King Saul was the first king of Israel, known more for his failures than his successes. In his story, we see the portrait of an abuser – a man concerned more with appearances than anything else, unwilling to admit and learn from his mistakes, and driven by jealousy.
Have you read Abuse in the Bible: Let’s Take a New Look at Old Stories?
Saul’s Beginning
In 1 Samuel 8, the Israelites go to the prophet Samuel (who also serves as the leader of the people) to demand that God give them “a king to govern us like all the nations.” God agrees to their demands, and Samuel warns the people what a king will be like, but they still want this.
In the next chapter, we meet Saul, who is described as “a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he; from his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people” (1 Samuel 9:2 RSV). Saul certainly looks like a king. Samuel meets him as he’s looking for a pair of lost donkeys and anoints him. God’s spirit then comes upon him and he joins a group of prophets in prophesying, to the people’s amazement.
Samuel next calls the people together and chooses the king by lots. The lot falls to Saul, but he cannot be found… until God tells Samuel that he’s hiding among the baggage. Despite being anointed by Samuel and chosen by lot, Saul seems to doubt himself. After this, he returns to farming, for when the Ammonites attack, Saul is found with his oxen again.
King Saul’s Mistakes
Saul enjoys some success in fighting Israel’s enemies, which also earns him popularity among the people. All is well when this success comes easily because God’s spirit is upon him. However, there comes a time when the Israelites prepare to battle the Philistines again. Saul waits for Samuel to come offer sacrifices before attacking, but Samuel doesn’t appear. As the week passes, the people begin to scatter in fear. Worries about losing his entire army, Saul offers the sacrifice himself. Samuel then arrives to demand, “What have you done?”
Saul has a ready answer: “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down upon me at Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favor of the Lord’; so I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” (1 Samuel 13:11-12 RSV, emphasis mine)
DomesticShelters.org notes that abusers have an “Inability to admit fault, take blame. This also looks like blame-shifting. Everything is someone else’s fault or the blame is constantly shifted to a partner. Abusers often think the world is against them and they are a victim of their circumstances.” Saul certainly seems to feel this way; the Philistines are attacking, the people are deserting, so he had to do something and it’s not his fault he disobeyed God.
Samuel warns Saul, ”You have done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which he commanded you; for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel for ever. But now your kingdom shall not continue; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart; and the Lord has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:13-14 RSV)
However, this stern rebuke doesn’t seem to affect Saul. In the next sentence, he gathers his army and goes out to fight. He continues to make the same mistake, disobeying God again and relying on his own strength (and the numbers he can summon for his army) to fight the Philistines. Even when God gives a very specific command, Saul fails to follow it.
Why Saul’s Mistakes Matter
Catholic therapist Jenny DuBay explains, “Every human being on the face of this earth has both positive and negative characteristics. We’re made in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26), yet we’ve all been endowed with free will, which means we have the penchant to make mistakes and even to grievously harm others.”
She adds, “It’s the healthy people — those most in tune with their true selves and their God-given nature, determined to live a life of empathetic virtue and goodness rather than competition — who are honest with their inner selves, especially their motives and behaviours. These are the people who can see their flaws, but don’t falsely hide them. Instead, they seek to make amends. They’re also willing to do the repair work needed to eliminate negative habits so as to replace them with virtuous ones.”
These are the qualities we do not see in King Saul (and yet we do see in the man chosen to replace him, King David). Despite being repeatedly confronted by Samuel for making mistakes and disobeying God, Saul never takes responsibility for his actions or makes amends for what he’s done. He never repents. Even his sacrifice to God was done for show, to keep the people from scattering, rather than from a heart that actually wanted to seek God.
Samuel recognizes Saul’s self-doubt: “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel” (1 Samuel 15:17). Saul is still the guy hiding in the baggage, afraid of being seen for who he really is.
Jenny helps us understand this sort of person better: “those who aren’t mature or developed enough to be so honest with themselves hide behind a mask of hypocrisy. For such people, their childhood was filled with vulnerability because showing their true emotions was often met with scorn, shame, punishment, or neglect… They focused on the outer world and fitting in… [and] quickly learned the ‘correct’ behaviour needed to please their parents or other loved ones, and they changed accordingly.”
In his battles with the Philistines, and the mistakes he makes there, we see King Saul’s attempts to figure out this “correct behaviour” to win the approval of the people. However, his mistakes and ego become ever more clear in how he treats David.
King Saul Abuses David
David becomes involved in Saul’s army when he defeats the giant Goliath. Although he’s young, he seems to very quickly be given a leading role in the army and to have further success in battle. As the Israelites are constantly under attack from their neighbours, David’s gift for military defense gains him great popularity.
After King Saul returns victorious from a one battle with the Philistines, the women greet the army by singing, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” While their song is poetic in nature, King Saul’s insecurities are triggered. Over and over again, he tries to kill David, then repents.
To many readers, King Saul’s flip-flopping attitude towards David seems confusing. However, anyone who has lived with an abuser will recognize the pattern that unfolds over the next chapters of the Bible. King Sault alternately hates David and plots to kill him, or “stands in awe of him” and invites him back into his presence again.
A Safe Place notes, “Research has shown that there is a distinctive cycle to domestic abuse. Although every relationship is different, commonalities can be seen. There are three different phases: the honeymoon phase, the tension-building phase, and the explosion phase. The entire goal for this cycle is to keep the survivor on edge and to obtain power and control over the relationship. This cycle often continues and may even speed up, leaving out the honeymoon stage altogether. If not stopped, the cycle can end in homicide, suicide, or unfortunately both.“
In a careful reading of 1 Samuel 18-24, 26, and 31, we see this cycle of honeymoon or love-bombing, tension-building, and explosion play out. Saul is jealous of David and seeks to kill him; David escapes, or Saul is confronted by someone, and he seems to repent; and then he once again falls into depression and tries to kill David, and the cycle repeats.
King Saul’s Mental Illness
The writers of Scripture had no knowledge of mental health or psychological problems. As modern readers, we can look at this plot outline and read between the lines to better understand what was affecting Saul. A psychological examination of the life of King Saul shows that “Saul’s disobedience to God resulted in him being displaced as king. Ensuing envy towards David and the overwhelming demands of his kingship all made him come down with depression, aggression, and mental breakdown. With continued fear and negativity, Saul became excessively anxious and eventually committed suicide.”
The writer of 1 Samuel explains Saul’s bad moods as “an evil spirit” that comes upon him. This model of blame fits with Saul’s own inability to take responsibility for his actions. Although he does hire David to play the lyre for him to help with his mental illness, he doesn’t otherwise attempt to change because he can simply blame the evil spirit that comes and goes as it pleases (or as David’s music affects it).
Researchers Adeloye et al read between the lines to see that “Saul’s apparent depression with its attendant symptoms like insomnia, feelings of worthlessness (1 Samuel 18:28-29), indecisive behaviour and paranoid delusion (1 Samuel 18:9), are indicative of the fact that his condition eventually degenerated into a psychosis as a result of his strained relationship with David.” These researchers suggest Saul may also be dealing with PTSD.
Although understanding Saul’s mental illness can help us better understand what happens in these Old Testament stories, mental illness does not justify how Saul treats David. Saul’s depression, PTSD or other psychological conditions are not an excuse for abusing others. We do see him attempting to get therapy in the form of music, which was as much as the people of that day could understand. However, he fails to fully repent of his behaviour or take responsibility for his actions.
DomesticShelters.org says, “Abusers love excuses. They yelled at you because they were drunk. They hit you because they were hit as children. They’re abusive because they’re depressed. It’s not their fault. You should be more understanding.” Saul threw a spear at David because of the evil spirit. However, it is important to note that mental illness DOES NOT cause abuse; this excuse is not acceptable.
For example, we see that Saul only throws spears at David and not at Jonathan or anyone else in his court. This is a deliberate, controlled action, especially as it escalates later into bigger and bigger plots to kill David. DomesticShelters notes, “Abusers are in control of their behavior if they behave well in public and turn into ‘a monster’ only in private. They are choosing their timing and targets.”
How Saul’s Family Sees the Abuse
In looking at Saul’s life, we may wonder what those closest to him think of him and his actions. We’ve seen the prophet Samuel confront him for his sins. We’ve seen David evade his attempts to kill him and eventually completely leave Saul’s household to live on the run in the wilderness. What about others in Saul’s life?
In 1 Samuel 14:49, we’re given a brief overview of Saul’s family: “Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Mal′chishu′a; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the first-born was Merab, and the name of the younger Michal; and the name of Saul’s wife was Ahin′o-am the daughter of Ahim′a-az.” Most of these people are named only here, but the names of Jonathan and Michal stand out.
Jonathan is well known for his friendship with David: “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” (1 Samuel 18) and makes a covenant with him. In the next chapter, Saul tells Jonathan and his servants that they should kill David.
Jonathan warns David to hide himself, then confronts his father: “Let not the king sin against his servant David; because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been of good service to you; for he took his life in his hand and he slew the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced; why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?” (1 Samuel 19:4-5 RSV)
Saul seems to heed Jonathan’s words and swears that David will not be killed. Jonathan tells David about this and David returns to Saul’s court. However, the very next verses describe David successfully going to war against the Philistines again, and Saul again being attacked by his evil spirit, and again trying to pin David to the wall with a spear, and David escaping.
David is then protected from Saul by his wife Michal, who is Saul’s youngest daughter. Saul sends men to surround David’s house, but Michal warns him that he must escape or be killed. She helps him get out through a window and then tries to cover his escape by making it look like he’s still in bed. When the messengers try to come for him, she tells them he’s sick. When Saul demands David be brought to him in his bed, Michal’s ruse is discovered, and she tells her father she had to help David escape because he threatened her if she didn’t.
It may seem clear that Jonathan and Michal see how their father is treating David and have sided with David. However, in the very next chapter, David goes to Jonathan to ask why Saul is seeking his life, and Jonathan defends his father. Jonathan assumes he has his father’s full confidence and would know if Saul wanted to kill David. Given his warning to David in the last chapter, this may seem odd – unless Jonathan is making the mistake of assuming that Saul is a normal, healthy person who has actually repented of his past behaviour towards David, accepted Jonathan’s rebuke, and changed.
Many of us in abusive relationships make this same mistake. We want to believe the best of our abuser, especially if that abuser is someone close to us – a parent, spouse, or close friend. Perhaps, like Jonathan, we have tried to confront this person about the way they have hurt us, and perhaps, like Saul, they have promised they will not do this again.
Many of us have also experienced others who know our abuser but refuse to see his abuse. Mutual friends or family members may not believe us when we share how we’ve been treated because the person who abuses us is polite, courteous or caring towards them. We see this in Jonathan when David comes to him to say that Saul is abusing him. Perhaps, as Saul’s firstborn son and youngest daughter, Jonathan and Michal have a special place in their father’s eyes. It may be hard for them to imagine (even with proof straight from their father) that he would treat David so differently than he treats them.
At David’s urging, Jonathan devises a way to test his father’s attitude towards David. Saul hosts a huge feast, which he expects David – as his best general – to attend. When David is absent, Saul at first overlooks it; however, after repeated absences, he finally asks about David. Jonathan mentions he’s given David permission to see his family and Saul explodes. He calls Jonathan names, demands David’s death, and then throws his spear at Jonathan. Finally, Jonathan believes David and not only urges him to escape, but helps him do so. (1 Samuel 20 RSV)
It may be tempting to want such proof of abuse in our lives, to have others see and acknowledge how our abuser treats us. Many of us may even doubt the abuse we live with; for example, if our abuser is not physically abusive, we may brush off the emotional abuse as just “sticks and stones” or a “hot temper” or “communication problems.”
If you suspect you are in an abusive relationship, be careful about needing validation from others before seeking help or escape. You may be putting yourself in a dangerous situation. For example, David and Jonathan’s plan to prove Saul’s abuse endangered Jonathan’s life when Saul’s anger at David turned towards his own son.
Put Yourself in the Story
I hope I’ve helped you take a new look at King Saul and see his story with a fresh perspective. I’d like to invite you to dig a bit deeper into his story. Maybe you’ve found a few things in his story that remind you of someone you know.
Ask yourself:
- Am I willing to recognize patterns of behaviour in those around me and to stop excusing unhealthy patterns of behaviour?
- Am I willing to learn from my mistakes and to humble myself when I’m confronted by others about those mistakes? Do I repent and go to confession when I’ve failed God, myself or my family?
- Am I willing to really hear those who come to me with struggles in their relationships, or do I brush off their concerns because what they say is so different from what I see in this person?
In prayer:
Both Saul and David were chosen and anointed by God as king of Israel. Both made big mistakes, yet one was rejected by God and the other was considered a man after God’s own heart. Consider the differences between them and pray for a heart like David’s.
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