Saul’s Duplicity

As we have seen, Saul refuses to sumbit to his sentence of deposition and the loss of his kingdom pronounced over him by Samuel in the name of God. Contrary to the revealed will of the Lord that he abdicate his throne to make room for his God-appointed successor, Saul is determined to maintain himself in power and to secure his throne for his kin. Accordingly, he will be on the alert for that "neighbor" better than he to kill him as soon as he can be certain that he has identified him. As we...