Who was King Saul in the Bible?

from the old testament

• From the time God rescued Israel from Egypt, He was their God and ruler (Exodus 20:2). However, over the next few hundred years, Israel became increasingly rebellious and more inclined toward idolatry. The book of Judges, just before 1 Samuel and the account of King Saul, records Israel’s descent.
• Because of Israel’s downward trajectory, becoming like the sinful surrounding nations, it is unsurprising that they began demanding a king like those other nations: “Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, ‘Behold, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations’” (1 Samuel 8:4–5).
• Samuel was God’s prophet, and the request greatly displeased him. However, God explained, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Samuel 8:7). Therefore, He told Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king” (1 Samuel 8:22).
• God chose King Saul as the first king (1 Samuel 9:15–17). Later, when he anointed David, the Bible explains that God selected the type of king He desired to rule Israel (1 Samuel 16:7), contrasting with His selection of the first king, the handsome and tall Saul, who was outwardly appealing (1 Samuel 9:2), the type of king Israel wanted.
• At first, King Saul seemed zealous for God. After hearing that an Amorite had attacked people in Israel, “the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, ‘Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!’ Then the dread of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out as one man” (1 Samuel 11:6–7). The people saw him as the right man for the job.
• However, Saul soon proved himself unworthy to serve as God’s representative to the people. After a successful battle, Saul grew impatient waiting for Samuel to arrive and make a sacrifice to God. He then made the offering himself (1 Samuel 13:8–10). Samuel’s reply sealed King Saul’s fate: “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 over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue” (1 Samuel 13:13–14). Samuel was referring to the Mosaic Law, which allowed only priests to sacrifice (e.g., Numbers 18:7). Saul had arrogantly done what only God’s chosen men could do.
• God did not immediately remove the kingdom from Saul, and in his next major theological blunder, he failed to destroy all the leaders or animals of the Amalekites, despite being a city God had devoted to destruction (1 Samuel 15:7–9). Samuel had to finish the job, again showing that Saul was unfit to lead Israel.
• Because of this, God sent Samuel to anoint David as Saul's replacement (1 Samuel 16:13–14). At first, David served with Saul (1 Samuel 16:21), but as he grew in fame, Saul became jealous (1 Samuel 18:6–9) and tried to kill him several times (e.g., 1 Samuel 18:10–11).
• David eventually fled the kingdom (1 Samuel 19:12). Saul spent much of the rest of his life pursuing David (e.g., 1 Samuel 24:2). In addition to his obsession with David, King Saul proved himself to be a foolish leader when he made the rash vow that his men couldn’t eat until they had victory (1 Samuel 14:24). The result was a greatly weakened armed force and Saul nearly killing his own son for unknowingly violating the food ban (1 Samuel 14:44).
• Just before his death, abandoned by God, Saul did the worst thing possible: he consulted a medium (1 Samuel 28:7–8). When doing so, Samuel, who had died (c.f., 1 Samuel 25:1), appeared to Saul and told him that because he visited the occultist, he would die the next day (1 Samuel 28:19).
• As promised, Saul died in battle. He was struck with a mortal blow by an archer (1 Samuel 31:3). After his armor-bearer was too afraid to obey Saul and kill him, Saul killed himself by falling on his sword (1 Samuel 31:4).

from the new testament

• King Saul is not found in the New Testament.

implications for today

Saul reminds us that looking like a good person on the outside doesn’t necessarily mean our hearts are right with God. He was tall, handsome, and looked like the strong leader Israel wanted, but over time his disobedience revealed what was really going on in his heart, and he eventually lost the kingdom.

We can learn two big things from Saul. First, we can’t always know what’s happening in someone’s heart just by looking at their actions or reputation. God sees what we can’t (1 Samuel 16:7), and we shouldn’t blindly follow someone just because they seem godly, successful, or convincing. We’re called to test what we hear against Scripture (Acts 17:11) and let God’s Word—not someone’s image—be our standard.

Second, Saul challenges us to look at our own hearts. We can do all the “right” things, know a lot about the Bible, and even look like we have a strong faith while our hearts are far from God. But we can’t hide anything from Him; He knows our thoughts, motives, and desires (Psalm 139:1–4). Instead of trying to look righteous for other people, we should be honest before God, humble enough to let Him correct us, and willing to keep growing to look more like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18).