The Pride of Saul

One of the great tragedies of the Old Testament is the downfall of Saul.  He started his kingship with such promise and yet turned into a wicked man.  His main problem seems to have been pride, but he started out humble and chosen of the Lord.  In his youth he was “a choice young man, and a goodly” (1 Samuel 9:2).  When Samuel found him to anoint him to be king, the prophet told him, “On whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father’s house?”  Saul’s response showed his humility: “Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?” (1 Samuel 9:21).  Samuel told Saul about his becoming the leader of the people, and he was given many signs from God that this was to be the case.  The writers seem to emphasize, though, that he was indeed a humble man.  When Saul returned back to his uncle, Saul said nothing “of the matter of the kingdom” even though this uncle was inquiring directly about what Samuel had said to him (1 Samuel 10:16).  Saul was, it seems, too humble to tell anyone that he was going to be the next king.  And when they went to get Saul to show him to the people as the next king after Samuel had gathered them together, they learned that he had “hid himself among the stuff” (1 Samuel 10:22).  Saul did not want the attention and had no pretentions about his own abilities; he was humble. 

                Unfortunately, Saul’s humility did not last.  As the Prophet Joseph commented, “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion” (D&C 121:39).  This is what happened to Saul, and his humility turned to pride.  After about two years as king, Saul was in a middle of a battle with the Philistines in Gilgal.  “He tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed.”  He was apparently waiting for Samuel to come who was supposed to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.  Saul became impatient and finally decided to offer the sacrifice himself, even though that violated the Law of Moses.  Samuel immediately arrived after that and inquired of Saul, “What hast thou done?”  The king gave an excuse about the people and the imminent attack of the Philistines and said, “I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering” (1 Samuel 13:8-12).  In other words, he feared the people and the Philistines more than he feared God, a clear sign of pride.  Another incident that showed his pride was when he conquered the Amalekites.  He was told that he was to slay the king, and they were not to take any of the animals of the people.  But even though he conquered these wicked neighbors, he did not slay the king and he kept “the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs.”  Samuel came and chastised him for disobeying the Lord, and Saul admitted his fault in this language: “I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice” (1 Samuel 15:9, 24).  In other words, he feared man more than God—and this, is I believe, one of the central aspects of pride.  He confirmed is downfall and terrible pride as David started to rise in prominence. 

After continued war with their enemies and success on the part of both David and Saul in their battles against the Philistines, the refrain that was heard from the women was this: “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7).  That was enough for Saul, who then spent much of the remained of his time trying to kill David, the man who had been such an ally to him.  Pride was indeed the downfall of Saul, the man who as a boy had been so humble.