DAVID AND SAUL: THE OLD MAN AND THE NEW

As we rapidly approach another election cycle, and people in America are considering their options for the next President to lead the nation, my thoughts go to the Old Testament story of Samuel and Israel’s desire for a king.

 

For centuries the Israelites were under the oversight of judges who offered guidance to the nation in matters of military engagement.  They also resolved disputes between the people and upheld the civil laws of Israel.  These were men (and women, in the case of Deborah) who were chosen by God and anointed to resist the oppression of their neighbor kingdoms and lead their people in the right ways of the LORD.

 

Samuel the Prophet was the transition between the time of the judges and the time of the prophets.  He was the last judge of Israel and the first of a string of prophets of the Lord who gave spiritual guidance to Israel.  He also was trained in the temple and raised by Eli the priest.  Consider how significant an individual this man Samuel was in light of the following verses of scripture: “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.” (1 Samuel 3:19).  “And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.” (1 Samuel 3:21).   “And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.” (1 Samuel 3:1).  In many ways Samuel represented the judges, the priesthood, and the prophets.  In this respect he foreshadowed the Lord Himself for Jesus fulfilled all of these roles besides being the King of Israel.

 

Spirituality isn’t a legacy that is passed down from one generation to another.  Every soul must learn to seek for, and obtain, a personal relationship with God for himself/herself.  Just as Eli’s sons did not follow after the right ways of the Lord, neither did Samuel’s children walk after righteousness.  Scripture records that they “…turned aside after lucre [riches], and took bribes, and perverted judgment.” (1 Samuel 8:3).  This was a problem.  Samuel had installed his two sons as judges over Israel, and the people resented them for their greedy ways.  This led Israel to the desire to have a king rule over them so that they could be like every other nation.  Pay attention to the motivation behind their actions: “…that we also may be like all the nations.” (1 Samuel 8:5; 1 Samuel 8:20). 

 

Samuel was displeased by the people’s request.  He could see the evil behind their desire for a king.  He understood that it would require an unusually meek and compassionate person to be able to bear such power and authority and still remain humble and righteous before God.  A king would exert control over the people and be tempted to do things his way instead of God’s.  God’s response to all of this was unexpected.  He told Samuel, “Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.” (1 Samuel 8:7).  Again, God made their motivation clear: they preferred to have man rule over them rather than have God rule them. 

 

This sets the stage for the story of David and Saul.  It also reveals the motivation of the fleshly nature in man (our old carnal nature outside of Christ).  Mankind’s basic desire is to be completely in control.  At the same time, we want to be like everybody else in the world and make our own decisions and plot our own course.  Isn’t this what the whole temptation in the Garden of Eden boiled down to?  God, however, called Israel (just as He has called us) to be a separate and peculiar people, a holy nation, and a royal priesthood.  As the Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians, 17, “…come out from among them [the unbelievers], and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18).  It was God’s intention for His chosen to be UNLIKE the nations of the world and to be an example of a people solely directed and cared for by the Almighty.  “And be not conformed to this world…” (Romans 12:2).

 

Before we were saved, we all walked in the lusts and desires of the flesh and pretty much did what we pleased.  This is our old nature, our carnal man.  Upon conversion, we received the Holy Spirit, and a new nature was awakened within us.  This new nature, the spiritual man, desires truth, righteousness, and holiness.  It is grieved by sin and uncleanness.  When our new man was born within us, the old man didn’t just shrivel up and die, however.  He is still there craving control, but we have assigned Lordship of our lives to Jesus Christ.  He is now the One we have trusted to take full control of our lives.  This is why the Lord in all of the Gospels is quoted as saying that we must die to self (our old nature).  “He that findeth his life [his old nature] shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it.” (Matthew 10:39).  “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” (John 12:25). 

 

The Apostle Paul sums up the warfare that exists between our old nature and our new nature when he wrote, “For they that are after the flesh [those who walk according to the old nature] do mind [obey, follow] the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit [those who walk according to their new nature in Christ] the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against [an adversary of] God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:5-8).  This warfare that we find ourselves in between the flesh and the Spirit, our old man and our new, is really all about who we will surrender the control of our lives to.  “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield [surrender] yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16).

 

No wonder that Messiah was such a surprise to Israel when He appeared.  They thought that He would come, be their King and subdue all their enemies around them.  Their desire to be “like all the nations” was still very active; but what they needed to learn from Christ was true humility, submission to the will of God, and total trust in His leadership.  The majority’s eyes were blinded and they did not recognize what God wanted from them.  So, they rebelled once more, rejected the Son of God, and had Him crucified. 

 

As a result of Israel’s desire for a king, God directed Samuel to anoint a man by the name of Saul to be their first king.  Scripture describes Saul as “…a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.”  This description seems to lean heavily on his outward qualifications rather than his inner ones.  God was later forced to send Samuel to anoint a new king because He had rejected Saul for his willfulness.  Samuel was sent to the house of Jesse to anoint one of his eight sons to be Saul’s replacement.  When Samuel looked on Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab, he thought that he was kingly material based on his appearance; but God told Samuel, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7).  Right then and there God re-established his only standards for leadership: inward integrity and true humility.  

 

One by one, Jesse presented seven of his sons before Samuel, and God refused each one of them.  David, the youngest son, hadn’t even been invited to the event!  They had to send someone to get him!  When David appeared before them, the LORD said to Samuel, “Arise, anoint him: for this is he.” (1 Samuel 16:12).  God saw past the external features of this young man and recognized one who was after His own heart.  David had shown integrity and faithfulness in watching over his father’s flocks.  He had demonstrated that he was willing to lay down his life for the sheep if necessary.  This was a man who God knew would also lay down his life for the flock of God.

 

Early on, King Saul’s character came into question.  The Philistines had gathered a large army and set up their base in a place called Michmash which was Israelite territory just north of Jerusalem.  Saul had been told to wait for Samuel to meet him in Gilgal where the Prophet would offer a burnt offering for the people.  On the day that Samuel was to appear, Saul grew impatient and anxious because Samuel tarried.  So he decided to take matters in his own hands.  It was unlawful for Saul to offer a burnt offering himself, but he proceeded to do so anyway.  That’s when Samuel showed up and rebuked him for his impatience, and for breaking the commandment of the LORD.  It was then that Samuel prophesied that God would choose someone else to be King of Israel, and that he would be “…a man after His own heart.” (1 Samuel 13:14).

 

This was only the beginning of Saul’s willfulness.  Later on in his reign, God commanded Saul to smite the Amalekites and utterly destroy them and their possessions.  Saul, instead of obeying God’s command, chose to do things his own way.  He spared the life of Agag, king of the Amalekites, and  saved all the best of the cattle and belongings.  When once again he was confronted by Samuel, Saul first insisted that he had followed the commandment of the LORD.  He then said it was so they could offer those things to the LORD.  Finally he said it was the people’s fault and not his.  Samuel’s words were dire and stern.  “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.  Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee from being king.” (1 Samuel 13:22, 23).

 

The trajectory of Saul’s life was a downward spiral after this point.  He grew to despise David and sought to destroy him every opportunity that he had.  He was tormented by evil spirits and resorted to witchcraft for direction in the end because the LORD would no longer speak to him.  He finally died an ugly death in defeat and dishonor.  In contrast, David’s star began to rise as he trusted God to lead him, and as he obeyed God’s direction.

 

Saul is a type and shadow of the old man.  His selfish, willful nature is a picture of our own carnal nature that seeks to exert full control over our lives and do things its own way.   David, on the other hand, is a type and shadow of the new man.  He has been “…created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10).  David’s life was not perfect by any means, but he consistently sought the will of God in his life, applying faith to overcome his enemies.  He was also quick to repent when he saw he was wrong.  There is a perpetual warfare between the old man and the new in our lives just like there was war between Saul and David.  Our old nature would love to destroy the new if he could, but we have received power through the Holy Spirit that now lives inside of us to resist the lusts of the flesh and of the mind, and to choose a life of holiness and righteousness. 

 

The Apostle Paul gives us further admonishment along these lines in Ephesians.  He writes, “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” (Ephesians 4:17-19).  In other words, now that we have accepted Christ, we should no longer live our lives in the same way that unbelievers do who don’t know Christ.  They are completely cut off from the life of God and walk instead in their own uncleanness and greed.  The light of the Good News of life in Christ Jesus has not yet penetrated their hearts and are, therefore, blind and without understanding.

 

Paul continues, “But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Ephesians 4:20-24).  This, then, is the crux of the matter: the Lord expects us to engage in this warfare and be willing combatants, to resist the enemy and the lusts of the flesh.  He desires that we become more like our Master.  Many of those who confess to be Christians are ignorant of the Lord’s will for them in this matter.  They are “…tossed to and fro, and carried by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness…” and have not understood that the grace of God is not only meant to forgive our sins and missteps, but to teach us that we can overcome the world and its attractions and lusts.  “…denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” (Titus 2:12).  God’s very purpose in sacrificing Himself for us, and then calling us, was “…that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar [unique; chosen by God as His possession] people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:14).

 

The rest of Ephesians chapter four, starting with verse 25, gives examples of things that are part of our old nature and that we should avoid.  Lying, anger, theft, unclean and corrupt language, bitterness, and malice are all examples of the sort of things we must “put off” of our old life.  Imagine coming in from a hard day of work. You’re dirty, you’re sweaty, and your clothes are filthy and smell bad.  The first thing that you want to do is get clean.  So you put off your dirty garments, bathe, and put on clean, fresh garments.  This is what we must do with the old man and the new.  We must put off the old, unclean nature and put on the new, clean one.  It wouldn’t be sensible to get all cleaned up and then put on the same smelly clothes that you had on before.  The clothes represent our works, the things that we do and choices that we make.  If we continue to live as we did as unbelievers we will just make ourselves dirty again and give off an unpleasant odor to those around us.  The Lord, however, has laid out brand new clothes for us, clean and pressed; and all we have to do is put them on.  Paul provides us with some practical instructions at the end of Ephesians 4 so that we can focus our efforts in the right direction.  Read also Colossians 3:1-17 for more on the warfare between the old and new natures.  Paul tells us in verse five to, “Mortify [put to death] therefore your members [your bodies; your self-life] which are upon the earth.”  We should give heed to the words of the Apostle so that we may follow the Lord in the faith of David rather than in the disobedience of Saul.  May God give us grace and mercy to walk as Jesus did.  

 

In closing, let’s be encouraged by the words in Hebrews 4:15, 16 that remind us that Jesus isn’t aloof or unmindful of the struggles and infirmities that we do battle with from day-to-day.  He was also tempted in the flesh the same as we are.  There is nothing that we can experience that He doesn’t have some first-hand knowledge about.  He was tempted by all the same things that we are, yet He never committed a sin.  He trusted His heavenly Father to give Him the strength to persevere.  God urges us, therefore, to come before His throne of grace boldly.  It’s only there that we can find, not only mercy for when we have failed, but also grace to help us through our times of need.  When we feel weak and need our faith to be bolstered by Christ’s strength, He is ever ready to help us.  Remember, in His strength we can do all things!