The primary attribute of leadership in any sphere is taking responsibility for others.  Saul failed to take responsibility, so his dynasty was never established.  On the other hand, David took responsibility long before donning his crown, so his dynasty was the longest in history.[3]  But ultimately, David was established and Saul was not because it is God who establishes kings and overthrows them (Daniel 2:21).  God is sovereign, but He often chooses to raise up leaders like David who are after His own heart: men of character and humility who take responsibility. 

So they inquired again of the LORD, “Is there a man still to come?” and the LORD said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!” Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the LORD. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched.

-1 Samuel 10:22-26, ESV

What makes someone a leader?  Some people think leadership comes from assuming a certain position and exercising the authority associated with that position.  Conversely, Dwight Eisenhower emphasized influence, defining leadership as “the art of getting someone else to do something that you want done because he wants to do it, not because your position of power can compel him to do it”.[1]  However, neither of these defines a leader.  Instead, Simon Sinek describes leadership this way: “The rank of office is not what makes someone a leader. Leadership is the choice to serve others with or without any formal rank …. Leaders are the ones willing to look out for those to the left of them and those to the right of them”.[2]  In other words, leadership is all about taking responsibility.  Leaders who do not understand this are setting themselves up for trouble, which is clearly demonstrated by the story of Israel’s first king.

An Unprepared King

Once established, monarchies groom their successors from birth, so it is no mystery to them what their vocation will be or what duties and responsibilities that entails.  Even then, the crown is sometimes thrust upon the unprepared.  For instance, the abdication of England’s King Edward VIII in 1936 thrust his brother, King George VI, upon the throne.  His premature death in 1952 then put his daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, on the throne earlier than anyone anticipated. While both may have felt unprepared, as senior members of a longstanding royal family, they had been trained for such situations.  However, when a monarchy is first established, the crown can be unexpected, therefore finding its bearer totally unprepared.  Perhaps the most extreme case of this in history was Saul, Israel’s first king.  Following the tumultuous period of the Judges, Israel demanded a king so they could be like the surrounding nations who all had kings to fight their battles for them (1 Samuel 8:4-6).  God told Samuel that this demand was a rejection of Him as their King before telling Samuel to give them the king they desired.

For that king, God chose the man the people would want: a man who was tall and handsome.  That man was Saul, son of a Benjaminite named Kish.  Though his father was wealthy, he was in no way groomed to be a king.  Nevertheless, when his father’s donkeys got lost, his quest to find them would ultimately put a crown on his unprepared head (1 Samuel 9).  After a fruitless search, his servant suggested they go to Samuel the prophet to see where the donkeys had gone.  When they met Samuel, he anointed Saul as king instead:

Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince over his heritage.

-1 Samuel 10:1, ESV

This proclamation should have caused Saul to immediately do everything he could to prepare for this drastic change in vocation, but Saul returned home and told no one (1 Samuel 10:16).  When Samuel assembled all the people to publicly crown Saul as king, he tried to hide.  Nevertheless, he was found and brought forward for Samuel to declare him king:

And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!” Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the LORD. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home.

-1 Samuel 10:24-25, ESV

It has been long understood that the duties and responsibilities of a king are all-encompassing. As with leadership in many spheres, the throne requires complete attention and devotion. The series The Crown depicts Queen Elizabeth II’s ascension to the throne with letter from her grandmother, Queen Mary. In it, the matriarch tells the new monarch that she must mourn not only the death of her father but also her own death. Her responsibilities were so immense that her new identity as queen had to completely replace her former identity in every aspect of life.

Doubtless the responsibilities Samuel levied on Saul were similarly comprehensive. Nevertheless, newly-minted King Saul returned home (1 Samuel 11:5), apparently thinking he could simply add this new calling to his existing work.  As a result, when the Ammonites besieged Jabesh-gilead, Saul was working in his field .  When he heard the news, he immediately accepted his kingly responsibilities and mustered the army to defeat the Ammonites and rescue Jabesh-gilead.  Saul had been crowned previously at Mizpah, but you could say that he really became king at Jabesh-gilead.

A Self-Focused King

In the aftermath of Jabesh-gilead, Saul displayed true nobility.

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