THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
Once again, Saul transgressed 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." After Saul repeated the same offense and sought to be forgiven, persuading Samuel to accompany him in worship, Samuel responded, “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 speak unjustly nor does He repent; for He is not a man to change His mind. The individual to whom these words were spoken ruled over Israel for forty years, the same length of time David later ruled.
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This decree was pronounced during the early part of Saul's reign, leading us to conclude that none of Saul's offspring would inherit the throne. This serves as a divine prompt for us to focus on the lineage of David, from which Jesus Christ emerged in the flesh, serving as the mediator between God and humanity (cf. 1 Tim. 2:5).
In several Latin translations, one verse expresses: "the Lord has torn away the kingdom of Israel from you" (1 Kings 15:28). However, I have conveyed the words based on the Greek text: "the Lord has torn away the kingdom of Israel from your hand," emphasizing that your hand and Israel are one. In this instance, Samuel represented the people of Israel, who were destined to lose their kingdom upon the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, who would reign in spirit rather than in flesh, in the New Testament. The mention of "and gave him to your neighbor, your best man" hints at consanguinity, as Christ is a descendant of Israel by lineage, just as Saul was.