Apostolic Constitutions : As, therefore, it was not lawful for one of another tribe, that was not a Levite, to offer anything or to approach the altar without the priest, so also do you do nothing without the bishop; for if any one does anything without the bishop, he does it to no purpose. For it will not be esteemed as of any avail to him. For as Saul, when he had offered without Samuel, was told, "It will not avail for you," so every person among the laity, doing anything without the priest, labors in vain. — CONSTITUTIONS OF THE HOLY APOSTLES 2.4.27 Bede : And Samuel said to Saul: You have acted foolishly, etc. And the Lord Himself in the Gospel, and the prophets, in their respective times, rebuke those who, as though sacrificing without Samuel, neglecting the help of the divine word, worship God in vain, teaching doctrines and commandments of men. — Commentary on Samuel Bede : But if you had not done this, the Lord would have now prepared your kingdom, etc. This should not be understood as if God had established an eternal kingdom for Saul and later did not want to preserve it because he sinned, whom He had foreseen would sin; but He had prepared his kingdom in which there would be a figure of the eternal kingdom. But also every scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven, bringing forth from his treasure new things and old, reigns over Israel forever (Matthew 11). Namely that Israel, which he made to be spiritual by teaching and ruling; to such people the apostle says, "For what is my crown or joy? Is it not you in the presence of our Lord Jesus?" (1 Thess. 2). Hence, to the servant who, trading well, that is, acquiring many through his teaching, it is said as he enters into the joy of his Lord: "You shall have authority over ten cities" (Luke 9); that is, from the merits and knowledge of those whom you have instructed spiritually from the law, you will shine more gloriously in the kingdom. But if some teacher has preferred his own understanding to the words of Scripture, and through those doctrines which he himself has composed, has led his listeners to carnal things rather than spiritual things; which is as Saul offering sacrifices without Samuel, sanctifying his army for battle, the foolish one will lose the kingdom. But if he had not done this, he could have had an eternal kingdom over Israel. About such people, the Savior in the Gospel: "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5). For such a person is the least in the present kingdom of the Church, entirely foreign to the future one. — Commentary on Samuel Gregory the Dialogist : 20. Behold how great were the things he lost, who, as he supposed, despised nothing. Behold, for seven days he waited for the prophet; but when he ceased to await him at the end of the day, he lost the glory of so great a dignity. Whence it is also said through the prophet: 'Woe to those who have lost patience' (Sirach 2:16). Indeed, those lose patience who do not bring to completion the good things they have begun. To whom assuredly woe is pronounced: because they not only lose the reward of the labor they began, but are also struck with the punishment of their apostasy. Moreover, the punishment of the proud and disobedient king is declared when it is said: 'If you had not done this, the Lord would already have prepared your kingdom over Israel from now and forever; but it shall not stand.' From now and forever the kingdom is prepared for the elect: because those who rightly order temporal things prepare for themselves the height of eternal glory. Indeed, the kingdom of the elect is prepared now, when through divine grace their ministries are rightly administered. Which advances from now and forever: because from the lofty action of this present time, they merit that still loftier glory of eternity in heaven. And so finally it is said to the reprobate king: 'Your kingdom shall by no means stand any longer.' As if to say: Since he falls short of temporal righteousness, he does not attain to the height of eternity. Or for this reason it is said literally that it shall not stand: because it fell with him, and after him it did not remain in his sons. But, so that he may be struck with the punishment of envy, he is compelled to hear not only his own rejection, but also the election of another. For the prophet, continuing, says: (Verse 14) 'The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and has commanded him to be leader over His people Israel.' — Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 5, Chapter 3 Gregory the Dialogist : 18. All the proud, because through their swelling they consider themselves to be above other men, are fittingly rebuked when the divine will is set before them, which they offend. Saul therefore is rebuked in the manner of the proud, who is said to have despised the commandments of the Lord his God. This is as if one should frighten the proud and contemptuous man, saying: Even if you despise men, now it is not the counsel of men, but the commandments of the Lord your God that you have scattered. Rightly therefore do you weigh your guilt, if you consider with a trembling heart Him whom you despise. And it should be noted that he does not say: "You have not kept the commandments of your God," or "the commandments of your Lord," but: "You have not kept the commandments of the Lord your God." As if he were openly saying: It would be a daring of great transgression if He whose commandments you despise were only your Lord and not also your God. How great then is what is committed when the commandments of God and Lord are neglected? Because likewise he did not say "of the Lord my God" or "of the Lord our God," he convicts him of having offended the grace of divine intimacy. As if he were saying: You have despised the precepts of Him who, when He raised you up from the lowest place, when He set you over others, when He made you king, through the bestowal of such great gifts, was, as it were, specially yours. Still further it is added, from which his audacity of transgression is shown to be even greater: (Verse 13.) "Which," he says, "He commanded to you." 19. Finally, certain commandments of God are common to all, not special to some. Therefore, in order to convict the bold defendant of his recklessness by an open accusation, he demonstrates that he despised not the common commandments, but his own and particular ones. "Which," he says, "he commanded to you." As if to say: You despised those commandments of your God and Lord which you ought to have observed not as common to all, but as your own, and entrusted singularly to you alone. But he sets forth what he deserves, saying... — Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 5, Chapter 3