12. SAUL
Saul from the tribe of Benjamin was the first King of Israel who ruled
from 1020 to 1000 before Christ.
SAUL IS CHOSEN KING. The twelve tribes of Israel were ruled by God so
there was no need for a king. However, the people wanted a king like the
other nations. God granted them their request. Samuel gathered all the people
to choose a king. The people selected Saul from the tribe of Benjamin to be
their first king.
GOD REJECTS SAUL. King Saul was ordered to fight the tribe of Amalek and
to destroy all the people and their possessions. He defeated them but took
possession of the best lambs, sheep and oxen for sacrifice. Samuel was angry
with him for disobeying God and told him God considered obedience far more
important than offering sheep and oxen. Because
King Saul rejected the command of God, God rejected him as ruler.
THE DEATH OF SAUL. King Saul and his three sons were fighting the enemy.
They were overpowered and they were killed in battle. When the sad news reached
his friends who lived a long distance from the battlefield, they marched
through the night, removed the four bodies, and carried them back to their
homes for a proper burial.
Saul, the first King of Israel, displeased God because of his
disobedience. He and his three sons were killed in battle. His friends gave him
a proper burial.
