May none of us be condemned as Christian servants by our attitude, the kind of people we are. What motivates you and I? What motivates us to do things? Spiritual things or a desire to gratify ourselves, or be vindicated, or something of that kind? Saul was condemned by his totally unspiritual motives. He was condemned by his own son. He was condemned by the Philistine who survived and thus condemned him as Hall quaintly points out. He was condemned by the Lord, who wouldn't hear him. And he was condemned by the people, because it came to the point when he gave an instruction which the people wouldn't carry it out; they were absolutely silent. They no longer trusted him, and it was all because he became totally self-important and lacking in spiritual feeling and faith. These are the kind of lessons we learn from these great books. Whenever you go through them, look at the contrasts. A Saul, a Jonathan: seize on the contrast; learn from it. The man who stands for the flesh: look at these characteristics; see if there are in your heart. Avoid them like the plague. The man who stands for grace, the servant of God, the believer in in the way of faith. Look at what characterises him; identify his features. Grasp at, and imitate them. That is the purpose of these books and how they are to be read.