God’s Rejection of Saul and the
Introduction of David
I Samuel 13-16
OUTLINE
I. Saul’s rejection
A. What did Saul’s rule look like?
B. How long did Saul reign?
C. What went wrong-part I, unlawful sacrifice
D. What went wrong-part II, incomplete obedience
II. Did God change his mind about Saul?
III. David arrives on the scene
A. Advent of monarchy v. establishment of monarchy
B. David’s anointing
IV. David’s training for kingship
I. The Rejection of Saul-or perhaps “Why David”?
A. What did Saul’s rule look like?
When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought
against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against
the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah
and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he routed
them. And he did valiantly and struck the Amalekites and
delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered
them. . . . There was hard fighting against the Philistines all
the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man, or any
valiant man, he attached him to himself.
I Samuel 14: 47-48,52
1. So, militarily, Saul is successful in driving
back Israel’s enemies.
-Moabites, Edomites, Ammonites, Amalekites,
etc. tend to be “ravagers”.
-Philistines, on the other hand, were occupiers.
2. He is reserved and prudent in his response to
opposition.
Saul also went to his home in Gibeah and with him went men of
valor whose hearts God had touched. But some worthless fellows
said, “How can this man save us?” and they despised him and
brought him no present. But he held his peace.
I Samuel 10:26-27
3. He is humble and magnanimous following the
defeat of the Ammonites in I Samuel 11:
Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall
Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men that we may put them to
death.” But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this
day, for today the Lord has worked salvation in Israel”. Then
Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and
renew the kingdom.” So all the people went to Gilgal, and
there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. There
they sacrificed peace offerings before the Lord, and there
Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.
I Samuel 11:12-15
4. In v. 15 we see Saul leading the people of
Israel spiritually by example. These sacrifices of
renewal are intended to express rededication of
the people to God in covenant communion and
relationship.
5. So, Saul is on top of the opinion polls and is
leading Israel both politically and spiritually.
-so far, so good, what happened?
B. How long did Saul reign?
Saul was . . . years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned . . . and two years over Israel. I Samuel 13:1 (ESV)
-KJV says he Saul reigned one year; and when
he had reigned two years . . . .
Note in ESV indicates that the numbers are
missing in Hebrew and Septuagint texts. This
apparently is a remnant of the formal
introduction of Saul’s reign. Same formula as
used for other kings.
Scholars agree that something has happened to
the Hebrew text in transmission, but omissions
of this sort were not uncommon. According to
Youngblood it may represent “later scribal
antipathy or indifference to him”. (Gaebelein,
654).
1. We get help from the NT—in Acts 13:21 the
apostle Paul tells us that Saul ruled 40 years.
2. Josephus tells us that Saul ruled “eighteen
years while Samuel was alive, and two [and
twenty] years after his death.”
3. Youngblood inserts “30” for Saul’s age in v 1.
C. What went wrong—part I (I Samuel 13)
1. First occasion—unlawful sacrifice—I Samuel
13:8-15
2. Setting-Saul has dispersed most of his troops
from service in v. 2. Jonathon attacks a garrison
of Philistines at Geba w/ a smaller force. The
Philistines are angered (“Israel had become a
stench to the Philistines”, v. 4) and prepare to
attack Israel in reprisal (v. 5).
-so, Saul is calling out another muster of the
forces.
2. Saul has a real crisis here
-the Philistines have superior weaponrychariots and horsemen (v. 5) v. agricultural
implements. (vv. 19-23).
-the mustering of the Philistines results in
panic, fright and desertions by many Israelites.
(v.6-7).
-Saul’s initial response is the right one---seek
God’s favor:
. . . I saw that the people were scattering from me . . .and that the
Philistines had mustered . . . .and I had not sought the favor of the
Lord . . . . (vv. 11-12)
-He consults w/Samuel and they agree to meet
on a certain day/date and sacrifice (you did not
come within the days appointed in v. 12 implies
the consultation and plan).
-Saul’s motivation seems genuine and
appropriate.
Again, so far, so good. But, Saul panics.
The problem arises when Saul disobeys God’s
direct command through his prophet Samuel—
to wait for Samuel before sacrificing (You have
not kept the command of the Lord your God . . .
v. 13).
Saul’s sin was not that as king he was forbidden by God’s law to
sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings under any and all
circumstances. Later David (II Sam 24:25) and Solomon (I Kings
3:15) made the same kinds of offerings, and there is no hint of
divine rebuke in either case. Saul sinned because he disobeyed
God’s word through the prophet Samuel (v. 13)—a sin he would
commit again.
Youngblood in Gaebelein (656).
In this instance, it appears that the holy war sacrifice ritual required
the presence of prophet. (I Samuel 13, 15).
Further, the verb translated “foolishly”, when Samuel rebukes Saul,
“You have done foolishly” in v. 13 has a more accurate translation
“you have acted foolishly in self-reliance”.
Saul takes his eyes off of God and says to himself, “God has
forgotten me, God is not getting things done in a fashion I
think he should, therefore I will take things into my own
hands”.
-Do any of us know someone who refused to wait on
God (which requires patience at times-God’s time
frame does not always match ours)?
-More directly---have any of us ever taken matters
into our own hands, disregarding God’s direction and
acting directly contrarily to his will, especially in his
revealed will (scripture)?
Example—”I know what scripture says, but . . . . “
i.e. I know scripture says I should not be
“unequally yoked”, but . . .
I know scripture says I should not engage in
this sort of corner-cutting business practice, but
....
“I don’t think I would have found my mate w/o
[“Christian” dating site]”
All are examples of saying, “I know better than God what is
best”. That is the root of this sin—putting our judgment
ahead of God’s. Same as Adam and Eve. “Has he not said?”
3. Result—God denies Saul’s dynasty
And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have
not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he
commanded you. For then the Lord would have established
your kingdom in Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall
not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own
heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be a prince over
his people, because you have not kept what the LORD
commanded you”.
I Samuel 13:13-14
D. What went wrong--part II (I Samuel 15)
1. Chapter 15 concludes the section of I Samuel
outlining the decline of Saul-fast forward.
2. Continued theme—prophetic opposition to
reliance on anyone or anything but the Lord to
lead Israel.
-As in chapter 13, Saul intends to offer an
unauthorized sacrifice and is disobedient to a
direct command from God through Samuel.
Chapter 13-God denies Saul’s dynasty
Chapter 15-God denies kingship
3. The passage starts with an emphasis on who
it is that is talking, and who is in charge.
And Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me [“I am the one”] sent
me to anoint you king over his people Israel, now therefore listen to
the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted
what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way out of
Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that
they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child
and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey’”.
I Samuel 15:1-3
“Lord of hosts” or “Lord almighty” –royal name,
specifically emphasizing that there is only one true
King in Israel’s theocratic monarchy.
4. The command to annihilate the marauding
Amalekites is underscored by the concept of
“devote to destruction” or the irrevocable giving over
of things or person to the Lord, often by totally
destroying them.”
-Notice that Saul does not balk/protest this command
to even kill non-combatants; he is not appalled, he
understands. Wars in the ancient Near East always
had a religious dimension and the battlefield was an
arena for divine retribution. Saul has no problem w/
the concept of the total destruction.
-Amalek persistently refused to fear God (Dt. 25:18).
Notice that God is slow to anger, this has been going
on since the time of the Exodus (v. 2), or, over 450
years.
Note: The agent of divine judgment can be impersonal (e.g.
the Flood or the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah) or
personal (as here), and in his sovereign purpose God often
permits entire families or nations to be destroyed if their
corporate representatives are willfully and incorrigibly
wicked (cf. Josh 7:1; 10-13; 24-26).
Youngblood in Gaebelein, p. 673.
4. Saul prepares for and executes the attack in
vv. 4-9, including a warning to the innocent
Kenites in the south to vacate the area—at least
temporarily—lest they be caught in the
crossfire.
5. Saul and his men, however, violate God’s
command by destroying those who were
worthless and or weak (v. 9) while sparing the
Amalekite king, Agag, and the best of the
Amalekites livestock (vv. 14,19)
-both are directly in contravention of God’s
command. In vv. 10-21, Samuel calls Saul out.
6. How does Saul respond when Samuel
confronts him about his disobedience?
-notice that Saul had erects a monument to
his accomplishment (v. 12), apparently not
giving credit to God, and only then turns to
Gilgal apparently to give a thank offering.
-he greets Samuel in the traditional way
“Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed
the commandment of the Lord.”
-When Samuel asks “Why then do I hear sheep
and cattle”, Saul’s first response is to deflect
blame to others—”They have brought them”.
-Saul then tries to justify while redirecting the
blame, “the people spared the best of the
sheep and oxen for sacrifice to the Lord”---and
then we will destroy the rest. (v. 15)
(Begging the question, “Why did you spare extras,
why not separate out the ones you were going to
sacrifice then destroy the others right then?”).
-Later in vv. 20-21 , after Samuel’s forceful
confrontation, he denies that he disobeyed, and we
hear him protest, “ [[But] I have obeyed . . . I have
gone on the mission . . . I have brought Agag, I have
devoted the Amalekites to destruction . . . . But the
people . . . . . !”
Saul’s response can be interpreted two ways, and neither
one is good.
1. He is trying to shift blame to others in order to
absolve himself.
2. He was truly motivated by public opinion, in which
case he is guilty of not attempting to show the people
he leads of the error of their ways.
-I am inclined to think that, given Saul’s response to
Samuel later, that he was genuinely concerned about
pleasing the people and not God. As we will see, Saul
is very concerned about public opinion.
It will be very important to remember Saul’s response when
confronted, when we see, years later, how David responds
when confronted with his sin. Remember, David is a “man
after God’s own heart”. Saul is not.
-Samuel responds in v. 22 with the classic text on the
importance of obedience, moral conduct and proper
motivation, vis-à-vis outward religious behavior.
Simply put, the issue here in not a question of
either/or, but of both/and. The sacrifice must be
offered to God on his terms, not ours. Saul’s
postponement of the commanded destruction, even if
it was well intentioned, constituted a flagrant
violation of God’s will.
“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the Lord;
I had had enough of burnt offering of rams
and the fat of well-fed beasts
I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and calling of convocations—
I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil, learn to do good;
seek justice, correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause”.
Isaiah 1:12-13, 16-17 (emphasis added)
-Finally, after deflecting and justifying don’t
work, Saul confesses in v. 24, but with a
caveat—”I have sinned; I have indeed
transgressed . . . . because I feared the people
and listened to their voice”—I am not really to
blame—they made me!
-When Samuel repeats that the Lord has
rejected Saul as king, Saul begs—with an
eye toward public opinion—”I have sinned, yet
honor me now before the elders of my people
and Israel, and return with me that I may bow
before the Lord your [notice-Samuel’s, not
Saul’s] God. “ Samuel, perhaps concerned for
the unity of the kingdom, complies (vv. 24-30).
II. So—Did God change his mind about Saul?
The word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I regret that I have
made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me
and has not performed my commandments”.
I Samuel 15: 11-12
And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his
death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD
regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
I Samuel 15:35
And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he
is not a man, that he should have regret. I Samuel 15:29
A. So, does God have a limited view of the future and
does he adjust in view of what he learns as time
passes?
B. There is a reality of God interacting w/ people in
the world.
1. Humans make decisions unaware of all the
possible consequences, so that those
consequences can surprise them.
2. Conversely, God can foresee not only the
consequences of his actions, but also the
responses humans will have to them.
3. So- because God can foresee the human
response to his actions, He can formulate his
response to these in advance.
Conclusion—the interaction between human
and divine decision-making is real (there are
genuine human acts to foresee) BUT God is not
surprised by the latter, and in this sense he does
not have to change his mind.
4. So, why express it this way?
Anthropomorphisms help us as humans, with
limitations, better understand God’s plans.
III. David arrives on the scene (I Samuel 16)
A. We have seen the story of the advent of monarchy
in Saul, and we will now see the establishment of a
monarchy in David.
1. In I Samuel 14 we can see that Saul and
Jonathan are beginning a rift which grows wider
with passing years.
2. Remember, Saul is chosen through a mixture
of popular demand and divine sovereignty,
while David’s reign is sovereignly instituted by
God alone.
3. just as the story of the advent of the
monarchy begins with the rise of Saul, the story
of the establishment of the monarchy begins
with the rise of David.
Note: I Samuel 16 is smack in the middle of
I Samuel, like a fulcrum.
B. The anointing of David (I Samuel 16:1-13)
1. How long has passed since chapter 15don’t know. Weeks? Months? Years?
-David was 10 when Saul took the throne, so
less than a decade?
2. God commands Samuel to fill his horn and go
to anoint the next king, to be one of the sons of
Jesse of Bethlehem.
-”I have provided for myself a king from among
his sons”=“I have chosen”, or “I have seen”
-cf I Samuel 8:22 where God tells Samuel to
“make them a king” when preparing to identify
Saul. Clearly, Saul is the people’s king, while
David is God’s king.
3. Samuel is rightfully concerned for his safety,
so God provides a cover story (vv. 2-5)
3. The response of the village elders in
Bethlehem in v. 4 seems to bear out Samuel’s
concern. This must be a period of social unrest.
-Obviously, word must have gotten around
about the rift between Saul and Samuel. As we
will see later, Saul begins to act irrationally and
even attempts to kill David in a violent rage.
Perhaps this kind of behavior was already
evident. These elders are wetting their fingers
to check which way the political breeze is
blowing.
4. After a ceremonial cleansing (v.5), Jesse’s
sons are paraded before Samuel.
5. When he sees the oldest son, Eliab, Samuel
falls into the same trap that the people fell into
when choosing Saul. “Take the tall, good
looking one,” he thinks
Machiavelli: “Men in general judge more from
appearances than from reality”
God: “Do not look on his appearance or on the
height of his stature, because I have rejected.
For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks
on the outward appearance, but the LORD
looks on the heart”. (v. 7)
None of David’s seven brothers is chosen.
6. When Samuel asks if these are all of Jesse’s
son, he replies there is one more, the smallest
(v. 11) (alternate translation for youngest)
-note, just the opposite of Saul and Eliab.
7. Samuel’s response indicates that he finally
gets the message God has—”Send and bring
him, we will not sit down until he comes here”
-It doesn’t matter hold old he is, it doesn’t
matter what he does. Go get him.
So, Jesse sends someone to get David.
So, someone comes out and yells to David—”Your dad says
for you to come back to town!”
So, David the teenager returns to town—do you wonder
what he thought about going back? When David asked why,
did the messenger tell him “There’s some old guy there”, or,
maybe “Samuel the prophet is there asking for you”, or
maybe even . . . .“I dunno”.
Did he have the ceremonial cleansing the other brothers had
gone through? Or did he walk in the house smelling like
sheep and covered with dirt and grime?
Although not a big man, he must have made an impression,
he is “ruddy”, with “beautiful eyes” and ”handsome”. (v. 12)
Suddenly, as David enters the room, Samuel’s eyes light up
(he has received confirmation “Arise and anoint him, for this
is he”) and hobbles over to David, where he raises his horn
and pours fragrant oil on David’s head, from whence it drips
down onto his forehead and neck.
(In front of Jesse and his brothers—witnesses)
According to Josephus, at this point “Samuel the aged
whispered in his ear the meaning of the symbol, ‘You will be
the next king’”. Swindoll, David, p. 21.
Then, the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day
forward. (I Samuel 16:12-13)
8. Note—at Pentecost in Acts 2 we see that the
Spirit of God rests on all believers permanently.
-prior to Pentecost, the only two believers we
see having permanent indwelling of the Holy
Spirit are David (v. 13) and John the Baptizer.
-otherwise we see the H.S. in the OT indwelling
believers for a period of time or for a specific
purpose, i.e. Samson.
-today, believers are “sealed for the day of
redemption [death or rapture]” by the Holy
Spirit. (Ephesians 4:30). (Like Egyptian jars).
Our indwelling is permanent. So, don’t worry.
IV. David’s training for kingship
A. Samuel, having anointed David, returns to Ramah
And, right after his anointing, David went out,
took a bath, bought a suit and started reading 7
Habits of Highly Successful People, and several
different books on leadership.
NO!
I Samuel 16: 19 tells us that David had returned to the
sheep! I gotta get back to my sheep, that’s my job!
Why? Because caring for the sheep was God’s
training ground for David. How?
1. Solitude-out from everyone else, no one
around but sheep. Isolated. Alone under the
stars, experiencing blustery winds in autumn
and cold rain in winter.
-solitude allows for self-examination
2. Obscurity-”Men and women of God, servantleaders in the making, are first unknown,
unseen, unappreciated, and unapplauded. In
the relentless demands of obscurity, character is
built. . . . Those who first accept the silence of
obscurity are best qualified to handle the
applause of popularity”. Swindoll, p. 10.
-CHAIRS-
3. Monotony- “Being faithful in the menial,
insignificant, routine, regular, unexciting,
uneventful daily tasks of like. Life without a
break . . . Without the wine and rose. Just dull,
plain L-I-F-E”.
-One of God’s favorite methods of training [is]
. . . constant, unchanging, endless hours of tired
monotony as you learn to be a man or woman
of God . . . With nobody else around, when
nobody else notices, when nobody else even
cares. That’s how we learn to “king it”
Swindoll
Teachers teach ideas. Coaches teach habits.
John Strollo
EDDs- Big Tree position, zone step, zone and Big Tree,
goblet strike, step and strike, step and strike and Big
Tree, etc., etc., etc.
Baseball-ground balls
Track-starts, handoffs
Swimming-----monotony in action
4. Reality- Where did David get the courage to
face Goliath? He learned it all alone before
God. He was responsible when no one was
looking.
Your servant used to keep sheep for his father.
And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took
a lamb from the flock, I went after him and
struck him and delivered it out of his mouth.
And if he arose against me, I caught him by his
beard and struck him and killed him.
I Samuel 17:34-35
David at LG- Blast that LB, who is 6’6”, weighs 265, benches
330 and runs like a deer----”no problem, I did it in practice”
Somehow we’ve gotten the idea the “getting alone with
God” is unrealistic, that it’s not the real world. But getting
alone with God doesn’t mean you sit in some closet and
think about infinity. No, it means you get alone and discover
how to be more responsible and diligent in all the areas of
your life, whether that means fighting lions or bears, or
simply following orders.
. . . I have a problem with the kind of “deeper life” teaching
that says you stand back and God does everything for you.
I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never had God change a flat tire
for me. Or change a baby’s diaper . . . or confront some
giant in my life. Neither did David. He rolled up his sleeves
and he fought for those sheep. It was in such scenes of
reality that David learned how to “king it”. Swindoll, p. 11
B. Having trained David for kingship as a shepherd, God now
takes David from the realistic world of obscurity, monotony,
and solitude, and drops him squarely in the public eye.
(I Samuel 16:14-23)
1. Why does God have David serve as the
musician to soothe Saul?
-more lessons to come on perseverance, respect
for the office and God’s anointed, etc.
-BUT, where better to have a class in practical
political science? If David is to be a king, he needs to
see how a court runs, what a bad king looks like, what
a good king looks like, how do you deal with political
problems, what is court etiquette and protocol, etc.
etc., etc. (SCB)
2. The Holy Spirit rushing to indwell David
apparently occurs in close sequence with the
Spirit departing from Saul, and the two events
are climactic. ( cf. 18:12)
The Spirit of YHWH
Samuel
The Spirit of YHWH
An evil spirit
comes upon
leaves
leaves
comes upon
David (v. 13c)
David (v. 13d)
Saul (v. 14a)
Saul (v. 14b)
3. God sent an evil spirit to, literally, “terrorize”
or “terrify” Saul, and it returned again and
again (18:10; 19:9).
-God also used this method of punishment on
Abimelech when he murderously conspired to
make himself king of Israel. (Judges 9, esp. v. 23)
-demon? or “injurious spirit” (NIV) which
brought harmful results to Saul; all penal
consequences come from God. Saul is being
punished for his disobedience.
According to Keil and Delitzch, this was not merely “an
inward feeling of depression at the rejection
announced to him, which grew into melancholy, and
occasionally broke out in passing fits of insanity, but a
higher evil power, which took possession of him, and
not only deprived him of his peace of mind, but stirred
up feelings, ideas, imagination, and thoughts of his
soul to such an extent that at times it drove him even
into madness.”
3. Saul’s court officers (edeb=servants; French
marechal (blacksmith) become “marshal”,
chambellan (bedchamber attendant) becomes
“chamberlain”) offer to look for someone to
play the harp for Saul to relieve his symptoms.
(v. 16-17)
4. One officer recommends David and gives us
a description of the young man. He is a “brave
man/man of valor” or a “man of standing”; he
is a “man of war” or “fighting man/experienced
fighter”; “prudent in speech”-discerning in what
he says and articulate; he is also handsome
(“good presence”) and a good musician. Most
importantly, God is with him. (v. 18)
5. Saul sends for David, and we find him doing
what he has consistently done in obscurity and
monotony, tending his father’s sheep. (v. 19).
Note—it was a frequent description of
monarchs in the ancient Near East that they
were “shepherds” of the people they ruled.
6. Jesse loads David w/ gifts for Saul, then
sends him to court.
-Notice, David never says, “Hey, I’m supposed to
replace you, why am I doing this?”
7. David sang, and rawah “relief would come” literal translation of verb “refreshed” in ESV.
(v. 23)
-the idea is “to be wide, to be spacious, to give
space so as to bring relief”
-expanding a pressing force as in releasing
a clamp; release of tension. (SCB)
-Did David sing Psalms he had written? Did he
and Saul sing together eventually? Did he teach
Saul his songs?
David’s singing and playing is so effective that Saul initially
presses him into service (court officer) and grows to
personal “like” or “love” David, eventually making him his
armor bearer (position of confidence). (vv. 21-22).
Take Aways
-Saul welcomes David into his court totally unaware of the
implications. David is the future king. That is God in
control.
-David never pulls rank. He just serves where God puts
him. Even after he has been anointed, he returns to the
sheep, because that is his job. And it is while he is serving
there that God calls him into a new phase.
Take aways
Never discount anything in your past. God can choose the
appropriate time to use it. David has been out plucking his
lyre in the fields of Judea for years.
-He has never met Saul, yet he has been anointed to
replace him.
-He is serving where God has put him (shepherding).
-God works out a way to bring Saul and David
together through David’s skill and Saul’s malady.
David becomes a confidant of Saul, and receives
training he will need later to serve as king.