. Samuel Anoints David
In this passage, the Lord commands Samuel to go to Jesse of Bethlehem and anoint one of his sons as the new king of Israel.  Samuel is afraid, as he knows that obeying this command would be construed as an act of treason; the Lord furnishes him with a plausible cover story for his journey, though.  He then travels to Bethlehem, and he consecrates Jesse and his sons before inviting them to join him in sacrificing a heifer to the Lord.  Samuel inspects seven of Jesse's sons, yet the Lord tells him that He has not chosen any of them as the new king of Israel.  Samuel then summons Jesse's youngest son, David, who has been tending his family's flock.  The Lord tells Samuel that He has chosen David as the new king of Israel, and so Samuel anoints him with oil.

Did Jesse and his family know why Samuel needed to inspect them?  Were David's brothers jealous of him after Samuel anointed him?  Did Samuel consecrate David before the sacrifice?

3. David in Saul's Service
In this passage, it is noted that the Spirit of the Lord has left Saul, and so an evil spirit constantly torments him.  Saul's attendants recommend that David come and play the harp for him, as the sound of the harp will comfort him in the midst of the evil spirit's attacks.  Jesse then sends David to Saul along with some gifts; Saul becomes attached to David, and he appoints him as one of his armor-bearers.

Since the Spirit of the Lord left Saul, perhaps this event was connected with the Spirit of the Lord coming upon David in power - as noted in verse 13 of the previous passage.