Understand the KJV Bible

One nation, two men anointed king.

Saul is the people's choice, that is, the kind of king that the people wanted. A proud and fierce man, who battles for his authority and his country. But God's Spirit has left him, and an evil spirit troubles him.

David is just a youngster, who must pass through many troubles before his rule begins - but he is God's choice, the man after God's own heart, who desires above all else, to please God. On him, God's Spirit has come.

And now we see the two together, Saul the present king, troubled by his evil spirit, and David, destined to be king, playing his harp, and bringing comfort and healing.

Amalek: a nation of desert robbers who attacked the weakest of Israel's people as Moses led them across the desert, and against whom God made an especially severe judgment. That judgment was not carried out until the rule of Saul, some 400 years later, by which time Amalek had become even worse, destroying and depopulating whole towns in Judah and Philistia.

So God commanded Saul, as the captain of his armies on earth, to carry out that terrible judgment, and Saul did it in part. That is, he did the part that he wanted to do. He did not hesitate to destroy what was weak and worthless, but he saved the best, and even Amalek's wicked and ruthless king, Agag.

That was the reason why God finally made the firm and definite decision to reject Saul as king. It was also the reason why Amalek continued to trouble the southern part of Israel for long after.

After Jonathan, Saul's son, had acted bravely in great faith in God to rescue Israel from certain defeat, Israel's men had to save him from his father.

The problem was an unwise oath that Saul had demanded that the army should swear when they went into battle. For Jonathan, an innocent mistake - he simply tasted a little honey - developed into a life-and-death matter. Saul tried to deal with the situation by making even worse oaths. He was the king, and his authority absolute; but Israel's men would not hear of it. Jonathan had worked with God to save Israel that day, they reminded Saul. So Saul must repent of his oaths, and Jonathan must live.

One of the greatest victories in war in the Bible was achieved by just two men: Jonathan and his armour-bearer, against a massive army of Philistines.

What makes this battle astonishing is the great faith of Jonathan, the eldest son of King Saul. Saul, without faith and leading just 600 men, thought that disaster was inevitable. Jonathan however didn't think that small numbers were any limitation on the power of God to save.

For seven days, Saul waited at Gilgal. His enemy, the Philistines, was gathering a massive army, and Saul's men were afraid. This time, Saul had failed to gather Israel's men to defend their country, and the small group of soldiers with him were afraid. But God had promised that after 7 days, Samuel would come to offer sacrifices and to direct Saul what to do.

When just 600 men remained with Saul, he could wait no longer. He offered the sacrifice himself, without waiting for Samuel, and so disobeyed God's instructions to him. As the king of Israel, he had to be the servant of God - but he did not obey his divine Master's orders.

Now that Saul had established his authority as king, Samuel the prophet retired. Of course, he did not retire from his calling as a prophet: he would continue to pray for the people and teach them the ways of God. He retired from his work as leader of his nation, and therefore from many of his public activities. But God would still have important work for Samuel to do.

The people had been wrong to desire a king. The enemy whom they feared, King Nahash of Ammon, had already been defeated. But God had permitted Israel to have its first king, and both he and the people had the serious duty to remain loyal to God.

After Saul became king, he simply returned to his work on his father's farm. It seemed as if nothing had happened; some doubted that he could ever achieve anything as king. But when King Nahash of Ammon threatened the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, Saul did not hesitate.

Saul's anger against this cruel enemy was as great as his zeal on behalf of Israel. He demanded that every one of Israel's men must fight to save Jabesh; and so they came, in great force, to the battle.

There needed to be a great change in the character of Saul to make him king. Saul had never even led his own family group, and certainly not a nation or its army. He needed to gain a new kind of maturity, a real zeal and passion for the people whom he would lead, and a powerful determination to act against its fierce enemies.

So God needed to work powerfully in Saul's life before he ever could match the people's requirements for their king. Saul had to be anointed as king, a symbol of God's Spirit coming upon him. Then God needed to reveal to the people this man who would rule so powerfully over them.

Our first sight of Saul is full of contradictions. Here is a tall and impressive man, but yet to find his purpose in life. He is the man whom God has selected to be the people's choice for king: a powerful and fierce man who, so far, has shown no power whatever. He is not important in the army, and not even the head of his own family. He is already in his 40s, but still seems immature. And he cares so little for his own nation that he seems not to know Samuel, its Judge and national leader, who tomorrow will anoint him king.

But God will take that man, empower him to rule, and give him a heart for his nation. What Saul will then do, is for him to choose.

Samuel ruled over Israel as its prophet-judge for many years. However, that time of righteous and good leadership would end in failure. When Samuel's sons used their power dishonestly, the elders of the nation felt they could no longer trust God to look after their nation. Instead, they wanted a powerful and fierce king to rule over them, and to lead them in their battles. In short, they wanted to be like all the other nations.

That could have driven Samuel to despair, but instead he turned to God in prayer. God told him to allow the nation to go its own way, but first to warn them severely about what that king would do. Now, they were free people - but the king would demand taxes and force them to work for him. They would become like slaves.

Samuel's success in this crisis, as always, was to obey God's instructions.