Saul & David: 2 Kings, 1 Nation "Under God"
A Case Study in Character
4 Important “IF” Disclaimers:
If you are a Christian, I write with us in mind. Yes, us. We who bear Christ’s name are called to discern together. If you are not a Christian, please feel free to read, but understand that these words are not primarily addressed to you. To all who read, I write with love extended, even if – especially if, we don’t come to the same conclusions. When all the election dust settles, my heart will still be turned towards any and all who profess the name of Jesus.
I realize I am probably not going to change anyone’s mind. And I’m not even sure that is my goal. Maybe this is about my own integrity. About writing it all out to check my own work.
I have been thinking for months of the ministry of the prophets in scripture. Often, they spoke potent cautionary words with little hope that anyone was listening. If the prophets experienced this in their day, it should not surprise us to see it in ours.
If you decide to read, please don’t assume how I will vote, or even that I will vote. This is less about voting and more about the witness of the church. I want these thoughts to stand on their own, for the reader to consider.
We just finished preaching through the book of Revelation at our church – a timely read. I preached the final sermon in that series. You can catch it here (beginning at the 33 minute mark). 8 times in the text, John the Revelator says this: “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3: 6, 13, 22). This is his monograph at the end of each of the 7 letters to the churches in the opening of Revelation – letters that contain words of love and encouragement along with open rebuke.
If John felt the need to speak plainly to the churches in his day and sign off with “But this is out of my hands, whatever you do or don’t hear is the Spirit’s job”, then I can follow suit.
**Disclaimers complete.** Now on to the real conversation.
A Case Study in Character
I’d like to invite us into a case study of the lives of Saul and David – two men who were chosen by God to lead his people. Chosen. By God. And their stories dance around each other in the books of 1 and 2 Samuel in wild juxtaposition. It is hard not to notice the similarities and dissimilarities. Both are real men, with real sinful natures, who do fallen things. We might say they have “flawed character”. Allow me to be clear before we go any further: I am not suggesting we have a David in this upcoming election. I don’t believe that to be the case. But I do think it merits stating plainly that the word “character” has become one of the focal points of this election for many Christians.
The argument goes like this: “Both candidates have character flaws, both are fallen”. It seems there is an assertion that the character flaws on both sides are morally equivalent.
It is a foregone conclusion that any earthly leader carries character flaws. As a pastor, I acknowledge (and can openly name) my character flaws. I can be impulsive and jump to conclusions. I don’t always leave room for other people’s ideas ahead of my own. I could add more. In our denomination, we have an entire code of ethics and conduct for our pastors. It highlights the kind of lifestyle and character that is deemed fit for leading. Having character flaws does not disqualify me as fit to lead. If, however, others were to experience these as characteristic of me and/or I refused to repent of character flaws once they were made known, that would disqualify me from leading. It is here that the stories of Saul and David stand for our consideration today.
Saul and David
When God’s people decided they needed a king, the nation of Israel was at an all-time low. One need only read the last few verses of Judges - a book that will turn your stomach more than once - to realize that the people of God had become morally debase from licentious and lewd living and failed leadership.
“In those days, Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” (Judges 21:25). It beckons like a timeless description.
But it was penned at a very specific point in Israel’s history. God’s people had gone off the rails morally, and they had no king. They weren’t supposed to need one, really. Yahweh, The God of Israel was their King. Yet they demanded a human king, nonetheless. In preparation, God raised up a young boy who grew to be a faithful prophet. A little boy named Samuel who was prayed into being by his faithful mother, Hannah (1 Samuel 1-3).
Getting the King They Voted For
The story picks up in 1 Samuel 8. Samuel is acting as a judge and prophet on behalf of God’s people. The elders of Israel come to him and say, “Give us a king to judge us like the other nations have.” (1 Sam 8:5). Samuel is discouraged, but God says,
“It’s not you they are rejecting. It’s me. They don’t want me to be their king any longer…and now they are giving you the same treatment. Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.” (1 Sam 8:7-9).
There it is. The people didn’t take Samuel seriously at all. They were in pursuit of power amongst the nations, and they wanted a king to seize that power for them. God essentially said, “Go ahead, give them what they want, but ‘solemnly warn them’ about the effects they are not considering with this choice.”
This is part of what has always gripped me about the ministry of the prophets. They are given hard messages and often told ahead of time that they will be utterly rejected, scorned, and mistreated. They will not be taken seriously. Sometimes they are run out of town or even threatened with their very lives. But they speak anyway. And this, they do solemnly. They are not brash or harsh.
Prophets speak clearly and courageously, but most notably, humbly - often weeping in secret because they know their words of warning will not be heeded (1 Sam 15:10-11).
In the case of God’s people here in Israel, they insisted on a king. And before God fulfills their request, we hear Samuel’s solemn words of warning in 1 Samuel 8:10-20. It is grueling to read. A king who will draft young men into the army for his own military might. A king who will mistreat people as slave laborers. A king who will abuse young women. A king who will take more than he gives. The phrase “he will take” appears five times in these verses. This king is a grabber for personal gain. And Samuel’s final words ring out: “You will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the LORD will not help you.” (1 Sam 8:18). But the people persisted.
“They refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. ‘Even so, we still want a king, they said… ‘Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.’” (1 Sam 8:10).
The people’s eyes were laser-focused on military might and promised protection from perceived threats with no consideration for what they were willing to trade or stood to lose. This is how the story begins.
Samuel obeys God and anoints Saul to be king (1 Sam. 10:1). It seems the people were caught off guard by him as the choice based on his pedigree. He came from a wealthy, influential family (1 Sam 9:1) that was not known to be religious. It left many saying, “Can anyone become a prophet no matter who his faither is? Is even Saul a prophet?” (1 Sam 10:11). This saying in Hebrew is equivalent to, “What? Has he got religion?” It appears Saul has become religious out of nowhere.
From here, Saul’s life exhibits a very hot and cold pattern of worship. Prophesying one minute, then going up to the high places the very next (1 Sam 10:13). We read of his angry outbursts and erratic behaviors – such as the time that he threatened nay sayers by cutting two oxen into pieces and sending messengers out to warn them: “This is what will happen to anyone who refuses to follow me into battle!” (1 Sam 11:7). This was during his first year in office. He was 30 at the time and reigned for 42 years. And throughout his time in office, those early examples gave way to many others.
When faced with possible military defeat, he mistreated God’s sacrifices and tended the ritual that was only to be tended by the priests (1 Sam 13), and then lied about why he did it. He claimed to be asking for God’s help (13:12). It is here that Samuel is faced with speaking clearly and directly to the man God gave the people, as a means of appeasing what they asked for. Samuel says to Saul:
“You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you. Had you kept it, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought a man after his own heart. The LORD has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.”(13:13-14).
David is about to emerge from the shadows. Meanwhile, Saul’s leadership continues to be marked by rash decisions and foolish oaths, including almost killing his own son for eating honey after a long day in battle (14:24-28). Jonathan begins to see the cracks in his dad’s character. He says, “My father has made trouble for us all! A command like that only hurts us.” (14:29). I imagine it would take a lot for a son to publicly speak out against his father, who is ruling a nation.
Despite these cracks, Saul begins to succeed. Bigly. He secures significant military successes. “And wherever he turned, he was victorious. He performed great deeds and conquered the Amalekites, saving Israel from all those who had plundered them.” (14:47-48). And along with the big military victories came selfish maneuvers. After his success over the Amalekites, we read that Saul “kept the best of the sheep and goats, the cattle, the fat calves and the lambs – everything in fact that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality.” (1 Samuel 15:9).
We see in Saul a king who continues to grab and take for himself, and finally God’s heart breaks. He is grieved. He gave the people what they wanted and had to sit back and watch.
God confesses his sorrow over making Saul king.
And Samuel cries out too…all night long (15:10-11).
Samuel sets out the next morning to find Saul who has “gone down to Gilgal to set up a monument in his own honor” (1 Sam 15:12). When Samuel eventually reaches him, Saul still maintains his innocence in keeping all the best plunder from the battlefield, claiming he had intended it for sacrifice to God and not for himself (15:21). In the end, Saul admits he has sinned, but that he did it because he was afraid of the people and what they demanded. Saul now pleads with Samuel to accompany him to worship in front of the people, but Samuel refuses. Samuel will not be used for public worship charades and is ready to part ways with the king the people wanted. He tells Saul that in his place, “The Lord has given the kingdom of Israel to someone else.” Saul tries one more time, this time asking Samuel to at least make him look good before his leaders. At least maybe he can salvage his reputation, if nothing else.
We see a man who appears not to worship because he wants to, but because he wants to give the appearance of worshipping before others.
In the very next chapter, we meet David, the almost overlooked shepherd boy. God’s eye is on him. His hand has chosen him. He has already been called a man after God’s own heart. The rest of 1 Samuel chronicles the rather strange relationship between young David and seething Saul. Saul’s rage and jealousy continue to swell, while David’s gifts are slowly emerging. The early scenes are detailed in 1 Samuel 17-18. By chapter 19, Saul is trying to kill David by hurling a spear at him. By chapter 20, Saul hurls a violent slur at his own son calling him a ‘stupid son of a whore!’, along with a spear, intending to kill him (20:30-34). Chapter by chapter, Saul’s character lands in plain sight. He plays spiritual by calling for worship music one minute, then calling for a medium the next (28:1-25).
It seems Saul’s life has been characterized by less than sincere displays of worship in exchange for violence, slurs and death threats.
His life comes to a sad end. When faced with a possible military defeat, he tells his armor bearer to just kill him rather than be defeated by the enemy. Losing is not an option for Saul. The cup bearer refuses, so Saul falls on his own sword taking his own life (31:1-5).
Turn the Page… 2 Samuel
While 1 Samuel focuses largely on Saul, 2 Samuel follows the storyline of David’s leadership more closely. David’s first act in office is to weep and mourn Saul’s death, composing a funeral song for him and commanding that it be taught to the entire nation (2 Samuel 1:17-18). The man who more than once tried to take David’s life, is now being mourned by the very man he attempted to kill. After this time of national sorrow, David gets to work choosing leaders and handling national disputes.
While David seems to be establishing himself as a leader of integrity, he doesn’t earn a perfect report.
We read that he has multiple wives – something God has instructed his people against. This will surface later in David’s story with grievous consequences. These sins are not to be minimized or overlooked. Yet, this is not the view we see at the outset. The tenor of David’s leadership is that of favor with those he is leading “…everyone in Israel agreed that David should be their king” (1 Chronicles 12:38) and favor with God “And David became more and more powerful, because the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies was with him.” (2 Sam 5:10).
We read of David consulting God before he goes out into battle (2 Sam 5:19), of him dancing with all his might in passionate worship (2 Sam 6:14) and returning the Ark of the Lord back to its proper place to restore God’s presence among the people. By all accounts, David’s life and leadership are shining. Nathan emerges as his personal prophet – as Saul had with Samuel. We read that “David reigned over all Israel and did what was just and right for all his people.” (1 Chron. 18:14).
As with many of us, when things are going well, that is when we should especially be on our guard. This is when temptation strikes, and we are most vulnerable. And that is exactly what happened to David as he is strolling out on his rooftop and sees a beautiful woman. He abuses his power as a king and takes her with no questions asked. An act of sexual violence. The depths of this one act are atrocious. For one thing, David should have been out in battle with his men. But he wasn’t. He was at home, and his sin takes place in broad daylight ‘after his midday rest’ (2 Sam 11:2). His sin with another man’s wife becomes the catalyst for a series of unthinkable acts: impregnating Bathsheba, pulling her husband from battle, getting him drunk in hopes of trying to create a cover for his own actions. His sin snowballs until he resorts to murdering Uriah.
The Moral Equivalency Trap
We seem to have arrived at the “both sides” dilemma. How are we to think of Saul and David? Is their failure the same? If not, what is different? A few things. 2 Samuel 12 and Psalm 51 are part of the answer to this question. When Nathan confronts David with a parable to expose his sin, David doesn’t defend or excuse or beg or plead as Saul did with Samuel. David simply accepts the consequences (2 Sam 12) and then pens one of the most powerful prayers of repentance found in our Bibles.
Psalm 51 is a go to for us. A model for not hiding sin. Not excusing it. Rather confessing it and repenting of it. This is very different from how Saul handled his sin when Samuel confronted him and he lied and defended himself.
David began his leadership following God and was confronted with the realities of his sin along the way. Saul’s worship is pretentious from the start. It’s done for show or for selfish gain. We don’t read of a man who seeks God in his decisions, nor made a series of bad choices and repented. Rather we read of a man who is characterized by swinging words and spears violently with no regard for others. The final word in the latest penned history books of scripture1 on Saul reads this way:
“Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the Lord.”
~1 Chronicles 10:13-14
For David, his life bears the honest marks of his sin. The child he bore with Bathsheba dies. He experiences deep strife in his family. There is murder, rape and more. He is not spared the very real consequences of his sinful choices. But through it all, David turns again and again to God. It is at this point in David’s life that his pen starts to freely flow with many of the Psalms we know and love. A man who reckons with his own fallen choices works them out with God in prayer. Psalm 7 is a great example. We hear David saying, “O Lord my God, if I have done wrong or am guilty of injustice, if I have betrayed a friend or plundered my enemy without cause, then let my enemies capture me.” (Ps. 7:3-4). David reckons with his sin and even invites God to point out anything he may not be seeing.
We hear no such humility from Saul. We are only left with Samuel’s haunting words to Saul about his rebellion and arrogance:
22 But Samuel replied:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”
~ 1 Samuel 15:22-23
It seems having a spiritual advisor is not the differentiating factor. Listening is.
“Buying A Lemon with Heated Seats”
And so, we have arrived at the end of our case study. Two men. Two kings. One nation. Under God. What might we conclude? If you still land at “Both candidates have character flaws, both are fallen”, why do you suppose God rejected Saul but chose David? What in your mind sets them apart? If you have arrived at the possibility that God must take character seriously, for what promised policy are you willing to trade that character? About a month ago, our pastor commented in his sermon that one of the ways the devil works is by acting like a good car salesman. He will sell you a lemon while drawing your attention to the heated seats.
Dear Christians, I fear many of us are being persuaded to buy a lemon in character in exchange for promised policies on one issue that is presenting like heated seats.
I have a hunch that the “one issue” manifests as gun control/2nd amendment rights for some, abortion/pro-life positions for others, or stricter policies on immigration/border control for others.
It is curious to me that these all contain matters of handling human life.
I do not like any policy that is willing to brush aside serious matters of handling human life – whether it is a disregard for the unborn on the left or for the living on the right. As Christians, we are called to protect all life, at every stage – womb to tomb – always. Neither candidate is offering us a stain-free viable path to do this. Given this reality, should the example of character not call us above the policy line and into questions of what characterizes a leader? Can a person who is characterized by speech that threatens, demeans and denigrates the lives of others in many ways be trusted to “protect” life?
I am left wondering: if we could have a conversation now with the people of Israel in Saul and Samuel’s day, what they would say?
I wonder if they would say, “I wish we would have listened when Samuel tried to solemnly warn us that the king we were sure we wanted came with character qualities that we realized later were harmful!” Part of the tragedy in their story is that every word of warning that Samuel spoke before the king took office about what that king would do and take from their lives came true. Samuel did not speak to judge or divide. He spoke to warn and to love. To no avail. The people were determined to get the king they wanted. It took getting that king before they realized they had been sold a lemon with heated seats.
“You will beg for relief from this king you are demanding...” ~ 1 Samuel 8:18
Should we find ourselves in a perilous place for demanding the king we wanted, I pray there is just enough Psalm 51 repentance to lead us back, and just enough grace practiced among us to move us forward. I know I, for one, am more than happy to offer a ride to anyone who discovers they bought a lemon. No questions asked.
LORD God, give us ears to hear what your Spirit is saying. Amen.
The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles in our Bibles are believed to be the final records penned after God’s people came out of exile in Babylon. 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings record many of these same incidents, but Chronicles is an exercise in looking back, reflecting and seeking to record their history with more honesty.