I have been working on a paper about King Saul that has been an interesting study. One of the debates concerning leadership has been this age-old question: "Are leaders born or are they made?" The educator would ask it another way, "Is it nature or nurture?" Theologically, the question could be, "Is it predestination or is it free-will?" (My answer to the predestination/free-will debate is "Yes" because Scripture indicates that God is sovereign and chooses and wills things, but he gives us a free-will to make choices.)
When it comes to Saul, the question that begs to be asked is whether or not Saul failed because of his own disobedience to God, or was he destined to fail from the beginning? Passages like Genesis 49:10 seem to indicate that God had always intended for the monarchy to be found in the tribe of Judah. With Saul being from the tribe of Benjamin, it would appear that he was doomed to failure.
On the other hand, after Saul's failure to wait for Samuel to perform a sacrifice, the biblical record shows us something else. Samuel tells Saul, "Now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure." The implication being that Saul's reign and dynasty could have lasted, but his disobedience led to his downfall.
My conclusion about this debate over Saul's failure is that Saul had the opportunity to succeed if he would have been obedient and followed God's leadership. The circumstances leading to Saul's kingship (1 Samuel 7-12) certainly played a role in to how this ended, but Saul was ultimately responsible for the decisions he made. His failure did not thwart God's plan, but Saul missed the opportunity to be used by God to bring about God's plans for Israel and the world.
What does this mean for you and me? We should always remember God is sovereign and in control. He has a purpose and plan for individuals, nations, and the world. Nothing happens without God's knowledge and him allowing it to happen.
On the other hand, we have the responsibility to make decisions that honor God, and we will be held accountable for our decisions. We can't say, "It's predestined to happen, therefore I might as well do this." Recognizing God's sovereignty does not mean we must live with a fatalistic view of life. The decisions you make affect you and those around you. Study Saul and learn from his failures as a leader.
