THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
Once more, Saul sinned through his disobedience to the Lord, prompting Samuel to convey the Lord’s message: "You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel." Despite Saul repeating the same offense and seeking forgiveness, he convinced Samuel to accompany him in worshiping the Lord. However, Samuel replied, "I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel." The Faithful One of Israel does not act unjustly nor does He repent, for He is not like a man who needs to repent. The one to whom these words were directed reigned over Israel for forty years, just as David did, and received this judgment early in his reign.
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This declaration implies that none of Saul's heirs would succeed him, urging us to focus on the lineage of David, from which Jesus Christ, the mediator between God and humanity, was to be born in the flesh (cf. 1 Tim. 2:5).
In various Latin translations, a specific verse appears as “the Lord has torn away the kingdom of Israel from you” (1 Kings 15:28). However, I have translated it according to the Greek text: “the Lord has torn away the kingdom of Israel from your hand," indicating a unity between your hand and Israel. In this context, Samuel represented the people of Israel, who were to lose their kingdom when our Lord Jesus Christ would come to reign spiritually rather than in the flesh, as described in the New Testament. The mention of "And gave him to your neighbor, your best man" refers to kinship, as Christ is of Israel's lineage according to the flesh, paralleling Saul's descent.