Saul And David Contradictions

~ From Where All Things Flow ~

Without a doubt, one of the most mysterious, complex, and intriguing characters in the bible is God. No one in the bible is quite so hard to understand, yet He is the one most yearn to understand. God’s character entails many contradictions that may leave a reader puzzling over the true and real part of God’s character. One such instance is the story of Saul and David. Both men were chosen to be kings, yet only one formed a true and lasting relationship with God. Why? Does God simply have preferential treatment for some people? Or does the matter go in deeper? Throughout the Old Testament, we see God always choosing to single people out. He singled out David from amongst his brothers. He choose Moses to lead the people out of Egypt. He selected the Israelites to be a chosen nation with whom He will form a covenant. God chooses people with whom He wants to form a relationship. What is the criterion one must pass to be elected by God? Both Saul and David were chosen by God, yet God decided to reject Saul, and form a covenant with David. Both kings had their strengths and their weaknesses. In fact, if you were to use the modern

Saul’s defense was that the flocks were to be use for a sacrifice to God (1 Sam 15:21). Samuel brought up an important point in his reply; he said, “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” (1 Sam 15:22). This is a key point in understanding why Saul was rejected. Saul did everything right, but he didn’t “feel” God. He didn’t understand why what he did was wrong and, as supported by Hertzberg, God values obedience more than any sacrifices Saul may have done (Hertzberg, 123-129). In short, God was not a man after God’s