The Israelites asked for a king to lead them in battle just like the surrounding nations. They thought that a strong and powerful king is the key to victory in battles. In so doing, they rejected God as their king (1 Sam. 8:1-7). Nevertheless, God granted their request; He instructed Samuel, the prophet to anoint Saul who was later chosen publicly by lot to be their first king (1 Sam. 9:15-16; 10:17-24).
- KING SAUL - Saul was a king with potential; he rallied the nation, defeated the Ammonites who were besieging Jabesh Gilead and gave God the glory for the victory (1 Sam. 11:6-11). He also refused to take vengeance on certain men who had earlier questioned his ability to lead (1 Sam. 11:12-13 cf. 10:27).
But Saul considered sacrifice to God better than obedience to God. He disobeyed – not waiting for Samuel to offer sacrifices (1 Sam 13:8-11 cf. 10:8); he did not annihilate all the Amalekites and their herds and flocks as instructed – claiming that the soldiers kept the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to God (1 Sam. 15:2 cf. 15:9,21). And he built a monument in his own honour (1 Sam. 15:12) – seeking the praises of men rather than of God. So God rejected Saul from being king and removed his heirs from the throne that should otherwise have been theirs (1 Sam. 15:22-23).
David was anointed (as the next king) without the knowledge of Saul. He served in Saul’s court as a musician who would play the harp to soothe Saul whenever an evil spirit comes over him (1 Sam. 16:14-23). Later, David defeated and killed Goliath, the champion of the Philistines who were at war with the Israelites (1 Sam. 17).
Saul grew jealous of David when he was compared with the latter – “Saul has slain thousands, and David tens of thousands” (1 Sam. 18:5-9). He considered David a rival and was transfixed on killing him (1 Sam. 18:10-11).
- KING DAVID - Unlike Saul, David was a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22; 1 Sam. 13:14). Yes, he was not perfect. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and ordered to have her husband, Uriah killed in battle (2 Sam. 11:1-27). But when confronted with his sins, David admitted his guilt and sought forgiveness (2 Sam. 12:1-7 cf. Psa. 51:4). Nevertheless, there were painful consequences (2 Sam. 12:9-12 cf. 16:20-22; 1 Kgs. 1-2)
David sought to please and honour God. After he became king over all Israel, he sought to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem first from the house of Abinadab at Kiriath Jearim (1 Sam. 7:1-2) and then from the house of Obed-Edom (2 Sam. 6:6-11). And when he was settled in his kingdom, he desired to build a temple to house the Ark; it troubled him that the Ark was housed in a tent while he was living in a palace (2 Sam. 7:1-2). However, God told him through the prophet Nathan that he was not the one but his son who would build Him a temple. Nevertheless, he wanted the temple to be exceedingly magnificent so he made extensive preparations for it – accumulating building materials including timber, dressed stone, iron and bronze, silver and gold. (1 Chron. 22:1-5).
- KING SOLOMON - Early in his reign, God appeared to Solomon in a dream and told him to ask for anything he wanted. Solomon reflected upon the great responsibility of governing God's people, and asked for wisdom sufficient for the task. God granted his request and more (1 Kgs. 3:4-15). Solomon’s wisdom was tested and proven in his wise ruling in a case of two women, both claiming a baby as theirs (1 Kgs. 3:16-28).
His wisdom was legendary. He wrote 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs — a prolific output for any writer or musician. He was the acknowledged expert in plants and animals. He held seminars attended by cabinet members of kings from throughout the region (1 Kgs. 4:32-34). Even the Queen of Sheba was awed by his wisdom and prosperity testifying that the reality far exceeded the reports she heard (1 Kgs. 10:1-7).