Saul, a man of humble birth and means, was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel as the first king of Israel in 1 Samuel 10. He had an inglorious reign — the Jewish Virtual Library asserts that his short-lived dynasty (only two years) never came into great wealth, and he was almost entirely concerned with war. Saul also quickly ran afoul of Samuel, who continued to warn against having a monarch rule in place of God, even after the new king’s early victories. When Samuel was late arriving at a battlefield to offer a sacrifice, Saul performed the rite himself. For usurping the duties of a priest, Samuel gave his first rejection of the king.
The second rejection came from God through Samuel after Saul disregarded the Lord’s command to utterly destroy the Amalekites and all their flocks, letting the king and “the best of the sheep and cattle” live (via Bible Gateway). Samuel rejected Saul’s pleas for forgiveness and slew the king of the Amalekites himself before departing for Ramah, never again to see Saul. By God’s guidance, Samuel found David in Bethlehem and anointed him as the new king of Israel. Later, when Saul came for David’s life, Samuel gave the boy sanctuary.
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Samuel’s final rejection of Saul came after his death. Faced with another army of Philistines and abandoned by God, Saul turned to the witch of Endor to conjure the deceased prophet’s spirit for advice. But Samuel’s ghost had no comfort to give the king — only a third rejection on account of his past sins.
