After the Flood, mankind, not knowing God and thus not trusting Him, inclined to rely on their own resources for protection and stability. Many gathered around strong men like Nimrod, whose name means rebellion or let us revolt, hoping that such leadership would shield them from further woe. In Nimrod's city of Babel, the people embarked on building a city and a tower to reach the heavens, driven by a desire to preserve themselves and make a name for themselves, rather than to glorify Him. Their focus was not on their standing before God, but on creating a monument to endure as a people and gain a noteworthy reputation. Their carnal inclination was to defend against an act of God rather than to make peace with Him, revealing their hostility and suspicion toward Him for not behaving as they thought He should. Instead of aligning with the One who has the power to scatter, they made contingency plans to keep the consequences of sin at bay. Rather than submitting to God and honoring Him, they sought to elevate themselves, believing they could advance beyond His ordained consequences. Their greatest fear of scattering came to pass because they left God out of their thoughts, trusting in structures like the Tower of Babel instead of seeking peace with Him.

The Israelites are marked by a deeply ingrained rebellious nature, characterized by independence, deceit, cunning, and disloyalty. They consistently fail to keep their word, even to God, turning away from Him to follow their own paths despite being guided by righteous leaders over centuries. From the outset, God recognized their stubbornness, describing them as stiff-necked and unwilling to yield to His ways or commandments. Their lack of righteousness is evident, as they are no better than other nations, only set apart by His love and promise to the patriarchs. This rebellion manifests in a recurring cycle throughout their history. Initially, under a righteous judge, the people conform to God's law, experiencing peace. However, upon the judge's death, they defect, turning to idolatry and worshipping foreign gods like the Baals and Ashtoreths, which appeal to their carnal desires. In response, God, bound by the covenant's terms, allows foreign nations to invade and punish them until they cry out for deliverance. He then raises another judge to restore order, often accompanied by a temporary repentance, only for the cycle to repeat with renewed rebellion after the judge's passing. This pattern persists across generations, revealing their inability to remain faithful. Their rejection of God's sovereignty is a constant theme, as they refuse to accept Him as their King, desiring instead to follow their own standards of right and wrong. They prioritize personal independence over submission to Him, even in the face of promised blessings for obedience. Throughout their history under the Old Covenant, from the time of Moses to the destruction of Jerusalem, they continuously provoke Him with sin and idolatry, showing no significant change over centuries. God describes them as crooked, perverse, and faithless, forgetting His deeds and treating Him with scorn, ultimately leading to His just punishment for their unrelenting disloyalty.

About four centuries before King Saul, the Amalekites ambushed Israel, and with God's help, the Israelites prevailed. Later, He commanded Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites, sparing nothing. Initially, Saul attacked them as directed, but he and the people spared King Agag and the best of the livestock, unwilling to fully obey. For this disobedience, God rejected Saul as king over Israel, eventually giving the throne to David. Saul framed his disobedience as a way to honor God, claiming the spared livestock was for sacrifice. However, the prophet Samuel rebuked him, declaring that to obey is better than sacrifice. God looks more favorably on one who follows His Word single-mindedly than on someone who excuses failures as acts of glory to Him. Samuel further explained that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Not following God's commands is not mere disobedience but rebellion, an open opposition to authority, akin to taking up arms against Him. Rebellion is as spiritually dangerous as witchcraft, leading a person away from God and, without repentance, aligning them with demonic forces. This act of rebellion over the Amalekites was not Saul's first, though it may have been the worst. Saul's reference to the Lord as Samuel's God, not his own, suggests a lack of personal devotion. Despite being the leader, he blamed the people for the failure to obey, evading responsibility. His seeking of pardon and worship of God lacked genuine contrition, appearing as mere political theater. God knew Saul's heart had long been trending away from Him, and this compromise was the final straw. Samuel proclaimed that the Lord had torn the kingdom from Saul, giving it to another, for His decision was final due to Saul's hardened rebellion.