Atti degli Apostoli 13:20-22

“E dopo queste cose diede loro giudici fino al profeta Samuele. E poi chiesero un re, e Dio diede loro Saul, figlio di Kish, uomo della tribù di Beniamino, per lo spazio di quarant'anni. E dopo averlo allontanato, suscitò Davide come loro re, al quale anche lui rese testimonianza e disse: "Ho trovato Davide, figlio di Iesse, un uomo secondo il mio cuore, che farà tutta la mia volontà". "

Having laid the foundation in God's oneness of purpose, goodness, compassion and longstanding generosity, Paul now moves on to the continuation of it in His provision for them of judges and saviours. He had never failed them. He had given them just and benevolent war leaders and rulers (‘judges'), leading up to the great prophet Samuel. Then when they had asked for a king He had given them the mighty Saul who had been over them for forty years (another indication of His longstanding goodness).

And when He had had to remove him (a reminder that not all had been sweet and light) He had ‘raised up David' to be their king, to whom He had borne witness that He had found a man after His own heart, who would do all His will. Thus as all present would know David was the climax, the ultimate, of these earthly rulers and kings, yet, as they also knew, there was a greater to come. He pointed ahead to a greater David Who was to be expected, another to Whom God would bear witness, another Who would be after God's own heart and would do all His will.

His purpose in the end was provide for them an everlasting King (2 Samuele 7:13; 2 Samuele 7:16; Isaia 9:6; Isaia 11:1; Isaia 32:1; Isaia 55:3; Ezechiele 37:24; Zaccaria 9:9).

"Per lo spazio di quarant'anni." Questo periodo non è menzionato rispetto a Saulo nel testo ebraico dell'Antico Testamento, ma si trova in Giuseppe Flavio ed era quindi chiaramente parte della tradizione ebraica rispetto a lui. Dobbiamo ricordare che 'quarant'anni, erano per loro un numero tondo che indicava un periodo abbastanza lungo, un periodo maturo, un periodo soddisfacentemente completo. (I patriarchi tendevano a sposarsi a 'quaranta', cioè a maturità - Genesi 25:20 ; Genesi 26:34 ).

Nei Giudici era il periodo regolare della 'libertà' ('la terra riposava quarant'anni' - Giudici 3:11 ; Giudici 5:31 ; Giudici 8:28 , contrasto Atti degli Apostoli 13:1 ).

In seeming contrast the Hebrew text of the Old testament says of Saul that he reigned for ‘two years'. But that also was an example of the ancient use of numbers and is probably actually to be seen as agreeing with the significance of the ‘forty years' here, indicating a reign which went beyond youth into middle age. ‘Three years' at that stage would have indicated that he reigned into old age.