And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the LORD. I have performed the commandment of the LORD.”
God does not change His mind as we do; He wills an alteration in His method when the creature turns away. Saul turned back from following Him through covetousness and partial obedience, and made himself God's enemy. Samuel spent the whole night wrestling with God in prayer for Saul's restoration, grieving not for himself but that any sinner should forfeit God's favor.
AI summary
Commenting on 1 Samuel 15:10-23
And Samuel came to Saul,.... At Gilgal: and Saul said unto him, blessed be thou of the Lord; signifying that he had abundant reason to bless the Lord on his account, not only that he had anointed him king, but had sent him on such an errand, in which he had succeeded so well, and it was a pleasure to him that he might report...
Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord--Saul was either blinded by a partial and delusive self-love, or he was, in his declaration to Samuel, acting the part of a bold and artful hypocrite. He professed to have fulfilled the divine command, and that the blame of any defects in the execution lay with the people.