1 Samuel 14:47-52 – Saul’s Summary
In this section the camera zooms out and we get an overview of Saul’s time as king. It reads like an official court record. We have got a very negative picture of him, but in verses 47-48 we see Saul’s successes. An encircling array of long-time enemies have been subdued. North, south, east, and west – Saul “does valiantly” in every direction.
In verses 49-51 we read of his family, most of whom will have some part to play in the unfolding dramas. If there are profound depths of revelation here they haven’t been revealed to me. Yet that does not mean that these verses are meaningless. Like all Scripture, they are God-given and profitable. This is an official record of a royal genealogy and administration: Saul’s sons, daughters, wife, and Chief of Staff. Records like this litter 1 Samuel to 2 Kings. Saul’s family is itself listed 5 times. This is something that God has deemed important to be recorded. It makes me think of Psalm 139:16: “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” and Psalm 56:8: “You have kept count of my tossings … are they not in your book?” Remember too, Saul’s family is not just any family; it is the family of the king of God’s people. The family of the king is important to God. As Christians we are family of the King, his brothers and sisters. We are important to God and our names are recorded by him.
Although the picture here of Saul is positive, there is a shadow cast in this official record, for those with ears to hear. It begins by noting that Saul “took” the kingship. That is an unusual word, and a forceful word. There’s an ambiguity about how he came to the throne (remember the discontent of some?) The shadow gets clearer when we see that he failed to gain the full victory over the Philistines, the task he had been commissioned for (9:16). Contrast verse 52 with 7:13 and Samuel’s rule. He also lives up to Samuel’s warning in 8:11 that the king will “take, take, take”, as he introduces a system of military conscription (verse 52b). A better king was needed, and a better king was sent – not David, but Jesus. He doesn’t just take, he gives. He subdues all his and our enemies.
Questions
- How does this more positive picture of Saul fit with all that we’ve already read about him?
- How does it look beyond David to Jesus?
Prayer Points
- Thank God for his care – all our days are recorded in his book.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.