When the Spirit rushes on Saul, he becomes a new man and is given another heart (1 Samuel 10:6). The people ask of Saul and his company “who is their father?” Of Saul, they wonder where the “son of Kish” has gone (1 Samuel 10:11-12). Saul is a new human being, reborn by the Spirit as the son of God. Saul’s coronation is said to take place when he is one year old (1 Samuel 13:1)- many scholars, without evidence, suggest that this is a scribal error. But the message is consistent with the theology elaborated thusfar- time is being counted from Saul’s rebirth as a new human being. The lineage continues through David. David does not merely replace Saul. In a way, he perpetuates the lineage of Saul, who addresses him as “my son” (1 Samuel 24:16). Genealogy is about more than biological descent: we are shaped in the culture of our families, from whom we learn to speak and act. Insofar as David was brought into the house of Saul and was deeply shaped by the experience he gained in the house of Saul- both in service and in conflict- David is counted as Saul’s son. Likewise, as David marries the daughter of Saul, David is taken into Saul’s family as his true son (1 Samuel 18:20). Jonathan addresses David with the very words that Cain addressed Abel: “Let us go out into the field” (1 Samuel 20:11). David is the son of Saul and the brother of the crown prince, who freely relinquishes his own kingdom unto David.
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