First king of Israel
c. 1080–1010 BC · Old Testament
The tall and handsome first king of Israel, son of Kish, who began with humility and ended in tragedy — rejected by God for disobedience, tormented in spirit, hunting David in jealousy, falling on his own sword at Mount Gilboa.
Saul was the son of Kish, a Benjamite. He was tall and handsome — 'from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people' (1 Samuel 9:2). When Israel demanded a king, the LORD directed Samuel to Saul, who was searching for his father's lost donkeys (1 Samuel 9). Samuel privately anointed him. At Mizpeh, Saul was chosen by lot and publicly proclaimed king — though he had been hiding among the baggage (1 Samuel 10:22). His early reign was marked by victories — defeating the Ammonites at Jabesh-gilead (1 Samuel 11), the Philistines through his son Jonathan's daring raid (1 Samuel 14), and others. But Saul's character began to crack. At Gilgal, awaiting Samuel to offer a sacrifice before battle, Saul grew impatient and offered the sacrifice himself — usurping the priestly role (1 Samuel 13). Samuel rebuked him: 'thou hast done foolishly... now thy kingdom shall not continue.' Worse came at Amalek. God commanded Saul to utterly destroy Amalek; Saul spared King Agag and the best livestock 'to sacrifice unto the LORD' (1 Samuel 15). Samuel confronted him with one of Scripture's great lines: 'to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams' (1 Samuel 15:22). Saul was rejected as king. From that point, an evil spirit troubled Saul (1 Samuel 16:14). David was brought into the court to play the harp and soothe him. After David killed Goliath and became Israel's hero, Saul's jealousy became madness. He hurled spears at David, hunted him across the wilderness for years, slaughtered the priests at Nob, and consulted a witch at Endor on the eve of his last battle (1 Samuel 28). At Mount Gilboa, the Philistines defeated Israel; three of Saul's sons (including Jonathan) were killed. Wounded by archers, Saul fell on his own sword rather than be captured (1 Samuel 31:4). His reign — Israel's first attempt at monarchy — ended in catastrophe. David lamented Saul and Jonathan in 2 Samuel 1:17-27 — 'How are the mighty fallen!'
Anointed privately
Israel's first king
Spirit of God comes upon him
First strike against him
"To obey is better than sacrifice"
Years of pursuit
On the eve of his death
Falls on his own sword
Saul's significance: (1) He is Israel's first king — the experiment of monarchy. (2) His tragic arc — from humble Benjamite to rejected, tormented monarch — is one of the great cautionary tales of Scripture. (3) His disobedience teaches that partial obedience is disobedience — and that 'to obey is better than sacrifice.' (4) His jealousy of David shows how unrepentant sin metastasizes into self-destruction. (5) His story warns of the danger of being given what you want — Israel wanted a king like other nations and got Saul.
“Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel?”— 1 Samuel 9:21
“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice [Samuel's rebuke of Saul].”— 1 Samuel 15:22
“I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people.”— 1 Samuel 15:30
Saul was Israel's first king (c. 1050-1010 BC), son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin. Tall, handsome, and initially humble, he was anointed by Samuel and proclaimed king at Mizpeh (1 Samuel 9-10). His reign began with victories but quickly turned tragic as he disobeyed God's commands (1 Samuel 13, 15) and was rejected as king. He pursued David in jealousy for years and died by his own sword at Mount Gilboa after Israel's defeat by the Philistines (1 Samuel 31).
Saul was rejected for disobedience — specifically two events: (1) at Gilgal, he unlawfully offered a sacrifice instead of waiting for Samuel (1 Samuel 13); (2) at Amalek, he spared King Agag and the best livestock despite God's command to utterly destroy them (1 Samuel 15). Samuel's verdict: 'rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.'
Saul brought David into the court to play the harp and soothe his troubled spirit (1 Samuel 16). After David killed Goliath and became a national hero, Saul's jealousy turned to murderous rage. He hurled spears at David, attempted to ambush him, and pursued him through the wilderness for years (1 Samuel 19-26). David, by contrast, twice spared Saul's life when he could have killed him (1 Samuel 24, 26), honoring him as 'the LORD'S anointed.'
1 Samuel 31 — At Mount Gilboa, the Philistines defeated Israel. Saul's three sons, including Jonathan, were killed. Saul was wounded by archers. Fearing capture and abuse by 'these uncircumcised,' Saul asked his armor-bearer to kill him; the armor-bearer refused. Saul then fell on his own sword. The armor-bearer followed. His body was hung on the wall of Beth-shan by the Philistines; the men of Jabesh-gilead recovered it for honorable burial.