So Samuel went back to Gilgal, and Saul went to fight against the Philistines. * * * * * * * By and by God sent another message to Saul by Samuel the prophet, and this was the message: "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, I remember what Amalek did to Israel . . . when he came up from Egypt, now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not." So Saul went to fight against Amalek and conquered them; but again he was disobedient. He saved the king and did not kill him as he had been commanded, and he also saved all the best of the sheep and oxen. Then the Lord said to Samuel, "It repenteth Me that I have made Saul king, for he hath not kept My commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried unto the Lord all that night. And when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, the king hurried to him and told him he had done all that the Lord had told him to do! But Samuel stopped him. "What is the meaning of this bleating of sheep that I hear, then?" he asked. And Saul said, "The people saved the best to sacrifice to God!" And Samuel said, "Do you think that the Lord has as much pleasure in sacrifice as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king." And as Samuel sorrowfully turned away, he knew that he should never see Saul's face again. This is a very sad and solemn story, children. Let us all be aware of little disobediences, lest they should grow into greater ones. God will dwell in the humble and contrite heart, which trembles at his word. He will give grace to the lowly. Let us pray, as David did in Psalm cxix., "With my whole heart have I sought Thee: O let me not wander from Thy commandments!" And then this promise shall be ours: "He that doeth the will of God abideth for ever!"