Saul presents Samuel with Agag, King of the Amalkites
Saul: King; Warlord; Chosen by God and man to be the blunt instrument of Israel’s security and the first earthly ruler over God’s chosen people. Saul would have made an excellent subject for a Shakespeare tragedy. A born leader, his reign had an auspicious beginning:
“When he took his stand among the people, he was head and shoulders taller than any of them. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!” (10:23-24)
Saul’s mission was clear. God told Samuel “you shall anoint him to be ruler over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines.” (9:16) This was no trivial matter. The Philistines were not just another run-of-the-mill desert tribe; archaeological evidence points to a Mycenaean Greek origin. The Philistines had migrated from the heroic world of Homer’s Iliad and settled in the lowlands of southern Canaan at about the same time that the Israelites moved into the adjacent highlands. Contrary to the definition of “philistine”, the historic Philistines built great cities, tended fertile fields of wheat and olive groves, conducted trade throughout the eastern Mediterranean, and created tools, weapons and armor of iron, a skill that the Israelites probably lacked. They likely considered the Israelites to be a bunch of hillbillies.
Over time the Philistines forced the Israelite tribe of Dan to relocate to the north, and then invaded the Israelite highlands to the east. The result was disaster, as related by a messenger to the Israelite high priest Eli: “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great slaughter among the troops…the ark of the covenant has been captured.” (4:17) Twenty years later the Philistines again moved against Israel, and although the outcome was different, the message was clear; the Philistines were a formidable adversary and were a continuing and constant menace. Saul must have felt considerable pressure in his new role.
But Saul delivered the results. We are told that “he fought against all his enemies on every side – against Moab, against the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines; wherever he turned he routed them. He did valiantly, and struck down the Amalekites, and rescued Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.” (14:47-48) He was a hero, a natural leader able to motivate his men whether he had God’s blessing or not.
Saul behaved and made decisions in a manner that I think many in our modern society can identify with. He was a man of action, focused on getting results. He didn’t always consider the collateral damage, which in his case was his relationship with God. The Bible takes great pains to point out the instances where he did what was expedient and seemed best in the sight of men, but where God’s desires and commands were at most only a secondary factor in his decision making. The culminating and most illustrative event was Saul’s victory over the Amalekites where, contrary to God’s command, he took the best of the Amalekite property as spoil:
Samuel said “The Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord?” Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But from the spoil the people took sheep and cattle, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” (15:18-21)
Saul recognized his error, but too late:
Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.” Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” (15:24-26)
Saul continued to struggle for Israel, for “there was hard fighting against the Philistines all the days of Saul” (14:52), but never again was he accepted by God. In Chapter 18-19 we see Saul alienate David, his greatest Lieutenant, because of jealousy. Saul ultimately perished as he lived, in battle against the Philistines, abandoned by God. It was a tragic end for a man, once favored by God, but changed by power, glory, war, and the burdens of kingship.
1 sam 18-19
Jonathan’s Covenant with David
18When David* had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. 3Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armour, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him; as a result, Saul set him over the army. And all the people, even the servants of Saul, approved.
6 As they were coming home, when David returned from killing the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments.* 7And the women sang to one another as they made merry,
‘Saul has killed his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands.’
8Saul was very angry, for this saying displeased him. He said, ‘They have ascribed to David tens of thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands; what more can he have but the kingdom?’ 9So Saul eyed David from that day on.
Saul Tries to Kill David
10 The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand; 11and Saul threw the spear, for he thought, ‘I will pin David to the wall.’ But David eluded him twice.
12 Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. 13So Saul removed him from his presence, and made him a commander of a thousand; and David marched out and came in, leading the army. 14David had success in all his undertakings; for the Lord was with him. 15When Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him. 16But all Israel and Judah loved David; for it was he who marched out and came in leading them.
David Marries Michal
17 Then Saul said to David, ‘Here is my elder daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife; only be valiant for me and fight the Lord’s battles.’ For Saul thought, ‘I will not raise a hand against him; let the Philistines deal with him.’ 18David said to Saul, ‘Who am I and who are my kinsfolk, my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?’ 19But at the time when Saul’s daughter Merab should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.
20 Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David. Saul was told, and the thing pleased him. 21Saul thought, ‘Let me give her to him that she may be a snare for him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.’ Therefore Saul said to David a second time,* ‘You shall now be my son-in-law.’ 22Saul commanded his servants, ‘Speak to David in private and say, “See, the king is delighted with you, and all his servants love you; now then, become the king’s son-in-law.” ’ 23So Saul’s servants reported these words to David in private. And David said, ‘Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king’s son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man and of no repute?’ 24The servants of Saul told him, ‘This is what David said.’ 25Then Saul said, ‘Thus shall you say to David, “The king desires no marriage present except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, that he may be avenged on the king’s enemies.” ’ Now Saul planned to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26When his servants told David these words, David was well pleased to be the king’s son-in-law. Before the time had expired, 27David rose and went, along with his men, and killed one hundred* of the Philistines; and David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. Saul gave him his daughter Michal as a wife. 28But when Saul realized that the Lord was with David, and that Saul’s daughter Michal loved him, 29Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy from that time forward.
30 Then the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle; and as often as they came out, David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his fame became very great.
Jonathan Intercedes for David
19Saul spoke to his son Jonathan and to all his servants about killing David. But Saul’s son Jonathan took great delight in David. 2Jonathan told David, ‘My father Saul is trying to kill you; therefore be on guard tomorrow morning; stay in a secret place and hide yourself. 3I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you; if I learn anything I will tell you.’ 4Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him, ‘The king should not sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been of good service to you; 5for he took his life in his hand when he attacked the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced; why then will you sin against an innocent person by killing David without cause?’ 6Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan; Saul swore, ‘As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.’ 7So Jonathan called David and related all these things to him. Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.
Michal Helps David Escape from Saul
8 Again there was war, and David went out to fight the Philistines. He launched a heavy attack on them, so that they fled before him. 9Then an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was playing music. 10Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear; but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. David fled and escaped that night.
11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to keep watch over him, planning to kill him in the morning. David’s wife Michal told him, ‘If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.’ 12So Michal let David down through the window; he fled away and escaped. 13Michal took an idol* and laid it on the bed; she put a net* of goats’ hair on its head, and covered it with the clothes. 14When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, ‘He is sick.’ 15Then Saul sent the messengers to see David for themselves. He said, ‘Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.’ 16When the messengers came in, the idol* was in the bed, with the covering* of goats’ hair on its head. 17Saul said to Michal, ‘Why have you deceived me like this, and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?’ Michal answered Saul, ‘He said to me, “Let me go; why should I kill you?” ’
David Joins Samuel in Ramah
18 Now David fled and escaped; he came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel went and settled at Naioth. 19Saul was told, ‘David is at Naioth in Ramah.’ 20Then Saul sent messengers to take David. When they saw the company of the prophets in a frenzy, with Samuel standing in charge of * them, the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also fell into a prophetic frenzy. 21When Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they also fell into a frenzy. Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also fell into a frenzy. 22Then he himself went to Ramah. He came to the great well that is in Secu;* he asked, ‘Where are Samuel and David?’ And someone said, ‘They are at Naioth in Ramah.’ 23He went there, towards Naioth in Ramah; and the spirit of God came upon him. As he was going, he fell into a prophetic frenzy, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24He too stripped off his clothes, and he too fell into a frenzy before Samuel. He lay naked all that day and all that night. Therefore it is said, ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?’
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