Topical Bible: Children: Saul

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Introduction to Saul

Saul was the first king of Israel, chosen by God to lead His people. His account is found in the Old Testament, mainly in the books of 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin, and his father's name was Kish. He was known for being tall and handsome, standing out among the Israelites.

Saul's Anointing as King

God instructed the prophet Samuel to anoint Saul as king. In 1 Samuel 9, we learn that Saul was searching for his father's lost donkeys when he met Samuel. God had already told Samuel that Saul would come to him, and Samuel was to anoint him as the leader of Israel. In 1 Samuel 10:1 , Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul's head, and kissed him, saying, "Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over His inheritance?"

Saul's Early Reign

Saul's reign began well. He led the Israelites to victory against their enemies, the Ammonites, and was confirmed as king by the people at Gilgal. Saul was a strong military leader, and the people were pleased with his leadership. However, Saul's obedience to God was soon tested.

Saul's Disobedience

Saul's downfall began with his disobedience to God's commands. In 1 Samuel 13, Saul offered a burnt offering to God, a task that was meant for the prophet Samuel. Saul grew impatient waiting for Samuel and took matters into his own hands. Samuel told Saul that his kingdom would not last because he had not kept the LORD's command.

Later, in 1 Samuel 15, Saul was instructed by God to completely destroy the Amalekites and all they possessed. However, Saul spared King Agag and the best of the livestock. When Samuel confronted him, Saul tried to justify his actions, but Samuel declared that God had rejected him as king. In 1 Samuel 15:22-23 , Samuel said, "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams."

Saul and David

One of the most well-known parts of Saul's account is his relationship with David. After God rejected Saul, He chose David, a young shepherd, to be the next king. David became a hero in Israel after defeating the giant Goliath, and Saul initially welcomed him into his service. However, Saul grew jealous of David's success and popularity.

Saul's jealousy turned into hatred, and he tried to kill David multiple times. Despite Saul's attempts, David respected Saul as the LORD's anointed king and refused to harm him. This part of Saul's life shows the destructive power of jealousy and the importance of trusting in God's plan.

Saul's Final Days

Saul's reign ended tragically. In 1 Samuel 28, Saul sought guidance from a medium, which was against God's law, because he felt abandoned by God and Samuel had died. In his final battle against the Philistines, Saul was wounded, and rather than be captured, he took his own life. His death marked the end of his reign and the beginning of David's.

Lessons from Saul's Life

Saul's life teaches us about the importance of obedience to God and the dangers of pride and jealousy. Although Saul was chosen by God and had great potential, his failure to follow God's commands led to his downfall. His account reminds us to trust in God's timing and to seek His guidance in all things.

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1 Samuel 9:5
And when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and take thought for us.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

The History of Saul
... After this the Philistines gathered them into great hosts to make war against Saul
and the children of Israel, and Saul gathered the children of Israel ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/the history of saul.htm

Saul's Mean Jealousy
The Children's Bible. <. ... THE OLD TESTAMENT SAUL'S MEAN JEALOUSY.
When the Israelites and David returned from slaying the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/sauls mean jealousy.htm

Saul's Conversion
... My dear friends, be not deceived; if we are friends to the Bridegroom, we shall
be friends to the children of the Bridegroom. Saul, as soon as he was filled ...
/.../whitefield/selected sermons of george whitefield/sauls conversion.htm

Now Saul Upon God's not Answering Him Concerning the Fight with ...
... approached to the enemy's wall, and taking down the bodies of Saul and of ... a public
mourning for them seven days, with their wives and children, beating their ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 14 now saul upon.htm

Saul's War with the Amalekites, and Conquest of Them.
... Hereupon Saul said that he had been wicked, but that what was done could not be ... of
the Hebrew mothers to lament and bewail the loss of their children, so shalt ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 7 sauls war with.htm

The Conversion of Saul of Tarsus
... of manhood, what wonder, I say, that he should stoop to speak even to Saul of Tarsus ...
We were not blood-thirsty, it may be, against his children, but we had sins ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the conversion of saul of.htm

A Soldier who Spared his Enemy
The Children's Bible. ... And when Saul was told that David had come to Keilah, Saul
said, "God has given him into my power, for by entering a town that has doors ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/a soldier who spared his.htm

Faithful unto Death.
... of the Lord, saying, The Lord be between me and thee, and between my children and
thy children forever.". And David went away to hide from Saul, and Jonathan ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xxi faithful unto death.htm

The Cost of a Lie
The Children's Bible. ... trembling to meet David and said to him, "Why are you alone,
and no one with you?" David answered Ahimelech the priest, "Saul has given me ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the cost of a lie.htm

How David, Upon Saul's Laying Snares for Him, did yet Escape the ...
... will go out of the city, and conceal myself privately there; and if Saul inquire
why ... we now do; and if it fall out that I die, preserve my children alive, and ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 11 how david upon.htm