At Gilgal, Saul had made an appearance of great conscientiousness, as he stood before the army of Israel offering up a sacrifice to God. But his piety was not genuine. A religious service performed in direct opposition to the command of God only served to weaken Saul's hands, placing him beyond the help that God was so willing to grant him.

Saul foregav, at han var meget samvittighedsfuld, da han stod foran Israels hær i Gilgal og ofrede til Gud, men hans gudsfrygt var ikke ægte. Det bidrog blot til at svække Saul, at han forrettede en gudstjeneste i direkte modstrid med Guds befaling. Derved anbragte han sig blot i en stilling, hvor Gud ikke kunne bringe ham den hjælp, som han var så villig til at yde ham.