Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
— First Samuel 8:4-5
Saul was the third person God needed to usher in David. His name means “desired,” “asked, ”or “lent.” It may also mean “ditch.” Samuel’s name means “asked of God,” but Saul’s name merely means “asked.” Saul was man’s desire, asked for by man.
When the people asked Samuel for a king (1 Sam. 8:5), Saul was God’s answer to their request. In a sense, Saul was like a ditch that had to be crossed over before David could come forth, but we shouldn’t look down on such ditches, for without them, life would be very flat. Saul may have been a frustration, but his life also provides a colorful backdrop to the process that brought forth David, enhancing our appreciation of what God would eventually gain in him.
Adapted from David: After God’s Heart, page 25.
Tomorrow: “Israel Wanting Another King”