King Saul

How He Became King: Anointed by Samuel
When He Began Reigning: Uncertain
Reign Length: 40 years
Ruled Over: Israel + Judah
Type of King: Evil
Prophet: Samuel
Death: Killed in battle by the Philistines
Burial: Buried under a tree at Jabesh

Saul was the first king of Israel, and he ruled over the entire nation. In the beginning of his reign he was a good king, but he quickly fell into sin. His life was a sad tale of poor decisions. Saul knew what God wanted him to do, but instead of being obedient he did that which was right in his own eyes. Ultimately that decision cost him his kingdom and his life.

King Saul was the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin. The Bible says that he was tall and handsome. In fact, the Scriptures actually say that Saul was the most handsome person in the entire country:

1 Samuel 9:1: “Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.”

The reason Saul became the king of Israel was because the nation no longer wanted judges to rule over them. Samuel had been judge over Israel for many years, but when he was old he appointed his sons as judges over the country. Sadly, Samuel’s sons were wicked and did not follow in their father’s footsteps:

1 Samuel 8:1: “And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.
3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.”

Since his sons were wicked, Israel asked Samuel to appoint them a king:

I Samuel 8:5: “And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

This request seems reasonable (after all, who would want corrupt judges as rulers?), but there is more to it than it seems. Israel was rejecting much more than the corrupt sons of Samuel. After all, if that was their concern then they could have asked Samuel to appoint different judges. The truth is that Israel was rejecting God:

I Samuel 8:7: “And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.”

Before the days of the kings, God worked through judges in order to rule the Israelites. Although the judges were far from perfect, they did what He commanded and executed His decrees. You might say that they were God’s proxies, and that God ruled Israel through them.

However, that wasn’t good enough for Israel. They didn’t want to be ruled by an invisible God. Instead they wanted someone that they could see – someone who could go before them and physically lead them into battle. In the past God had granted them great military victories, but Israel didn’t care about that. They wanted a human king that they could see. They wanted to be like all of the other nations around them.

The Lord told Samuel to warn Israel that a king would abuse them and reign over them harshly:

I Samuel 8:16: “And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”

Israel’s history proved Him right. The kings of Israel and Judah did terrible things to the people. In fact, the kings were so wicked that they ultimately brought God’s judgment upon the nation and evicted the people from the land. However, despite God’s warnings, the people simply did not care. They wanted a king no matter what the cost:

I Samuel 8:19: “Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;
20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.”

So Samuel did as they requested. The Lord led the prophet to Saul, and he anointed Saul as Israel’s king. Saul was exactly the kind of king that Israel wanted – he was tall and handsome. Israel wanted someone who looked nice, and that is exactly what God gave them.

However, Saul didn’t want to become Israel’s king. When it came time to crown him in front of the entire nation, Saul actually went and hid himself:

I Samuel 10:20: “And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.
21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.
22 Therefore they enquired of the Lord further, if the man should yet come thither. And the Lord answered, Behold he hath hid himself among the stuff.
23 And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.
24 And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.”

Saul may have been reluctant at first, but that reluctance did not last long. When Nahash the Ammonite came against Jabeshgilead, Saul gathered an army and defeated them:

I Samuel 11:11: “And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.”

The Israelites wanted someone to lead their nation into battle, and Saul did exactly that. When the Ammonites came against Israel their new king led the people to victory. So far things were going very well – but that was not going to last.

In Saul’s second year the Philistines gathered to fight Israel. Saul waited for Samuel at Gilgal for seven days, but when Samuel did not appear Saul offered the sacrifice himself. As soon as Saul finished making the offering Samuel appeared and saw what the king had done. Samuel rebuked the king and told him that because he had disobeyed God, his kingdom would be given to someone else:

I Samuel 13:13: “And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.
14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.”

The sacrifice at Gilgal had been a test to see if Saul would obey God or if he would take the easy way out. This was the first time that Saul revealed that he didn’t really care very much about God’s commands – but it would not be the last. Saul would continue to take the easy way out the rest of his life. His disobedience had cost his descendents the kingdom. Since Saul had not obeyed God, his children would not sit on the throne. But things were about to get worse.

One day Samuel came to Saul and told him that God wanted him to utterly destroy Amalek. Saul was supposed to wipe out everything – their animals, their people, and their king. However, when Saul fought them he spared their king and the best of their animals. Samuel rebuked Saul for his gross disobedience and said that because Saul had disobeyed God, the Lord had rejected him as Israel’s king:

I Samuel 15:22: “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”

Saul’s disobedience had now cost him and his descendents the throne. After this rebuke, God sent Samuel to Jessee and had him anoint David as Israel’s king (I Samuel 16:13). Although David had been anointed king, it would be many years before he would actually take the throne and begin his reign.

When David slew Goliath, Saul took David into his home and put him over his men of war:

I Samuel 18:5: “And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.”

However, Saul eventually grew jealous of David’s popularity among the people and tried to kill him. When David fled for his life, he stopped to see Ahimelech the priest in order to get some food and to get Goliath’s sword. Saul found out about this and had Ahimelech executed – along with an entire city of priests:

I Samuel 22:16: “And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father’s house.
17 And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the Lord: because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord.
18 And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.
19 And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.”

Saul continued to pursue David and eventually found him at Engedi. David had a chance to kill Saul but he refused to take it. When David confronted Saul, the king admitted that he had sinned and returned home:

I Samuel 24:16: “And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.
17 And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.
18 And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not.
19 For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.
20 And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.
21 Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father’s house.
22 And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.”

After this, Samuel died (I Samuel 25:1).

Despite what Saul had said, he did not stop pursuing David. When the Ziphites told Saul where David was hiding, Saul came after him once again. David had another chance to kill Saul, but he did not take it. Saul admitted that he had sinned and returned home:

I Samuel 26:21: “Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly. . . .
25 Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.”

This time David realized that Saul would never stop hunting him, so he went to the country of the Philistines (I Samuel 27:1). David stayed there until Saul was killed in battle.

Although David found peace in the land of the Philistines, Saul’s life became increasingly troubled. The king saw that the Philistines were gathering to attack Israel, and he grew greatly afraid. Saul inquired of the Lord, but God refused to answer the king. Since God would not talk to him through dreams, or through prophets, or through the Urim and Thummim, the king instead went to a witch at Endor and asked her to bring up the departed spirit of Samuel:

I Samuel 28:11: “Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.”

Necromancy was a terrible sin that was punishable by death, but as usual the king did not care. God had strictly forbidden anyone from dealing with witches or familiar spirits and had commanded that witches be put to death, but the king was not interested in God’s commands. He was determined to find out how to defeat the Philistines in battle, no matter what the cost.

However, this encounter did not go as the king had planned. The witch did indeed bring up the spirit of Samuel, but Samuel did not have good news. The prophet told Saul that tomorrow the Philistines were going to win the battle, and he and his sons were going to be killed:

I Samuel 28:19: “Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

The reason God had been refusing to talk to Saul was because God had abandoned Saul. God was no longer Saul’s friend; He was now Saul’s enemy and He was going to kill the king.

Samuel’s prophecy came true. The very next day Saul and his sons were slain by the Philistines:

1 Samuel 31:1: “Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.
2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul’s sons.
3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.”

When the Philistines found Saul’s body, they paraded it around as a trophy:

I Samuel 31:8: “And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.
9 And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people.
10 And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.”

However, that was not the end. The men of Jabeshgilead recovered the bodies and buried them under a tree:

I Samuel 31:11: “And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul;
12 All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.
13 And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.”

The name Jabeshgilead should sound familiar. At the very beginning of Saul’s reign, Nahash the Ammonite came against that town and Saul formed an army and rescued them. The men of that city were now repaying the favor by rescuing Saul’s body from the Philistines.

This put an end to the reign of Saul. The book of Acts tells us that he reigned for 40 years:

Acts 13:21: “And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.”

Saul’s reign did not end in victory; instead it ended in defeat and death. His stubborn disobedience cost him his kingdom, the life of his sons, and his own life. In the end this wicked king reaped exactly what he had sowed.