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This morning, I’m beginning a new series on the life of David as recorded in the books 1 and 2 Samuel. The David story is the longest biography in the ancient world, so even if you don’t see it as the Word of God, it is still worth paying attention to. It’s a fascinating account, filled with passion, violence, poetry, political intrigue, deep friendship, acts of heroism and acts of cowardice, humor and tragedy. Over the next two months we’ll be talking about essential things like courage, integrity, love, and character. These are stories that engage us to the core of who we are, to the depth of our heart.

Let me set the background – the Israelites have settled in the Promised Land, and God raises up judges to lead the people. Judges were not kings, but were God’s chosen men (or women in the case of Deborah) – leaders in battle, rulers in peace, a spiritual power, prophet, counselor of the people, connected to God. The real leader is of course God, but the judge is God’s human leader. Samuel, whom the books were named after, is a man who becomes judge over Israel in the 11^th century BC, and will end up being the last of the judges. Samuel has two sons, and as he is getting older, his sons are not godly men, and so the elders of Israel come to Samuel and ask him to appoint a king to lead them, like all the other nations.

1 Samuel 8:6 - ⁶ But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. ⁷ And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. ⁸ As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. ⁹ Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.”

They do not want God as their King any more, but they want a king they can see and take pride in. Samuel goes on to tell the people that the king will oppress them and enlist their sons in the army and their daughters to serve the kingdom, that the king will take the best of their fields and vineyards and servants and livestock for his own use, and one day they will cry out to God to save you from the king you have chosen.

1 Samuel 8:19 - But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. ²⁰ Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

²¹ When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. ²² The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

And so Samuel anoints Saul, who 1 Samuel 9:1-2 says was “an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites – a head taller than any of the others”.

1 Samuel 10:23-24 - They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. ²⁴ Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.”

Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

Saul is the tallest, strongest man and so naturally the people are excited about him as king. Remember of course that in these days, fighting was done with swords, and so the tallest man had the best chance of being the greatest warrior, because he could keep people far away. William Wallace, immortalized in Braveheart, had a sword that was 5 ft. 6 in., meaning that he was likely 6 ft. 7 in. at least, at a time when most men were smaller than they are today. Saul starts strong in battle, but proves to be not so good at listening to the directions of the Lord, and so Samuel lets Saul know eventually that the Lord has rejected him as king and that it will eventually be given to someone else.

1 Samuel 13:13-14 ³ "You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. ¹⁴ But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD's command."