The contrast between David and Saul is centered ultimately in the quality of their faith. It seems obvious that they both believed in God, as well as in the theoretical goodness of God. This is the easy part. But Saul, unlike David, could not believe where it really counted, namely, in the goodness of God’s creation and of God’s future and, most of all, in the goodness of Saul himself. Because David believed that God loved him and trusted him, he was able to act decisively when it was required. And when he sinned, as he did grievously, he was able to repent and to accept forgiveness.

David committed really serious sins, notably the arrangement of Uriah’s death to cover up his sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11–12). Yet he emerges from it all looking better than ever. Just as Saul was hesitant and erratic in exercising authority, David was confident and effective. The biblical author wants us to see how important real faith is in everyone’s exercise of responsibility in this life.

When we see the symbolic, and therefore universal, meaning in these two contrasting figures, we realize also that each of them represents a choice in our own lives. We can become David-figures, in touch with God’s goodness, looking for the blessing in life, ready to assume responsibility, positive and imaginative in dealing with problems. Or we can become Saul-figures, ready for the worst, cautious to the point of paralysis, fearful, playing the victim, negative in our evaluation of life’s opportunities, and finally ending in spiritual suicide.

In David, faith was victorious; in Saul, it was too weak to survive.

Fr. Demetrius Dumm, adapted from Praying the Scriptures

Demetrius Dumm, OSB (d. 2013), was a monk of St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and a professor of New Testament studies at St. Vincent Seminary for almost fifty years.