Saul, the first king of Israel, and David, the second, each did things during their reigns that displeased God; Saul was removed for his (seemingly minor) offenses, while David was promised an eternal dynasty and is held up as the paradigmatic royal devotee of God (despite his apparently greater infractions). What was the difference?
One key to understanding these two individuals, and their successes and failures, lies in one word: Teshuva (repentance).
However, one word cannot tell a full story.
In this class, we will explore what seem to be the defining moments in each of their stories of sin/repentance, and we will also begin to look at Saul’s story more broadly, to uncover some of the qualities that led to his troubles with teshuva – in contrast to David.