Saul and Jonathan (1 Sam. 13-14)

Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

Saul of Tarsus was of the tribe of Benjamin. He was some sort of relation to King Saul. And certainly he was named after King Saul.--It is always important to pay attention to biblical names. Saul defeated Nahash the Ammonite. Do you know what -Nahash- means-- Serpent. King Saul has crushed the head of the serpent---And yet, King Saul apostatized. He had a high calling. He was called by God to be his servant in going before the people of God, and deliver them from their enemies. Now his namesake has been called to be God's servant in preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. --I said last week that the narrative of Saul of Gibeah in Benjamin is either the story of the redemption of Benjamin, or a bitter irony as Benjamin goes from bad to worse.--Do you think that Saul of Tarsus was unaware of this bitter irony-- The story of the redemption of Benjamin is found in Saul of Tarsus. When Saul of Tarsus says in Philippians 3 that he is of the tribe of Benjamin, and comments in verse 13, -Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,- I cannot imagine that he was ignorant of his namesake's failure to press on...