SHMUEL 1 ch. 11-15 - King Shaul goes to war

The Tanach tells us in detail of three times that Shaul goes to war: a successful battle against Nachash haAmoni to rescue the people of Yavesh Gilead from his domination in Chapter 11, the wars that he fights against the Phlistim in chapters 13 and 14, and finally the battle against Amalek in chapter 15 that will ultimately cost him his kingdom. The progression (regression) from one war to the other is apparent – in the first battle, he is overcome by the “spirit of G-d” (reflective of his earlier prophetic stint that led to the people’s wonderment), and more importantly is able to gather all 12 tribes of Israel together to face their common foe. In chapters 13 and 14, Saul fails twice in the religious dimension – offering the sacrifice before the arrival of the prophet (and foreshadowing his devotion to the ritual over the living word of G-d), and causing the people to refrain from eating on the day of the battle though a vow. While the original battle is won, the people are too exhausted to complete the job (what Civil War general N. B. Forrest called ‘keeping up the skeer’, allowing the Philistines to escape and regroup. In addition, the people sin grievously when they fall upon captured animals, eating of the blood, while war hero Jonathan inadvertently eats honey and finds himself under the threat of death penalty. Saul has failed in the religious realm and was only moderately successful militarily. In chapter 15, Saul violates the express command of G-d at the people’s behest in order to save the best of the livestock. Militarily, it appears that he was successful, but the reoccurrence of the Amalekite attacks later in the book refute that possibility.
Is there a common link between these stories that can shed some light on Shaul’s behavior? Significantly, in all three battles, before Shaul goes to war, he counts the people with him. In fact, the central verse of the first story”, verse 8, states that “Shaul mustered them in Bezek, and the Israelites numbered 300 000 and the men of Judah 30 000.” If, however, the three stories are read together, excluding Shmuel’s farewell address in chapter 12, then the middle revolves around Jonathan’s statement to the servant, that “nothing prevents the Lord from victory through the many or through the few”. This highlights the contrast between Shaul, with his reliance on the people, and Jonathan, with his reliance on Hashem.