As Samuel turned about to go away, [Saul] laid hold on the skirt of his robe, and it tore.
"Saul was an impetuous person who wanted to take matters into his own hands rather than trusting the Lord. He had the opposite of the proper covenant mentality. His sin was so serious that there could be no atonement for it. This is similar to Eli’s sons, for whose sins no atonement was available. Their sin resulted in a change of order, from Eli to Samuel. In Saul’s case the change in order was from Saul to David." [Note: Martin, p. 35.] 