Overall, the message placed before us in these books is: We enter into the full experience of God's redemptive purposes for our lives only as we turn away from the kingdom of man and unto the kingdom of God's King. As we shall see, very early in 1 Samuel we encounter this startling statement by the Lord: "Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them." (1 Samuel 8:7) In verse ten of 1 Samuel eight, the people ask God for a king.
From this point on in these two books we see the Lord giving the people what they demanded, first in King Saul, then in King David. The common mistake often made in studying these books of Samuel lies in seeing that between Saul and David we have a clear-cut choice. But the true choice is not between these two men. The true choice is between having any man as king in my life (including myself) or the true King, which is God. This is the heart truth we must keep ever before us as we move through these two books.
Furthermore, the deep underlying call of God upon the lives of His people in Israel's day remains the same today. God is calling all of us to abandon the thrones of our own lives, and through redemption submit to Him so that He may rule in our lives. While it may be easy for us to see that Israel, as a nation, rejected God's rule over them, it is another thing altogether for each one of us to surrender the throne of his [her] life to God by faith.