The seemingly positive summary of Saul's reign is a big surprise given what we have seen in the two preceding chapters. In 1 Samuel 13:1–23 Saul disobeyed Samuel’s instructions when he proceeded with the offerings before his arrival. In 1 Samuel 14:1–52 he sat passively under his pomegranate tree while his son went off to fight his battles. And then when the Philistines were running away, he issued a rash vow in his quest for personal glory. Why is the summary of Saul’s reign so positive when the individual details have been mostly negative? 

We would do well to compare it to a similar summary of King David’s reign found in 2 Samuel 8:1–18. Interestingly, David is said to have fought against the same enemies as Saul—Moab, Ammon, Edom, Zobah—they are all there, but with one key difference. David did everything with the help of the Lord. The Lord was with him; the Lord gave victory wherever he went. That is not to say that Saul did everything by himself. We know that it was the Lord who strengthened him by his Spirit to lead the fight against the Ammonites (1 Samuel 11:1–15) and we can assume that the same was true for all his other battles. Saul was an instrument in the Lord’s hands, an instrument used to do good for God’s people. But that reality is not mentioned in this summary. It is absent. In fact, there is no mention of the Lord at all.

Saul was a successful king; it is true that he fought many battles, but he did not walk in the ways of the Lord. That is to say, he was successful and impressive in the eyes of the world. In the judgment of history, he made a name for himself. He was a king who walked by sight, and when he is measured by sight, there was success. But in the eyes of the Lord, he was a failure. He played the fool (see 1 Samuel 26:21). He did not keep God’s commands. He did not repent when he was confronted with his sin. He did not walk by faith. This is the simple truth that the Holy Spirit seeks to teach us with this summary of Saul’s reign.