Introducing, Saul the Villain

Great adventure stories usually have a villain.  Maybe we’ve never thought of Saul in these terms, but it’s probably because we’ve never taken a close enough look.  Boring stories usually have flat characters… flat like a cardboard cut-out.  If you were to seek to know more about the character you’d find that there is no depth, and this ultimately leads to a boring story.

However, Saul is not one such character.  If we dig beneath the surface, we’ll find that there is more than meets the eye.  As a matter of fact, if we really want to understand David (as we’re seeking to do in this study), then it is crucial that we understand Saul.  This will become evident as we progress… just remember Saul’s villainy far surpasses his own life.  Long after he is dead, David still has to deal with an arch-villain:  it is the Saul that lives within his own soul.  Hence, if we want to know David, we need to know his enemy.