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During this moment of rejoicing, Samuel gives a warning to the people of
Israel that is more directed towards Saul himself. Samuel states, If you will
revere the Lord and give true and loyal service, if you do not rebel against his
commands, and if you and the king who reigns over you are faithful to the Lord
you God, well and good, but if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel
against his commands, then his hands will be against you and against your
king(12:14-15).
Here, Samuel is effectually warning against the inherent human problem,
telling the people not ever to substitute God's judgement for one's own
judgement. Although this is only a warning, it comes at a very unexpected time
and foreshadows Saul's perpetual fall form God's good favor. Saul's mistakes and
sins toward God begin in his very next campaign against the Philistines. The
Philistines mustered to attack Israel; they had thirty thousand chariots and six
thousand horse, with infantry as countless as the sand on the seashore. The
Israelites found themselves in sore straits, for the army was hard pressed, so
they hid themselves in caves and holes and among the rocks, in pits and
cisterns(13:5-6).
Upon this pathetic image of his countrymen Saul begins to doubt God's promise
to save His people, therein lies Saul's fatal mistake, and man's basis for sin.
As a result Saul chooses to acting in the manner of pagans, make
whole-sacrifices in order to ensure the Lord's favor. Although sacrificing to
God may seem slight and excusable, the reason for which Saul chooses to act in
this manner is not. Saul has shown that he has lost his confidence in God, and
that his actions no longer correspond to God's wishes because he can some how
judge between right and wrong for himself.
At this point Saul's downfall is not fully apparent to the reader, but Samuel
is able to see through to Saul's deadly sin. Samuel states, You have acted
foolishly! You have not kept the command laid on you by the Lord your God; if
you had he would have established your dynasty over Israel for all time. But now
your line will not endure; the Lord will seek out a man after his own heart,
appoint him prince over his people, because you have not kept the Lord's
command(13:13-14). Samuel's words at this point seem far too drastic, but Samuel
makes this statement because he is able to recognize that Saul's broken
reasoning can only lead to more extreme sins against God. During Saul's next
campaign against the Amalekites, Samuel's warning comes to fruition, and now not
only is God and Samuel able to see Saul's apparent flaws, but so can the reader.
God directly commands Saul during a time in which the word of the Lord was
rarely heard, and there was no outpouring of vision(3:1), stating, Go now, fall
upon the Amalekites, destroy them, and put their property under ban. Spare no
one, put them to death, men and women, children and babies in arms, herds and
flocks, camels and donkey(15:3). Fully understanding the commands that God gave
him, Saul goes directly into battle with the Amalekites, yet he chooses not to
obey God's word, in spite of the strong emphasis that was put on the correct
course of acts he should have taken due to God's rare direct instruction. Saul
inflicted defeat on the Amalekites...but Agag king of the Amalekites he took
alive ...and his army spared the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat beasts
and the lambs, and everything worth keeping; these they were unwilling to
destroy, but anything that was useless and of no value they destroyed(15:7).
Therefore Saul as acted out in total defiance of God. He no longer follows
the word of God, but instead has acted out of his own volition. His rejection of
the word of the Lord results in his loss of the Kingdom of Israel as prophesized
by Samuel who took Agag and hewed [him] in pieces. Saul's actions at Amalek
become a pivotal point in Saul's life because God does not support him any
longer; he has loss his anointment as King of Israel. The argument that ensues
between Saul and Samuel is a most powerful piece of symbolism. As [Samuel]
turned to go, Saul caught the corner of his cloak and it tore.(15:27). At this
point Saul is standing like a guilty child, pathetically holding onto a shred of
cloth.
This image marks the start of Saul's drastic downfall. A new king is revealed
to Samuel, by God, as being David. God also anoints David as King of Israel,
presenting a major conflict since there are now two kings of Israel. David is
also appointed commander of Israel's army and succeeds in battle, routing his
enemies a number of times. As a result Israelites begin saying, Saul struck down
Thousands, but David tens of thousands(18:7). This causes Saul to become thick
with jealousy of David, and soon Saul is seen hurling spears trying to murder
David, yet David amazingly is able to dodge certain death.
After this Saul was afraid of David because he saw that God had forsaken him
and was with David, [who] led his men into action and succeeded in everything
that he undertook(18:12). Yet Saul continues to pursue and try to murder David,
a clear agent of God. Therefore, Saul has ultimately developed on three separate
levels. On the first of these levels, he first begins to doubt God's power and
word when he sees the massive Philistine army and makes a sacrifice to ensure
God's support. This first sin slowly progresses onto a second level, when Saul
chooses to openly defy God and decides to spare Agag.
In his final level of development, Saul has deteriorated into an evil person
searching for a way to destroy God's good work. Although it is perfectly clear
that God protects David, Saul continues to try and kill him. At this junction
Saul finds himself alone; his son is on David's side, his daughter is on David's
side, his people are on David's side, and most importantly God is on David's
side. Therefore, Saul must die and give way to David, yet David is unwilling to
kill God's anointed one, and the Philistines are kept from kill Saul because
they are all uncircumcised. The final solution presents itself when Saul is
injured and thereupon [he] took his own sword and fell on it. Once Saul is dead
as a result of his own hand, David is king and he is not stained with the blood
of another anointed king.
Saul's progression from God's chosen king to king against God comes full
circle. He came from the sin of the people and therefore he must die when he
returns to that sin. Saul's story serves as an example of human nature's need to
judge for itself in its purest form. This need is very problematic, as we have
seen, because humans can only see the obvious cause and effects that present
themselves throughout life. The Lord does not see as a mortal sees; mortals see
only appearances but the Lord sees into the heart(16:7). As humans our
perceptions are imperfect, and as a result we cannot possibly judge what is
right and what is wrong. Therefore, the most basic human sin is then need to
become like God in making these judgements that we cannot possibly make with any
accuracy what so ever. Saul embodies pure pride and is apart of Israel's
development into a nation that will ultimately serve as a guide to the world
because he is a model of what humans must restrain themselves form doing and
being.
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