Bernard and Saul

Trent is fuming at Whit's End after Ashley Jenkins beats him in the student-council election, so Bernard tells him the story of a king who let jealousy eat him alive. Young Saul is out hunting his father's lost donkeys when the prophet Samuel anoints him Israel's first king. Frightened at first, Saul rises to the challenge, rallying three hundred thousand men to smash the Ammonites and save the city of Jabesh. But victory changes him... he steals credit, disobeys God, and builds a monument to himself, until God rejects him as king and chooses a shepherd named David instead. When the crowds cheer David's triumphs louder than his own, Saul hurls a spear at the young hero and hunts him as a traitor - even though David, close enough to kill him, cuts only a corner from his robe and spares his life. Hearing how pride swelled into a jealousy that ruled a king, Trent decides to congratulate Ashley and wish her well before envy can take root in him too.

Found on No Way Out Album 42 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

1 of 2 0535 Living in the Gray While staying in Washington, Connie looks in on an old friend from Odyssey and discovers that his glamorous new life as a big-city reporter may not be everything he claims.

2 of 2 0536 Living in the Gray With his career, romance, and living situation all hanging by a thread, a young man hiding the truth from everyone who loves him must decide between an easy way out and an honest way home.

0537 My Girl Hallie When a struggling student receives an experimental computer that responds to his thoughts, his grades soar - but the machine's help comes at a growing cost.

0538 Stubborn Streaks When honesty gets uncomfortable, a young critic must review her ex-best friend's play while Bernard the window washer refuses to believe his famously reliable work is slipping.

0539 Called on in Class Convinced that a humiliating family curse of stage fright runs in his blood, Trent DeWhite spends one agonizing Friday afternoon plotting every possible escape from giving his oral report.

0540 The Girl in the Sink When a mysterious traveling laborer arrives at his grandfather's farm, young Bernard must decide whether his gentle new friend is an angel - just as a frightened town turns against the stranger.

0541 Bernard and Saul After losing a student-council election to a more popular classmate, a bitter Trent hears Bernard tell the story of King Saul, a leader whose jealousy threatened to consume everything he had.

0542 Eggshells After canceling her engagement, Connie comes home ready to move on with her life - but the people who love her most can't stop treating her like she's about to break.

0543 Nothing But the Half Truth When easygoing Wooton Bassett agrees to stand in for his identical twin at a high-stakes business meeting, his promise to just smile and nod proves harder to keep than anyone expected.

0544 Split Ends A modeling agency's flattering scouts pull two feuding former best friends into a head-to-head audition for a shampoo commercial.

0545 Somethings Got to Change A beloved carnival-master's hour-long commute forces his family to weigh the home they love against the community that needs him.

0546 No Way Out Whit awakens injured in a hidden room with no door, held by a strange, childlike man who won't explain how either of them got there - while his son races to trace a garbled cry for help.

0547 No Way In When a missing friend's abandoned car points to the Washingtons' new house, a search uncovers hidden passages - and secrets the old home was built to keep.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 8 more roles

8 supporting roles

King David Gary Reed King Saul Pete Reneday Samuel Walker Edmiston Abner Pat Fraley Saul's servant Bob Smithouser Nahash Actor Unknown Women of Israel Actor Unknown Jabesh-Gilead Leader Bob Hoose

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Nathan Hoobler Writer Bob Hoose Director · Producer Allen Hurley Sound Designer · Producer Marshal Younger Producer Paul McCusker Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 3 min

Trent complains at Whit's End after Ashley Jenkins defeats him in a student-council election. He believes his greater experience and ideas make him more deserving, while Ashley has won only because she is popular. Bernard hears the jealousy in Trent's anger and tells him about another leader who could not bear to see someone else receive honor: Israel's first king, Saul.

As a young man, Saul searches for his father's missing donkeys and consults the prophet Samuel. God has already told Samuel to expect him. The donkeys have been found, but Samuel has a far greater message: although Saul comes from an unimportant family in Israel's smallest tribe, God has chosen him to become king and rescue the people from their enemies.

Saul is frightened and protests that he is nobody. Samuel anoints him with oil, and Saul soon faces his first great crisis. King Nahash and the Ammonites surround the city of Jabesh and offer to spare its citizens only if every person loses a right eye, leaving Israel disgraced and the people unable to fight effectively.

The citizens receive seven days to seek help. When their messengers reach Saul, the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him and transforms his fear into courage. More than three hundred thousand men answer his summons. Saul's army surprises the Ammonites before the surrender and scatters them, beginning a series of victories that establishes him as Israel's leader.

Success slowly changes Saul. He takes credit for a victory his son Jonathan won and disobeys God's instructions about sacrifices. When Samuel orders him to destroy the Amalekites and everything belonging to them, Saul spares King Agag and keeps the finest livestock while building a monument to himself.

Saul blames his soldiers and claims that the animals have been saved for a grand sacrifice. Samuel answers that an obedient heart pleases God more than a sacrifice offered in defiance. Because Saul has rejected God's command, God rejects his kingship and secretly directs Samuel to anoint a young man named David as the future king.

Saul becomes troubled and violent while God no longer answers him. His servants bring David to the palace to soothe him with harp music. David is brave, humble, and devoted to God, and Saul initially welcomes him without knowing that Samuel has anointed him.

After David defeats Goliath, the people celebrate his victories more highly than Saul's. Saul becomes convinced that David wants his kingdom, even though David has shown no such intention. Jealousy turns the young hero's strengths into threats in Saul's mind. He hurls a spear at David and later pursues him as a traitor, even attacking his own son Jonathan for defending him.

During the pursuit, David secretly comes close enough to cut a piece from Saul's robe but refuses the opportunity to kill God's chosen king. He later presents the cloth and submits himself to Saul, proving that he intends no harm. For a moment Saul sees clearly, admits that David is more righteous, and acknowledges that David will one day rule Israel.

Bernard explains that Saul's jealousy began with wounded pride but grew until it controlled his thoughts and blinded him to the truth. Trent recognizes the same beginning in his resentment of Ashley. He does not feel happier after the warning, but he decides to congratulate her and sincerely wish her well before envy can become the center of his life.