Episode #27 The Experiment of the Kings
In this episode, Rabbi Reinman introduces Saul, the first Jewish king, and explains how his role differed from the role of King David.

Chapter Twenty-seven: The Experiment of the Kings
Four centuries after it began, the experiment of the Judges had ended. The Jewish people were apparently incapable of sustaining for very long a society without a political superstructure, a society in which “everyone did as he saw fit.”[1] Only the moral authority of the great sages exerted national influence, but the history of the Period of the Judges had shown that moral authority alone was an inadequate societal control.
The experiment of the Kings was now about to begin. Henceforth, the Jewish people would travel a different route towards their historical destiny. A conventional monarchy would first be established to solidify the chaotic Jewish society. In the short term, its goal would be to unite the people in revolt against the Philistine occupation. In the long term, its goal would be to curb the Canaanite associations of the weaker elements and thereby initiate a gradual improvement in the overall spiritual condition of the people.
Saul’s mission as king, therefore, was not so much to inspire the people as to fulfill the classic functions of a political monarch. He had been chosen to “save My people from the Philistines”[2] by conventional means. As explained in the previous chapter, the mitzvah of appointing a king called for the appointment of a dynastic supreme spiritual leader. This dynasty would descend from the tribe of Judah and would be established one day by David. In the meantime, Saul was appointed to prepare the way.
The difference in the roles of Saul and David can be discerned in the language of God’s instructions to Samuel. In Hebrew, we find two different words for a king, nagid and melech. The precise meaning of the word nagid is ruler. It is closely related to the word negged, which means against, and reflects the adversarial relationship between the governor and the governed. The word melech, on the other hand, is related to the word nimlach, which means to seek advice, and it has connotations of a higher role for the king as a wise father or spiritual guide. The two words are used fairly often for all kings, but they reflect different aspects of their kingship.
When God instructed Samuel to appoint Saul, He said, “And you shall anoint him as a nagid over My people, for I have seen the distress of My people whose cries have reached Me . . . this one will control My people.”[3] And Samuel told Saul, “Behold, God has anointed you as a nagid over His subjects.”[4] At the time of Saul’s appointment, the primary mission of his kingship is expressed. He is to be a nagid, a ruler, and he is to protect and control the people.
Later, however, when God told Samuel to appoint David, He said, “I will send you to Yishai in Bethlehem, for I have seen among his sons a melech for Me.”[5] The primary mission of his kingship is to be a melech, a wise king, “for Me,” a king who will bring the people closer to God.
Saul was appointed to bring order to the anarchic and chaotic society of ancient Israel, to pave the way for the spiritual monarchy of Judah that would ultimately guide the people into the messianic era. This was the mission of the House of Saul, if it took a generation or a century or a millennium.
In actuality, it took just two years for the House of Saul to collapse. On a personal level, the fall of Saul was a piteous human tragedy. On the national level, it signaled the loss of yet another grand opportunity, another detour on the road to destiny …
Read full chapter and earlier chapters at www.rabbireinman.com.
[1] Judges 17:6, 21:25
[2] I Samuel 9:16.
[3] Ibid.
[4] I Samuel 10:1.
[5] I Samuel 16:1.