Introduction
The stories of the bible and the various characters
therein are perhaps best understood in their historical
context. The comparison of both the past and the
present, the new and the old provides excellent
opportunities for studying the characteristics
of these biblical characters. In addition, one
may observe that God's choice of certain characters,
and the rejection of others all provide a specific
direction for all those who follow as there lies
a message in both the highlighting of the characters
as well as the rejection thereof the different
characters. In other words each biblical character
called upon by God served a specific purpose,
as also evident from the time of the choice and
the events and circumstances surrounding the respective
character. The following paper will thus discuss
the character of King Saul, one of the famous
biblical characters from various perspectives,
and hence show that each event surrounding the
life and death of King Saul in effect left a message.
This message in turn proves and guides us as to
what we as human beings should, or should not
appear to be, giving more emphasis to the latter
part of what we should not do or appear to be.
Perhaps the best evidence lies in the 10 Commandments,
which contains somewhat equal number of "Thou
shalt not", and "Thou shalt".
The Character of King Saul
In studying the character of King Saul, one would
have to take into account the events in the life
of King Saul since the moment he was appointed
King over the people of Israel, the reign as a
King, and finally the downfall or the end of one
of the most controversial biblical characters
of the Christian faith.
An overview of the events in the life of King
Saul in particular reveals that prior to being
appointed or chosen as the King over the populations
of Israel, King Saul was a simple peasant, totally
unaware of the royal and divinely fate that lay
in wait for him. In this context, one may note
that for hundreds of years, the people of Israel
had been governed as well as rescued by leaders,
whom they called 'judges'.
These judges were in fact appointed prophets,
yet the failure on the part of these prophets
to rule with a just hand gave birth to mistrust
in the system of judges. Though the system of
'judges' as the governors of Israel has its benefits,
the passage of time proved that not only was this
system unjust, it also paved the way for numerous
ills in turn providing an excuse for introducing
the system of kings.
The people of Israel thus, tired of the unjust
ruling practices of the judges called for complete
reform in the political set of governance, hence
the introduction of Kings or divine characters,
even though biblical textures sought to discourage
these requests for change in leaders by the Israelis,
so much so that biblical writings foretold of
impending disasters if and when such strategic
change were to take place (Polzin, 1993; Miscall,
1986; McCarter, 1980).
As history has it, the changes did take place,
and the Israeli population was introduced to one
of the first kings, an event that was also to
mark the beginning of a line of royal leaders,
namely the kings replacing the centuries old practice
of selecting 'judges' as their leader. Prophet
Samuel was entrusted with the responsibility of
selecting a King for the Israeli population by
the Lord, and Saul, became the first choice to
be the first King of Israel. The choice of King
Saul evolved out of two important factors, namely
God's will in showing the people of Israel the
effects of disobedience, and secondly political
and military changes that were taking place in
Israel.
A brief overview of the historical period in
which King Saul was chosen to lead the people
of Israel reveals that Israel's enemies were becoming
a constant threat by virtue of the political changes
and the fact that they were getting militarily
stronger. On the other hand, the internal political
system of Israel too was witnessing a gradual
decline with her Prophet Samuel getting old. Samuel's
sons being possible heirs to lead too could not
be called in to rule Israel as they were too corrupt.
These factors coincided with the increasing demand
from the people of Israel to introduce the system
of nation-state replacing the centuries old practice
of theocracy under the judges' system of governance.
(Polzin, 1993; Miscall, 1986; McCarter, 1980)
In this context, one may observe that Biblical
Textures were against the introduction of any
King for the people of Israel, and instead advocated
for the system of theocracy to continue, a fact
evidenced in the stern opposition of Prophet Samuel.
The foremost reasoning presented and unsuccessfully
debated by Prophet Samuel was that any election
of a royal line of leaders would in fact breed
corruption at all levels of society, in particular
the political structure of Israel. Yet, the people
of Israel were not only adamant; they strongly
favored a royal leadership and a change of judge’s
system of governance for Israel.
In bowing down to the increasing demand of the
Israeli population, Prophet Samuel had no option
but to search for a King for Israel, and it is
this juncture where the choice was 'finalized',
or as Biblical Textures have, guided by the Lord
on the person of one Saul, a simple shepherd’s
son. (Polzin, 1993; Miscall, 1986; McCarter, 1980)
A brief on the person of Saul reveals that he
was a man of simple means, an equally simply background
and no more than a shepherd. The physical description
of Saul reveals him to be an individual of extra-ordinary
height, so much so that it is said that he was
a foot taller than the tallest man in the entire
region. One of the first encounters of Saul with
his would-be teacher and guide, Prophet Samuel
was when Saul is sent to graze a herd of donkeys
by his father.
In doing so, the herd of donkeys gets lost, and
his father orders Saul to go out, and not to return
until the herd is found. As was the tradition,
Saul takes a few days’ food and a servant
to assist him in the search of donkeys, and ventures
far till his brief supply of food is finished.
With no food, and no place to stay, and the mission
of finding the herd of donkeys still unaccomplished,
Saul has no choice to ask for assistance from
the region’s Prophet, who was none other
than Prophet Samuel (Polzin, 1993; Miscall, 1986;
McCarter, 1980).
Upon arrival at the residence of Prophet Samuel,
Saul is greeted by the prophet who is busy preparing
'a feast’ and already having briefed by
the Lord, about the person and arrival of Saul.
Prophet Samuel promptly greeted Saul, and to the
sheer amazement of Saul, immediately made him
guest of honor. In addition, Samuel also informed
Saul that his herd of donkeys has been found and
were safe. This was also to be the prime occasion,
where Prophet Samuel consulted Saul and informed
him that the latter had been selected by God and
chosen to be the future King of Israel.
As would be apparent, the young shepherd was totally
amazed, and somewhat baffled with the idea of
becoming a King of Israel, and that too with immediate
effect. In evidence thereof, and to prove that
Prophet Samuel was indeed right and only fulfilling
the Lord's will, the Prophet offered a number
of prophecies including the fact that the Lord
would change the entire personality of Saul into
one that he never conceived and which would be
totally 'uncharacteristic' in both nature and
practice. To the sheer astonishment of Saul, everything
Prophet Samuel had foretold, was found to be true,
and was duly fulfilled the very same day. Yet,
Saul chose to keep this revelation a secret, a
hint that he did not like the idea of becoming
a king.
Following the traditional customs of the region,
Prophet Samuel hosted a grand event for the coronation
of the King of Israel, and under guidance of the
Lord, a lottery was to decide as to the choice
of the King. The act of choosing a king through
a lottery being a simply guise, it was indeed
the Lord's choice that Prophet Samuel was to reveal.
As the lottery was drawn and the name of Saul
was announced, the latter was called for the official
coronation ceremony. However, Saul already under
shock from the news of making him the King of
Israel, and not really liking the idea, simply
went to sleep in a supply depot, and it was from
here that he was taken and presented before the
people of Israel. The people of Israel had never
seen an individual of such handsome features,
and his height too was yet another remarkable
feature, thus truly making an impressive appearance.
Immediately after the coronation ceremony, in
which Saul was appointed as the King of Israel,
Prophet Samuel following the traditions of Israel
presented a written constitution. Similar to the
age old practices of foretelling the events about
Prophets, such as those that included Moses and
Jesus Christ, Samuel presented the constitution
to the people of Israel, a and this officially
ended the coronation ceremony of King Saul, and
the beginning of an era of royal leadership. (1,
Samuel 8 - 10).
The Military Successes of King Saul
Though the present paper focuses its discussion
on the character of King Saul, it would only be
imperative to present some of the military exploits
of this young King, as evidence of a part of his
character that somehow deviates from his life
long pursuits as a king.
One of the first military ventures in the life
of King Saul occurred in the town of Jabesh. As
the Biblical textures have it, King Saul was returning
from the fields with his oxen, when he heard a
number of people crying aloud for help. Heeding
to the noise of the crying people, King Saul enquired
about the reasons for the crying and was duly
informed about the atrocities at the hands of
an Ammonite King Nahash. King Saul was informed
that not only had each individual residing in
the town of Jabesh surrendered to the cruel King
Nahash, they would suffer the additional cruelty
of letting the soldiers of King Nahash gouge the
right eye of every individual of Jabesh.
King Nahash, perhaps using the tactic of forcing
the individuals of Jabesh to let their eyes be
gouged sought to instill terror in the minds of
the people of Jabesh, as well as all those who
would hear of this cruelty over their subdued
population. The objective was none other to halt
any future attempt, as well as morally degrade
all those who had already surrendered. The people
of Jabesh amply asked for a time period of no
less than7 days for recruiting an army, and upon
failure to do so, agreed to let their eyes be
gouged by the army of King Nahash.
King Saul, the Israeli King reacted with utmost
urgency and sought out a plan to gather an army
that would stand up and fight against the cruel
King Nahash. Acting like a true king, Saul immediately
slaughtered his own oxen, and cut them in numerous
small pieces. he then placed one piece in the
hands of his servants and supporters and sent
them in every town in Israel with the message
that read, "“If you don't want this
to happen to your cattle, report for military
duty now!” Such was the impact of this odd
method of communication, that every able individual
residing in Israel duly reported for military
duty, and within the stipulated period of 7 days,
the time period requisitioned from King Nahash,
a grand and equally courageous army was at hand
for King Saul. Indeed, the people of Jabesh were
overjoyed to learn that King Saul had gathered
such a huge force. The people of Jabesh duly sent
out a message that they could not muster an army
to fight them, and were instead ready to have
their eyes gouged out, without letting him know
of the preparations that lay in waiting, thanks
to the timely action and expert planning of King
Saul.
King Saul, on the other hand did not simply wait,
and instead organized his new army of fresh and
thrilled fighters by dividing them into three
divisions, which duly surrounded the entire Ammonite
army of the cruel King Nahash. By morning, the
enemy was attacked, and such was the force and
surprise element of the attack, that each of the
enemy's soldier lay scattered, totally withdrawn
from his own unit. The result was none other than
the jubilant victory for the people of Jabesh.
For King Saul, the victory at Jabesh was to instill
in the minds of the people of Israel that he was
indeed an able and brave King, befitting a true
King. The victory at Jabesh also called for a
second coronation for King Saul, and also provided
Prophet Samuel to officially retire from the office
of the Judge and hand over power to King Saul.
As was the tradition, Prophet Samuel preached
a sermon, requesting the people of Israel to be
faithful to their new King, as well as to their
Lord, who had provided them a true King.
The event of this second coronation also removed
any doubts that had first entered the minds of
the people of Israel, about the person of King
Saul, and whether he would prove to be a true
and able king. Thus, not only was the entire Israeli
nation on their feet to honor their new King,
some even opposed death sentence for those who
had opposed his coronation in the first place.
King Saul rose at this moment, and made void any
such request, and asked his people to forgive
and rejoice the victory accorded by the Lord.
It is said that, such was the love of the people
of Jabesh, that in the later years when King Saul
was killed in a battle, and his body desecrated
by the enemy, a number of brave men from the town
of Jabesh risked their lives to retrieve the King's
body and accorded him a decent and honorable burial.
(1 Samuel, 11).
Fall of King Saul
Falling prey to human instincts and leaving noble
ideas behind, King Saul too set his course on
the path of disobedience, losing the trust of
both his people and his Lord. The result was none
other than a line of continuous failures and defeats
for King Saul.
One such defeat occurred, when King Saul opted
to disband his strong army and chose to keep only
a small band of soldiers for his personal security,
leaving the state defenseless and at the mercy
of a potential army. Thus, with only a handful
of soldiers at his disposal, King Saul's son chose
to attack one of the strongest armies of the region,
that of Philistine. The Philistine army was equipped
with more than 3,000 chariots, and their soldiers
duly equipped with swords and spears, equipment
that was nowhere to be found amidst the army of
King Saul.
Though standing up against an army that was greater
in both number and equipment was not new, and
there had been instances in Biblical history where
people had won battles against greater odds. Yet
for King Saul this was not to be, as he was on
a path of selfish nature, annoying both his people
as well as his Lord. To help out King Saul at
these wrong decisions, Prophet Samuel had duly
offered to come to assistance, and through him
Lord's Help, and asked King Saul to wait for an
appropriate time. King Saul it appeared was heading
for virtual doom, as he disobeyed Prophet Samuel's
advice.
Yet another wrong act on the part of King Saul
was the offering of sacrifice, an act forbidden
by the Lord as well as Prophet Samuel as the representative
of the Lord. The result was none other than the
annoyance of Prophet Samuel, and the decision
that since King Saul had disobeyed, the Lord would
remove the latter from the position of the King,
duly replacing him with somebody who would act
according to the wishes of the Lord (1 Samuel
13).
King Saul's Final Act of Disobedience
Perhaps, one of the last acts of disobedience
on the part of King Saul was betraying the orders
of Prophet Samuel, one that ordered the attack
on Amalekites, their complete destruction including
their leader, and livestock.
Though the battle against the Amelekites was a
victory for King Saul, indeed because he had Lord's
help. Yet, it was this very battle that totally
annoyed Prophet Samuel, as well as the Lord, as
King Saul had completed disobeyed the orders of
both the Prophet as well as the Lord. The result
was the impending disaster, as obedience was one
trait that could never be forgiven, especially
by the Lord (1 Samuel 19:23-24, King Saul).
From the above discussion on the various events
in the life of King Saul, it is more than apparent
that human beings are no divinely creatures and
perhaps more than prone to weaknesses and blunder.
Yet, the qualities of a true human being only
emerge when and if the same individual accepts
his mistakes and repent. For the failure of repentance
only leads to the annoyance on the part of the
Lord, as the Lord too is aware that humans can
err, yet it is the act of repentance that raises
a man's position in the eyes of his fellow beings
as well as the Lord.
Our principle character of King Saul failed to
repent, and duly failed to listen to his priest
and mentor, Prophet Samuel. A comparison of the
character of King Saul with that of the future
King of Israel, David too clearly reveals the
difference between a true king, and that of an
individual torn apart with his own selfish desires.
One may thus observe that the entire life of King
Saul was somewhat alienated, both from the society
as well as from God, as he chose to follow the
new identity in the form of Kingship, from that
of an ordinary Shepard. Though various attempts
are made to overcome this alienation, such as
the observance of various divinely rituals, yet
it is the act of alienation on the part of King
Saul which serves as the cause of Lord's annoyance
and His ultimate rejection as a King of Israel.
The character of David, on the other hand provides
more than a loving being for God, and what more
could be said about the odd methods of choosing
leaders by Lord, than by placing and training
a future king under the very guidance and shadow
of the ruling king, King Saul (Rotenstreich, 1989).
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