“Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish…the son of a
Benjamite, a mighty man of valor…and he had a son, whose name was Saul…”
Although classic Bible commentators have argued that Saul was tapped to serve as a
transitional king, he wasn’t. Recall, we concluded the last essay with a teaser that we would
explore Samuel’s appointment of Saul (tribe of Benjamin) in the context of Jacob’s dying words
to the twelve tribes. What did Jacob convey concerning Judah during those last minutes? Had
the patriarch knighted him, per se? Did the blessing transfer the reins of national power to
Judah – for all times?
Abravanel’s in-depth essay on this fascinating topic provides a thoughtful approach, actually
more than one. For our purposes here, however, we will share an outline of Abravanel’s
analysis.
Our start point is, naturally, Jacob’s blessing to Judah (Genesis 49): “The scepter shall not
depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, as long as men come to Shiloh;
and unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.” Before Abravanel delves into his answer,
he explains what Jacob’s words don’t mean.
Though imbued from Above with an inspired divine spirit, nonetheless, the patriarch never
wanted to dictate or impose his will on the twelve tribes, so far as temporal power is
concerned. Here are some of Abravanel’s proofs:
- Samuel anointed King Saul without qualification or limitation. That is, had Saul observed
God’s word, his term would have been extended and his descendants would still be
kings today. No barrier prevented continuity, not his character, not his family, not his
tribe. The tribe of Benjamin, as Saul says to Samuel, had been chastened and enervated
as a result of the scandal recorded in Judges 19. That is, Benjamin’s lowly status had hit
rock bottom. Saul admits as much to Samuel: “And Saul answered and said: Am not I a
Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the
families of the tribe of Benjamin?”). God viewed Benjamin differently. He looked
compassionately upon the crestfallen tribe. Why? Because He pulls for the underdog,
gladdens the humbled, as per Hannah’s heartful prayer: “He raises up the poor out of
the dust, He lifts up the needy from the dung-hill, to make them sit with princes, and
inherit the throne of glory.“ (1 Samuel 2) - David from Judah received God’s blessing: “Howbeit the LORD, the God of Israel, chose
me out of all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever; for He has chosen
Judah to be prince, and in the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the
sons of my father He took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel.” (I Chronicles
28) Namely, the psalmist writes that the Maker elevated him and his descendants to
rule Israel, not because of something inherently special concerning Judah, but rather
because He acknowledged David’s personal worthiness (“…chose me…”). Heaven’s pick
centered solely on David, not his tribe, nor his father’s house. - Solomon succeeded David and his son, Rehoboam, followed Solomon (See the Book of
Kings.). Rehoboam faltered and when he did, God did not find a replacement from
Judah (or from David’s clan). Instead, the Creator chose Jeroboam. He hailed from the
tribe of Ephraim.
These are three of Abravanel’s proofs, out of several others. They prove that Jacob did not
intend to give Judah unconditional rulership, to the exclusion of other tribal hopefuls. While we
can certainly attest to Judah’s prominence throughout Jewish history, undoubtedly boosted by
the patriarch’s blessing, kingship was never part of Jacob’s parting prescient moments before
he passed.