Saul and David
As you read through the accounts of the Israelite monarchy in the books of Kings and Chronicles in the Old Testament, a certain phrase recurs, with slight variations. It is a phrase of summary judgment, and every king of Israel and Judah comes under it. The king is judged on whether he “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” It is a judgment upon the righteousness of the king in the performance of his public duties. It is not necessarily a judgment upon the personal conduct of the king—although this is clearly a part of it, since what is public and private often overlap. For some, the judgment is somewhat mixed. For example, Jehoash does what is right in the eyes of the Lord, but only until his mentor Jehoiada dies. Others, like Uzziah, do what is right until suddenly they do not and undergo a major public failure.
What is the purpose of this repeated refrain, besides providing a helpful summary and judgment upon the reigns of the kings? Good kings slow down and delay judgment on the nation, even in some sense reversing its course. Bad kings do the opposite. Israel had more bad kings (and no good ones to slow it down), and so judgment came for them long before Judah. The pattern, therefore, is that God regards the nation as a whole through the conduct of the king. He is the federal head of the nation—a theological term that concept for when one person acts on behalf of the entire group, and their actions are legally attributed to that group. As he goes, so all the people go.
This is a pattern that emerges when the kingdoms divide. How does it relate to Saul and David? I think it revolves around the contrasting selection of the two kings. Saul is the king that the people demand, a king like all the nations around them. David is the king installed by God, the king of His choosing. Saul therefore reflects the condition of the people as a whole—they are disobedient, rebellious, and presumptuous, and so Saul as king reflects those qualities. Saul’s actions disqualify him from the kingship, and he is removed from the household of the Lord. David, by contrast, is defined by his obedience, an obedience that contrasts with the condition of the people. God therefore removes the disobedient head and replaces him with one who is obedient.
All of this is typology. It has sometimes struck people as strange that God would first acquiesce to the sinful request of the people and give them a king as they demanded, and then allow him to fall so quickly into disqualifying disobedience. But as Samuel says in this passage, “the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” This is deliberate—a shaping of history by the Lord of history for the purpose of teaching future generations of His people. As Adam stands in for all of humanity, Saul as king is the federal head of Israel. His disobedience leads to his dethroning in the same way that Adam was cast from the garden. But God does not respond by wiping out the people. Instead, He determines to act for them by providing them with a new king, a king of His own choosing, a man after His heart. David therefore is a type of Jesus. This is not a new observation, but placing David next to Saul casts new light on it and enables us to understand an aspect of our salvation.
Through David’s obedience, the nation as a whole enjoyed all the rich blessings that flowed from it. The victories and glory of David’s reign are sometimes a bit muted, but if we remember that what Solomon rules is what David has secured for him, we can see it more clearly. Jerusalem is captured and rebuilt—Solomon will spend his whole reign beautifying it. The borders are secured on every side and every enemy of Israel subdued. The Philistines are so thoroughly beaten back that their territory almost vanishes, and they become vassals of David. All of this is blessing that comes through the king who is “after the heart” of the Lord. David is blessed, and through him the whole nation.
In the same way, Jesus was the King “after the heart” of God. God chose Jesus and raised Him up. Jesus was obedient all the days of His life, and the blessings of that obedience flow to all who belong to Him because He is appointed to be the federal head of the people. When He endures judgment for the people, they undergo what some theologians have called the Great Exchange. Jesus receives the sin of the people, and they receive the obedience of His life, in the sense that the blessing that comes to Him is extended also to them, and they are counted as obedient in Him. What was only partial in the case of David—his obedience (which was imperfect) brought temporal blessing—is fully true through Jesus. His righteousness is actually counted to his people.
These are deep waters, and difficult to convey in a sermon! But it is encouraging to see how beautifully Scripture fits together.