Saul – the Failed King

SSaauull –– tthhee FFaaiilleedd KKiinngg Saul was the first king of Israel, and Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I will his reign wasn’t very successful. He punish Amalek for what he did to was weak–willed and vain, and ulti - Israel, how he ambushed him on the mately God rejected him. However, we way when he came up from Egypt. Now can learn from his poor example. go and attack Amalek, and utterly There are two important events in destroy all that they have, and do not the life of King Saul which make parti- spare them. But kill both man and cularly interesting reading: his failure woman, infant and nursing child, ox to completely destroy the city of and sheep, camel and donkey” (1 Amalek as God had commanded him; Samuel 15:2–3). and his brutal massacre of the city of Nob. There is a lot for us to glean from Saul carried out this command very comparing these two incidents – well to begin with: Saul’s actions are recorded for us to learn from. So Saul gathered the people together It is not our purpose to judge King and numbered them in Telaim, two Saul as a person, because we are told hundred thousand foot soldiers and that the Father ‘has committed all ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul judgment to the Son’ (John 5:22) . came to a city of Amalek, and lay in Interestingly, despite recognizing that wait in the valley. Then Saul said to the Saul’s actions were frequently Kenites, “Go, depart, get down from ungodly, David lamented for Saul (and among the Amalekites, lest I destroy Jonathan) when they died in battle and you with them. For you showed kind - described Saul in remarkably compli - ness to all the children of Israel when mentary terms (see 2 Samuel they came up out of Egypt.” So the 1:19–27). Perhaps we can take from Kenites departed from among the this that we can learn from the actions Amalekites. And Saul attacked the of ‘bad’ characters in the Bible but we Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to should leave judging them as individu - Shur, which is east of Egypt (v4–7). als to Jesus. However, things took a turn for the Not Finishing One Job worse after this, when Saul chose not to follow God’s command exactly, but Saul was given the divine instruction to to do things his own way. obliterate the neighbouring tribe of the Amalekites. This seems harsh, but God But Saul and the people spared Agag provided the reason why they were to and the best of the sheep, the oxen, be destroyed – they had tried to wipe the fatlings, the lambs, and all that out God’s people when they were just was good, and were unwilling to utterly nomads, heading for the Promised destroy them. But everything despised Land. Now God would punish them for and worthless, that they utterly their cruelty. destroyed. Now the word of the LORD 14 Glad Tidings came to Samuel, saying, “I greatly Saul was deeply unhappy with the fact regret that I have set up Saul as king, that Ahimelech the priest had helped for he has turned back from following David in what he saw as a conspiracy Me, and has not performed My com - against him (see verse 13). Ahimelech mandments.” And it grieved Samuel, made his defence: and he cried out to the LORD all night (v 9–11). Who among all your servants is as faithful as David, who is the king's son- Saul had only partially followed God’s in-law, who goes at your bidding, and command and clearly this was entirely is honourable in your house? Did I unacceptable to Him. Saul tried to con - then begin to inquire of God for him? vince Samuel that he had carried out Far be it from me! Let not the king God’s commands (see verses 13 and impute anything to his servant, or to 20) but after trying to blame the any in the house of my father. For your people (see verses 15 and 21) he servant knew nothing of all this, little finally confessed his sin, “because I or much (v14–15). feared the people and obeyed their voice” (v 24) . This disobedience was This did nothing to appease Saul’s incredibly significant – it led to God wrath and Saul unleashed his fury rejecting Saul as King of Israel. upon Ahimelech and the other priests who were living in the city of Nob. So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you And the king said, “You shall surely today, and has given it to a neighbour die, Ahimelech, you and all your of yours, who is better than you” (v28). father's house!” Then the king said to the guards who stood about him, “Turn Violence to the Defenceless and kill the priests of the LORD , because their hand also is with David, There are striking similarities between and because they knew when he fled this incident and a later incident and did not tell it to me.” But the ser - recorded for us in 1 Samuel 22. David vants of the king would not lift their was anointed by God and would be hands to strike the priests of the LORD Saul’s successor. But Saul spent a (v16–17). considerable amount of time and effort chasing David and trying to kill him. The incident in question occurs when Saul needed to find out where David was hiding. Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, “I saw the son of Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. And he inquired of the LORD for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine” (1 Samuel 22:9–10). 133 rd Year 15 Saul’s own Jewish servants knew proven by the fact he utterly destroyed better, and they would not attack the the city of Nob. His failure with Amalek priests. They were defenceless, and was not one of ability, but of desire. He were God’s representatives. But there simply chose not to carry out God’s was a man who would! commands, because it suited his purpose, or was more convenient. And the king said to Doeg, “You turn The details which connect the two and kill the priests!” So Doeg the incidents portray a sad irony in the life Edomite turned and struck the priests, of Saul. If only he had been faithful to and killed on that day eighty-five men God, and so had destroyed Amalek like who wore a linen ephod. Also Nob, the he destroyed Nob, he would not have city of the priests, he struck with the found himself in the terrible situation edge of the sword, both men and of being rejected as king. In this case, women, children and nursing infants, he would also not have been relent - oxen and donkeys and sheep—with the lessly persecuting David, the godly edge of the sword (v18–19). man who would succeed him. And then the massacre at Nob would not have Here we have a vicious slaughter, occurred at all. carried out just to appease Saul’s pride, and without any moral justifica - Making the Right Choices tion or command from God. In the heat of the moment, we can all Striking Lessons make foolish decisions which may have dreadful consequences. It is When we compare the descriptions of highly unlikely that the consequences these two events, the similarities are of our mistakes will be as horrendous startling! as the callous murder of eighty–five people, but the principle remains. ❖ Saul (partially) destroyed the people of Amalek with the edge of He who is slow to wrath has great the sword. understanding, but he who is impul - ❖ He struck Nob with the edge of the sive exalts folly (Proverbs 14:29). sword. The most important thing is to listen to ❖ God’s Word, and to obey Him. Samuel Saul was commanded to put to had wise words for Saul, and for us: death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel Has the LORD as great delight in burnt and donkey in the city of Amalek. offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying ❖ He put to death both men and the voice of the LORD ? Behold, to obey women, children and infants; also, is better than sacrifice, and to heed oxen, donkeys, and sheep in the than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22). city of Nob. What we are being taught is that Saul Stephen Blake was more than capable of fully destroying the city of Amalek, which is 16 Glad Tidings.

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