The Amalekites were a tribe of nomadic marauders who for centuries pillaged and plundered their way through history. Moses, Saul, David, and Hezekiah all did battle with them. Contemporary manifestations might be Al-Qaeda or the Congolese Rebels. They were bent on death and destruction and Yahweh finally send Saul and his army to reek destruction upon them. The command of genocide sounds disturbing to modern years and rightly so. Evidence from the story, however, suggests that the attack upon the Amalekites was a localized act of judgment. The tribe lived on to fight another day. The story, found in 1 Samuel 15, also reveals that the attack was a turning point in Saul’s reign as king and in his relationship with the Lord. Notice how he uses his success as a warrior to bolster his internal insecurities. This passage highlights the profound temptation that every successful leader faces. Samuel also says the famous line “To Obey is better than sacrifice.”

The linoleum block print depicts Samuel surrounded by sheep and a cow.

Samuel anoints Saul privately and then sent him home to his family but not without a spiritual encounter along the way. Saul must have found the experience eye opening. Then came the day of coronation. Samuel couldn’t help but remind the crowds that their request for a king meant their rejection of God as their king. Who could follow that introduction holding their head high? So Saul did what any socially aware person might do; he hid with the baggage. Eventually he was found and crowned, but not without a few naysayers. This painting is a linoleum block print and watercolor.

Israel asked for a king and God granted their request. His choice was a tall, good looking farm boy named Saul from the tribe of Benjamin. Getting the king anointer, Samuel, together with the king designate, Saul, required some creative maneuvering on God’s part. So the tale started with lost donkeys. Saul and his servant went out looking for their humble beasts of burden and found something neither one expected in their wildest imaginations.

This summer I took a local art class in Relief Block Printing from a wonderful Kenyan artist Ngene Mwaura. I learned to carve an image into linoleum or MDF board, apply ink to that image and hand press it onto a piece of paper. In this series I was practicing with color. I began the process with a light color like yellow. I inked the plate and pressed it. Then everywhere I wanted to preserve the yellow, I cut away material from the plate. Each time I changed the color, I cut away more of the plate.

The image on the left is what the plate looked like after the final cut. The image on the right was the result of pressing the plate onto Yupo paper, which is a plastic paper and applying watercolor. The experiment is a work in progress. I am at the same time studying King Saul from the book of Samuel. His was a complex, confusing, tortured life that began well and ended in mental illness and suicide.