Chronicles: The Rise & Fall of Saul
Why Saul?
Our next step in our journey through Chronicles leads us straight to the character of Saul. One amazing aspect of going through the history of the Old Testament and the people of Israel is that there is are so many incredible characters and great moves of God that we get to see and discuss. The downside to this, however, is that with so much to cover, we will be forced to do a bit of a flyover when it comes to certain parts of the story. This is the case this week with the life of Saul. Saul is a huge character at this point in the story and one could make the argument that a whole month could go to writing about this particular king. In 1 & 2 Samuel, Saul is one of the main characters that we learn about. So what makes him such a vital character? Why should anyone even want to know about him if he doesn't pan out? We will go into depth on both of these questions, but in short, the answer to these is because it leads us to the rest of God’s story and shows us what we must avoid in worldly rulers today. Kaitlin Miller sums up Saul’s legacy best when she says, “Saul, who, despite beginning his reign as God’s anointed king, provides a devastating model of how not to lead.” This seems like a very harsh thing to say about a king, but once you see why he failed so mightily, I think you’ll agree. Let’s dive in and see what the life of Saul has to teach us.
An Unholy Desire
Before we even get into Saul as a king, we need to see how Saul was elected as king in the first place. Samuel, God’s prophet at the time, was currently leading God’s people at the time by just telling the Israelites what the Lord wanted them to do. The Israelites were in constant war with the Philistines over the Ark of the Covenant, and this war ultimately resulted in Israel getting the Ark back in 1 Samuel 6. It was shortly after this victory that the Israelites told Samuel that they wanted a king to rule over them like all of the other nations. Samuel knew this desire wasn’t a righteous one, but when he prayed to the Lord about this, God tells Samuel in 1 Samuel 8:7 “...Listen to the voice of the people regarding all that they say to you, because they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being King over them.” Already we can see that the foundation for Saul is not a righteous one. This of course doesn't mean that God was against Saul from the moment he was elected king and this is why he failed, this just means that the pure desire for Saul to even rule over God’s people was never a righteous one. The reason that the Israelites wanted a king in the first place was because all the other nations had one. And ironically, the reason that God didn’t want them to have a king was for the same reason. The fact that all the other nations had a king and Israel didn’t is what Israel holy and set apart for the Lord. They didn’t need a person to rule over them and tell them what to do, they had the God of the universe as their ultimate leader! This is how life should’ve been for the Israelites anyway, but their greedy hearts wanted something else solely because of comparisons. And because of this unfortunate request, Saul now enters the scene as the new king of Israel.
Saul’s Flaws
But what makes this king so bad? Was it just the fact that he wasn’t needed or is there something more? This is what the rest of 1 Samuel (and 1 Chronicles 10) has to share with us. 1 Chronicles gives us a small glimpse of what Saul’s defeat looked like but 1 Samuel puts a microscope over the whole situation. The downfall of Saul throughout 1 Samuel is one that can’t go unnoticed. In just a few chapters, Saul disobeys God in war (1 Sam. 18), goes against the instruction of Samuel (1 Sam. 15), and even tries to kill David on multiple occasions (1 Sam. 19). This is a pretty rough run at kingship when all is said and done. What’s worse, Samuel dies in 1 Samuel 25 and Saul seeks out a witch of sorts in order to speak with him in death. And even after achieving this task, these are Samuel’s final words to Saul, 1 Samuel 28:17-19 “And the LORD has done just as He spoke through me; for the LORD has torn the kingdom from your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David. “Just as you did not obey the LORD and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the LORD has done this thing to you this day. “Furthermore, the LORD will also hand Israel along with you over to the Philistines; so tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed, the LORD will hand the army of Israel over to the Philistines!”
There is no question that with everything that Saul had done as king, God was not with him.
After all his disobedient acts and sinful leadership, God has decided to leave Saul to his own devices. It comes as no surprise then. that just 3 chapters later, Saul is killed in battle. Saul falls on his sword in battle to avoid being taken by the Philistines, and an Amalekite later finds him where he finished him off for good. The life and fall of Saul as seen in 1 Chronicles 10 and more specifically throughout most of 1 Samuel is one of great tragedy. We see a king who is thrust into power because of an unholy desire, a king who disobeys his council and his God, and a king who ultimately tries to kill God’s next anointed king in line because of an abuse of power. I know this is a more sorrowful story in scripture, but it is one that we can learn from greatly nonetheless. As people in power, Saul is a great reminder that we are nothing without the God who put us in power in the first place. And for a nation and group of people longing to be led, it is also a great reminder to not idolize our leaders but to always remember that God is our ultimate king. I hope and pray that as you read through Saul’s story, you will remember these two critical points and glorify God, your one true king.
Sources
[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/
[2] Miller, K. (2023, October 6). How to Fail as a Leader: Four Lessons from King Saul. Desiring God. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-to-fail-as-a-leader
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