Introduction to King Saul
Sept 1, 2020 13:41:32 GMT -5
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Post by PG4Him on Sept 1, 2020 13:41:32 GMT -5
Saul was the first human king of ancient Israel during the Bible times. He came immediately before King David. Saul’s exploits appear in the book of 1 Samuel and briefly in 1 Chronicles 10.
The original plan was for God Jehovah to be the king of Israel Himself. Israel was supposed to be a unique nation that worshipped an invisible God and a heavenly king. This was the agreement established through Moses. God, acting as king, used prophets, judges, and tribal leaders to follow His wishes. However, this was a source of friction throughout the Old Testament. As they watched neighboring enemies advance in military firepower, Israel struggled with believing that God’s invisible power was enough.
The book of Judges records life in early Israel with God as their king. Repeatedly the people’s rebellion leads to God removing His protection, and the latest “superpower” swoops in to invade. The people likely convinced themselves that it was lack of technology, not lack of faith, which left them vulnerable. In 1 Samuel 9, the tribal leaders confront Prophet Samuel to demand a more conventional government. Samuel tries to steer them away from this idea. But God tells Samuel it’s okay; the people have long rejected Him, and He’s made other arrangements. Samuel reluctantly finds a candidate to be Israel’s first king.
Saul was a native Israeli from the tribe of Benjamin. There is much tradition about his family in Jewish literature. Supposedly his grandfather had done a great thing for the Levites at one point, and this earned him the honor of having a king in his descendants. From what we learn about Saul’s family in 1 Samuel, they seemed be wealthy. As a young man, Saul was handsome, athletic, and popular. He enters the story seeming to be very likable. He reigned from his family’s homeland in Gibeah, a few miles north of Jerusalem. He had four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Jonathan was the crown prince.
Saul began his reign well. An early victory against the Ammonites sealed his popularity. Several verses in 1 Samuel clearly say God had chosen him and God was with him. However, Saul made a fatal mistake by disobeying God’s orders in a certain incident. Prophet Samuel informed him that God would no longer help him. Samuel secretly coronated David as the new king.
David made his public debuting by defeating Goliath in chapter 19. He instantly became the people’s new hero, and Saul was old news. If Saul had repented and graciously retired, history would have gone differently. But Saul chose to start a feud with David.
The second half of 1 Samuel conveys a tumultuous, sometimes tragic, sometimes humorous, decades-long cold war between the two men. Saul makes one baffling decision after another. He almost accidentally gets Jonathan killed. He inadvertently lets David marry one of his daughters before taking her back. Then there’s a bizarre episode involving a witch. Twice he lets David sneak up on him while he’s supposedly tracking David. Saul is the Wile E Coyote of the Old Testament — the likable villain always undone by his own devices.
Meanwhile Saul’s children don’t seem to mind David’s success. David’s repeated efforts to apologize to Saul put him on the moral high ground. If Saul had resigned, David would have let him retire in luxury. Jonathan soon pledges his loyalty to David, saying he would be content with serving as David’s best friend. Yet Jonathan stops short of abandoning his father. This ultimately cost Jonathan his life. Jonathan’s death at the end of 1 Samuel is one of the Bible’s biggest “punch in the gut” moments.
When Saul has made it clear that he won’t resign, God allows him to die in battle, along with his sons who went with him. 1 Samuel ends with a heartbroken David having won the feud but feeling like he lost. 2 Samuel begins with a touching funeral song for Saul and Jonathan.
Saul was an expressive, extroverted man, for better or for worse. On his good days he was gregarious, and on his bad days he was bitingly vicious. Many people loved him even as they watched him self destruct. The feud between Saul and David is one of the best and most popular stories in the Bible. It gives us a world of fascinating people, heart-touching friendships, honor, duty, intrigue, and a dash of comedic relief.
Saul and David are frequently discussed as doctrinal archetypes. Metaphors and parallels are highlighted as potential spiritual principles. Although Saul of Benjamin died in ignominy some 3000 years ago, his contribution to Israel remains a compelling time of history.
The original plan was for God Jehovah to be the king of Israel Himself. Israel was supposed to be a unique nation that worshipped an invisible God and a heavenly king. This was the agreement established through Moses. God, acting as king, used prophets, judges, and tribal leaders to follow His wishes. However, this was a source of friction throughout the Old Testament. As they watched neighboring enemies advance in military firepower, Israel struggled with believing that God’s invisible power was enough.
The book of Judges records life in early Israel with God as their king. Repeatedly the people’s rebellion leads to God removing His protection, and the latest “superpower” swoops in to invade. The people likely convinced themselves that it was lack of technology, not lack of faith, which left them vulnerable. In 1 Samuel 9, the tribal leaders confront Prophet Samuel to demand a more conventional government. Samuel tries to steer them away from this idea. But God tells Samuel it’s okay; the people have long rejected Him, and He’s made other arrangements. Samuel reluctantly finds a candidate to be Israel’s first king.
Saul was a native Israeli from the tribe of Benjamin. There is much tradition about his family in Jewish literature. Supposedly his grandfather had done a great thing for the Levites at one point, and this earned him the honor of having a king in his descendants. From what we learn about Saul’s family in 1 Samuel, they seemed be wealthy. As a young man, Saul was handsome, athletic, and popular. He enters the story seeming to be very likable. He reigned from his family’s homeland in Gibeah, a few miles north of Jerusalem. He had four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Jonathan was the crown prince.
Saul began his reign well. An early victory against the Ammonites sealed his popularity. Several verses in 1 Samuel clearly say God had chosen him and God was with him. However, Saul made a fatal mistake by disobeying God’s orders in a certain incident. Prophet Samuel informed him that God would no longer help him. Samuel secretly coronated David as the new king.
David made his public debuting by defeating Goliath in chapter 19. He instantly became the people’s new hero, and Saul was old news. If Saul had repented and graciously retired, history would have gone differently. But Saul chose to start a feud with David.
The second half of 1 Samuel conveys a tumultuous, sometimes tragic, sometimes humorous, decades-long cold war between the two men. Saul makes one baffling decision after another. He almost accidentally gets Jonathan killed. He inadvertently lets David marry one of his daughters before taking her back. Then there’s a bizarre episode involving a witch. Twice he lets David sneak up on him while he’s supposedly tracking David. Saul is the Wile E Coyote of the Old Testament — the likable villain always undone by his own devices.
Meanwhile Saul’s children don’t seem to mind David’s success. David’s repeated efforts to apologize to Saul put him on the moral high ground. If Saul had resigned, David would have let him retire in luxury. Jonathan soon pledges his loyalty to David, saying he would be content with serving as David’s best friend. Yet Jonathan stops short of abandoning his father. This ultimately cost Jonathan his life. Jonathan’s death at the end of 1 Samuel is one of the Bible’s biggest “punch in the gut” moments.
When Saul has made it clear that he won’t resign, God allows him to die in battle, along with his sons who went with him. 1 Samuel ends with a heartbroken David having won the feud but feeling like he lost. 2 Samuel begins with a touching funeral song for Saul and Jonathan.
Saul was an expressive, extroverted man, for better or for worse. On his good days he was gregarious, and on his bad days he was bitingly vicious. Many people loved him even as they watched him self destruct. The feud between Saul and David is one of the best and most popular stories in the Bible. It gives us a world of fascinating people, heart-touching friendships, honor, duty, intrigue, and a dash of comedic relief.
Saul and David are frequently discussed as doctrinal archetypes. Metaphors and parallels are highlighted as potential spiritual principles. Although Saul of Benjamin died in ignominy some 3000 years ago, his contribution to Israel remains a compelling time of history.