Spiritually Speaking

Pop quiz. What was the difference between Saul of Benjamin (the first king over Israel) and his son-in-law (and successor) David of Judah?

On the physical side, Saul was tall – everyone looked up to him because he was usually the biggest guy in the room. I once flew from DFW airport to Milwaukee to spend some time with my Yankee friends. While I was in the airport, the LA Lakers came through the concourse. At an amazing 5 feet 7 1/4 inches in height, I was barely able to see over Kareem’s kneecaps. Skyhook or not, that guy was an impressive specimen. Perhaps that’s the way young David felt about his king.

Despite his height, Saul was not an aggressive guy. When chosen to be God’s anointed king at Mizpah, he was actually hiding out among the luggage. Samuel had to press him into service. Sure, Saul was capable, but he was often seen waiting and watching (more than once he is described as “sitting under a tree” when a battle was brewing).

David, on the other hand was short in stature but long on self-motivation. While Saul and the armies of God ran in terror from Goliath, David ran toward the battle lines and took him down.

Finally, both kings did things to displease the Lord. The difference between them showed itself in the way they responded to discipline.

For example, Saul took it upon himself to offer sacrifices in place of Samuel, the priest. When called on the carpet, he blamed Samuel for showing up late and causing him to lose favor with his troops. On another occasion, he disobeyed God’s order to destroy the Amalekites and blamed it on his men of war. He never seemed quite ready to repent.

David, on the other hand, always gave himself back to God and could often be seen (especially in the Psalms) throwing himself on the mercy of his creator. Perhaps his strong desire to be obedient to the Father is part of the reason Matthew made sure to connect the Messiah to David, rather than Saul.