​Saul and his servant leave home one day thinking they are supposed to find lost donkeys. Unbeknownst to them,  they are supposed to go to Samuel's house.  They look for three days: no donkeys.  I wonder if God had sent an angel to lead those donkeys around, or hide them away somewhere--or if he just let them be their little donkey selves and enjoy their little spree of freedom?!

​Not wanting to return home empty-handed, Saul's servant suggests the last option: asking the man of God--Samuel.  When they ask where Samuel is, the woman says, "The people will not begin eating until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward, those who are invited will eat."  Little does Saul know at that moment that not only has he been invited, but he is the guest of honor! 
When Saul first approaches Samuel to ask him where the seer's house is, Samuel says, "Today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will tell you all that is in your heart.  As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found."  From Saul's perspective, his whole "reason" for being there had been answered in the first couple minutes--but Samuel had a whole feast with Saul as the guest of honor, a talk time on the roof of his house, and private anointing the next morning already planned according to God's instructions.  

​After Samuel anoints Saul, he says that the first sign verifying that these events were from God would be that two men would meet him and say, "The donkeys you set out to look for have been found."  After all the signs were fulfilled that day, and Saul finally gets back home, his uncle asks him, "Where have you been?!"  Saul replies, "Looking for the donkeys.  But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel."  Saul's uncle said, "Tell me what Samuel said to you."
After all the amazing and exciting things God had done, do you know what Saul replied? "He assured us that the donkeys had been found."  End of story?  No.  Beginning of story.  Because God had divinely directed Saul on a "wild donkey chase" to move His Big Picture plan into motion.  

In I Samuel 13 Saul has 2,000 scared Israelite soldiers waiting to face the formidable army of the Philistines, who had amassed an army with 30,000 thousand chariots and 6,000 horses and innumerable foot soldiers.  He is scared and his army is scared.  Over the next seven days, Saul's Israelite soldiers begin to desert by the THOUSANDS (I Samuel 13:2,15).  What is Saul's hold up? Only that Samuel hasn't arrived to offer the sacrifice to secure the blessing of God for the battle. Based on what Saul SAW in front of him, he concludes that he must do SOMETHING to salvage his dwindling army. 

He decides to offer the sacrifice himself in order to rally his troops and secure the blessing.  His mindset revealed a "lucky charm" approach to God very similar to when the Israelites had marched God's Ark into battle, thinking that would assure them victory over the more powerful Philistines. Now, not so many years later, Saul's trust was also misplaced in a ritual of invoking blessing because his heart was far from God. 

Even as Saul is having the animals prepared for sacrifice, Samuel is walking the last mile or two and arrives as the fire is still smoldering on the altar.  Very similar to God's tone to Adam in the Garden of Eden when He calls His first leader to account, He now addresses His first appointed king over His people through the voice of Samuel:
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"
And like the first leader in the Garden, Saul's answer shows a lack of sorrow over his disobedience to God and disregard for His ways. Notice the subjects of Saul's answer:
"THE PEOPLE...were scattering."
"YOU...didn't come in time."
"THE PHILISTINES...were assembling."

What had seemed so right and logical to Saul based on what he saw in front of him was actually the most foolish decision he had made in his life. When God told Saul that the kingdom would now be taken from him because of his disobedience and given to a "man after His own heart" it was not a "one strike and you are out" situation.  Rather, it was the commentary on an anointed and appointed leader who had an unrepentant heart toward his own sin.