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Was King Saul Regenerate?

 A reader has asked, "Do you believe that Saul the king was regenerate (I Samuel 28:19)?" This question arises especially in connection with I Samuel 10:9, 10 which speaks of God giving him another heart, and of the Spirit coming upon Him (cf. also 11:6). Likewise, Scripture speaks of his apparent repentance in I Samuel 15:24-31, and the fact that on two occasions he prophesied (10:10; 19:24). The difficulty is that in spite of these verses, Scripture's testimony seems to be that Saul was unregenerate.

We have first what God says to Israel in giving them a king, "Ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen." Not only does that suggest that the king would be wicked and would oppress God's people, but God speaks of him as the king they chose, not the king He chose. It is true that God appointed Saul, but in so doing He gave the people the kind of king they wanted - a king like the other nations.

Then, too, we read of Saul's disobedience for which the kingdom was taken from him (I Sam. 13:1-15), his foolish oath (14:28), his disobedience and hypocrisy at the time of the battle with the Amalekites (chap. 15), Samuel's mourning for him (15:11, 35) and the fact that Samuel has no more dealings with Saul after this second great act of disobedience. In that same chapter we have God's word to Samuel (vs. 11) that Saul had turned back from following God and that God had repented of making him king.

In addition Scripture records Saul's many attempts to kill David, an attempt to kill his own son Jonathan when he defended David, and his murdering God's priests (chap. 22). That God sent him an evil spirit to trouble him (I Sam. 16:14-18; 18:10ff; 19:9ff) is also difficult to reconcile with the idea that he was regenerate.

Finally, we read of his visiting a witch (chap. 28) because God would not speak to him, and of his suicide in battle (chap. 31). But conclusive proof, we believe, that Saul was unregenerate is found is found in Psalms 18, 54, 57 and 59. These Psalms, speaking of Saul, not only identify him as an enemy of David, but as an ungodly man (18:4), one who did not set God before himself (54:3), one who was cut off by God (54:5), one who was fallen into the pit (57:4, 6), a worker of iniquity and a wicked transgressor (59:2, 5).

How then do we explain the verses that seem to indicate Saul was regenerate? We do not believe that is so difficult. For one thing, that an ungodly man should prophesy is not unusual in Scripture. Balaam and Caiaphas did also (Num. 23-24; Jn. 11:49-52). Their prophesying was simply a result of the sovereign operations of God's Spirit upon them.

In that connection we should note that Saul's prophesying became a proverb in Israel. Whenever anyone acted totally out of character (as Saul did in prophesying) then the people would say, "Is Saul also among the prophets" (I Sam. 10:11, 12; 19:24).

Saul's apparent repentance can be explained in much the same way. It is not uncommon in Scripture for the ungodly to show a certain sorrow, not for their sin as sin against God, but for the consequences of their sin (cf. II Cor. 7:9-11). Esau (Heb. 12:17), Ahab, Judas (Matt. 27:3-5 - the word "repented" is used here), are all examples.

Must not, then, the gift of the Spirit and of a new heart be explained in terms of God giving Saul the gifts that were necessary for him to be king of Israel, i.e, a kingly heart, and the Spirit to make him courageous in battle (cf. Prov. 21:1; Ezra 6:22)? He was a changed into a different man, therefore, only in the sense that he was no longer cowardly (I Sam. 10:17-25) and afraid to be king. He was not regenerate.

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Additional Info

  • Volume: 6
  • Issue: 11
Hanko, Ronald

Rev. Ronald Hanko (Wife: Nancy)

Ordained: November 1979

Pastorates: Wyckoff, NJ - 1979; Trinity, Houston, TX - 1986; Missionary to N.Ireland - 1993; Lynden, WA - 2002; Emeritus October 15, 2017

Website: www.lyndenprc.org/sermons/

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    13823 Clear Lake Rd.
  • City
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  • State or Province
    WA
  • Zip Code
    99022
  • Country
    United States
  • Mobile
    360-527-6633

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