Why Does Saul of Tarsus Look Like King Saul? 1 Samuel 24, 26; Acts 9

I long resisted having to use reading glasses. But the time came when fine print on a page was just too blurry for me to read. So, quite reluctantly, it was off to visit the eye doctor. I still dislike having to wear glasses to read, but once I put on a pair, the fine print becomes clear. No longer in a fog. Reading glasses made a difference for me.

The same thing happened when I put on a pair of canonical glasses to observe and interpret Scripture. I could see Scripture with improved clarity. My vision improved dramatically. Canonical glasses made a huge difference for me.

Let me give one example of improved clarity. Without wearing a pair of canonical glasses, I read Acts 9:1-19a simply as Luke’s account of Saul’s dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus.[1] But observing the story through canonical glasses, my vision of Saul’s conversion vastly improved. I observed so much more of what Luke invested in the passage. Here is what I observed in the story. 

Saul’s Conversion was due to Sovereign Grace

First, Luke shows that the radical change in Saul was due to none other than the intervention of Jesus into his life. Saul had evil intentions in mind when he started his journey to Damascus (Acts 9:1). He showed no interest in becoming a Jesus follower. But Jesus had other intentions for him. So, on the basis of mercy alone, Jesus halted him and posed the pivotal question: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Divine mercy and grace alone from the ascended Lord Jesus, is the only way to explain his 180-degree turnabout. Saul did not initiate the incredible change in his life. His change of heart and apostleship was due alone to God’s sovereign grace (Gal. 1:15; 1 Tim. 1:15-17).

Saul’s Conversion Reminds us of Jesus’ Birth 

More details emerge from Acts 9 by viewing it through canonical glasses. Luke also writes the story of Saul’s conversion—his new birth--in such a way as to remind us of the birth of Jesus in Luke 2. This is not the place to explain all the evidence, but the two stories are intentionally shaped to be recognized as parallel accounts. In other words, the new birth of Saul of Tarsus is strategically composed by Luke to remind us of Jesus’ birth story.

The two birth stories are interweaved together by a cat’s cradle, a plethora of multiple, fine threads, variously colored, just below the surface. Luke obviously has a purpose for writing twin-like birth stories, but this is not the place to unpack that purpose. Suffice to say that the new birth of Saul is meant to be a type of reenactment of the birth of Jesus.[2] I failed to see this connection until I put on a pair of canonical glasses.

Saul’s Conversion Shows How He Became a Prisoner of Christ 

There is also a third detail that emerges from Saul’s story in Acts 9. The events in the story show how the ascended Christ captured Saul as a prisoner, portrayed as a seed of the serpent, a prisoner of Satan, and then how Jesus gave him back to His church as a gift of grace, the gift of an apostle. It was Paul (a prisoner of Jesus, Eph 4:1) himself who wrote:

When he ascended on high,

He took prisoners captive,

And gave gifts to people…

He gave some {gifts} to be apostles…

Ephesians 4:7,12

Luke composed the account of Saul as prisoner in Acts 9 with the story of the prophet Elisha and the Syrian Army as prisoners in 2 Kings 6 in mind. Let’s quickly recap that story and show how they resemble each other.

The Syrian army, armed with hostile intentions against Israel, are blinded by God just as hostile Saul was blinded on his way to Damascus[3] to arrest Christians and bring them in chains back to Jerusalem. The blinded Syrians were led as prisoners by Elisha to the city of Samaria. They were fed and their eyes were opened.

Saul, blinded by the bright light, was also led by the hand as a prisoner to the city of Damascus. There, Ananias communicated Jesus’ commission to him. His eyes were opened[4] and then took food (Acts 9:8b-19a). Just as the Syrian armies no longer raided Israel’s territory (2 Kings 6: 23), so also Saul no longer carried out the task of extraditing followers of the Way. He spent several days with the disciples (Acts 9:19b) and was eventually called by God to be an apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 13:1-3; 14:4, 14).

Using the story of Elisha and the Syrian army as his template, Luke shows us how the ascended Lord captured Saul as his own prisoner, and then, by grace, gave him to his church as a gift, the gift of an apostle (Eph. 4:7-12; Acts 13:1-3; 14:4,14).

Viewing the account of Saul’s radical turnabout through canonical glasses was the way I discovered that Jesus was taking Saul as his own prisoner (“taking captives captive”) in the same way that Elisha took the Syrian army as prisoners (Ephesians 4:1,7-12).  

Saul’s Conversion Reminds us of King Saul 

Now, let’s zoom in on our stated purpose for this piece. Why does Saul of Tarsus in Acts 9 look like King Saul in 1 Samuel 24 & 26?

1.  The Two Sauls Look Alike

One of the unifying themes of the entire Bible—beginning in Genesis 1-3, is the phrase, “listen to the voice.” For example, Adam listened to the voice of his wife rather than listening to the voice of God (Genesis 3:17). If you follow this phrase throughout Scripture, you will discover that the men and women[5] who listen to the voice of the Lord (in Scripture and through the prophets) are portrayed as “the seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15; John 10:1-5; 14-18). But those who fail to listen to the voice of God and listen to other voices instead, are depicted as “the seed of the serpent.”[6]

So, there are two races of people on earth, but not determined by culture or color: the first race is composed of men and women who listen to the voice of God and the second race is composed of those people who listen to other voices in contradiction to what God has said.  

King Saul started out well (1 Sam. 10). He listened to the voice of the prophet Samuel. But eventually he stopped listening to the prophet and began listening to the people (1 Sam. 13; 15). It was not long before his true colors started to show. He started to persecute young David, heir to the throne of Israel by God’s choice. Twice he set out with a detachment of warriors to kill David (1 Sam. 24, 26).

Observe how the conversation between hostile King Saul (of the trine of Benjamin) and David is an echo of the conversation between King Jesus, the Son of David, and hostile Saul of Tarsus (tribe of Benjamin):

David to Saul: ‘Who are you persecuting?’[7] 1 Sam. 24:15;

David to Saul: ‘Why is my lord persecuting his servant?’1 Sam 26:18.

Jesus, Son of David, to Saul: Why are you persecuting me?[8] Acts 9:4; 22:7; 26:14

 The verbs “to persecute” in the Greek Old Testament (LXX) are exactly the same as in the Greek New Testament.

King Saul asked, “Is that your voice, David my son”?[9] (1 Sam 24:17, LXX). Saul of Tarsus heard also the voice of Jesus[10] (Acts 9:4; 22:7; 26:14).

Both Sauls began their journeys with murderous intentions (1 Sam. 24:1-2; 26:1-2; Acts 9:1). And both Sauls heard voices, asking why they were persecuting.

2.  The Two Sauls No Longer Look Alike

As a result of the interchange with David, King Saul appears to change his ways. But the aftermath shows otherwise. Rather than listen to the voice of the Lord or the prophet Samuel, he listens to the voice of a witch, receives food from her, and suffers decapitation and death in battle (1 Sam. 28-31). 

The wound to the head of Saul (decapitation) identifies him with the serpent whose head would be crushed by the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15). Saul suffers the same fate (head wound) as Goliath whose is also portrayed as a seed of the serpent. The tall people in 1 Samuel all lose their heads.

Saul of Tarsus, on the other hand, listens to the voice of Jesus and responds in faith and repentance, goes without food for three days, scales (echo of the serpent) fall from his eyes, is baptized, receives the Spirit, and undergoes a change of life (Acts 9:9, 19b-22). He is no longer under the power of the serpent. This is why Luke records the incident of Paul’s immunity to the bite of a venomous serpent on Malta (Acts 28:1-10).

Why Does Saul Look Like Saul?

So, why does Luke compose the story in Acts 9 so that Saul of Tarsus appears to reenact the story of King Saul in 1 Samuel 24 & 26?

Luke shows us that the story of David in the Hebrew Bible is Messianic, connected and fulfilled in the New Testament. David the shepherd boy from Judah anticipates Jesus the Chief Shepherd from Judah. And, those who belong to the seed of the serpent (Saul, Saul of Tarsus) always persecute those who are the seed of the woman (David, Jesus).  

David was unable to change the heart of King Saul, while the triumphant Jesus, the Son of David, the true King of Israel, the victor at Calvary’s cross, raised and ascended, did completely change the heart of Saul of Tarsus. Due to the mercy and grace of the ascended Jesus, Saul of Tarsus experienced a change of identity and was no longer like his predecessor.

Saul is no longer is classified as a prisoner of darkness, a seed of the serpent, listening to the voice of the high priest in Jerusalem (Acts 9:1), but is now identified as a seed of the woman, a prisoner of Jesus, a gift to the church as an apostle, listening to the voice of the true High Priest from heaven.

Saul is one of Jesus’ most conspicuous trophies of grace. If the ascended Jesus could save the likes of Saul of Tarsus and give him to his church as a gift of an apostle, then it follows that he can save anyone.

Canonical Glasses

Without putting on a pair of canonical glasses, my vision of Acts 9 would have remained severely restricted. But a canonical approach to the Bible shows us that its redemptive story, though composed of countless stories over the span of centuries, is seamless and interconnected. The story of King Saul, member of the tribe of Benjamin, persecutor of David, God’s choice for Israel’s temporary King, anticipates the story of Saul of Tarsus, member of the tribe of Benjamin, persecutor of Jesus the Son of David, God’s choice for Israel’s eternal King. Canonical glasses: don’t open up the Bible without them on.

Thank you for reading this with your glasses on.

NOTES

[1] Luke records Saul’s conversion two additional times in Acts, but with Saul/Paul as the main speaker. See Acts 22:1-21; 26:1-23. Luke’s three-fold repetition of Saul’s story suggests a lack of confidence in its credibility and lingering suspicion in readers’ mind regarding Saul’s conversion.

[2] This phenomenon is not an isolated case, but Luke’s modus operandi. The Third Gospel and Acts are interwoven by thousands of intertextual threads. The events and characters in Acts are designed to remind the reader of characters and events in Luke.

[3] The city of Damascus is the capital of Syria. So, there is a geographical link between the two stories.

[4] Jesus’ maiden message in the synagogue in Nazareth contains assurances that the eyes of the blind would be opened. Luke 4:18-19. 

[5] Queen Esther is portrayed as a better Eve; she listens to the voice of Mordecai, God’s spokesman, and saves the nation of Israel. Rahab listened to the voice of God rather than the king of Jericho and saved her family from destruction. Abigail, also portrayed as a better Eve, listened to the voice of God and saved David from blood guilt. Mary of Bethany is portrayed by Luke as the model disciple, an illustration of what it means to love the Lord God, because she sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to him (Luke 10: 38-42).

[6] Cain is the first example in Scripture as a seed of the serpent. He refused to listen to the voice of God with regard to his anger toward Abel. Even God could not talk him out of his sin.

[7] ὀπίσω τίνος καταδιώκεις σύ; 1 Sam 24:15, LXX; τί τοῦτο καταδιώκει ὁ κύριός μου ὀπίσω τοῦ δούλου αὐτοῦ; 1 Sam. 26:18, LXX

[8] ’ τί με διώκεις; Acts 9:4

[9] (καὶ εἶπεν Σαουλ ῏Η φωνή σου αὕτη; 1 Sam 24:17, LXX).

[10] ἤκουσεν φωνὴν λέγουσαν αὐτῷ;