Israel’s first king began with great promise and ended in tragedy. The author traces Saul’s head start into the monarchy and the accelerating spiral into possibly the most lamentable biography in the Bible. Along the way there is much to learn from a king whose story is told in Scripture so that we might learn the ways of a man who fell out with God and fell in with the powers of darkness. And there are surprises along the way, not least in the story of his son who, but for the purposes of God, would surely have made an excellent king. However, on the blood-spattered walls of Beth Shan, the story does not quite end. There is another member of Saul’s line who shines with bright hope and reflects the character of his godly father in contrast to that of his tragic grandfather.

An accessible book for every reader which, as well as bringing the three characters of Saul, Jonathan and Mephibosheth to life and clarifying difficulties in the text, concludes every chapter with questions for thoughtful discussion suitable for group or personal study.