I Samuel 15:12
‘Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal.”’
Saul was in a bad place. He had usurped Samuel’s job earlier by offering sacrifices. Later, his son Jonathon, had initiated victory by a brave move. Saul limited his army’s resulted by making it about him. He commanded not eating until the army had won. This weakened them, so the victory was limited. Jonathon didn’t hear this edict and ate. Saul promised to put to death anyone who did this. If the people didn’t stop him, Saul was going to follow through with this. Next is the reason for Samuel’s visit. Saul was disobedient by not completing the command with the Amalekites. That was the final straw. This last description says that Saul made a monument to himself. He was obsessed with self promotion. It doesn’t seem very long, but Saul was a living example of why a king was a bad idea.
It’s not wrong to want to be remembered and it’s also not wrong to want to be liked. But to go overboard and build statues to commemorate one’s self was going overboard. To think that way is not thinking correctly. We need to balance our view of ourselves with considering God and others. We certainly aren’t to be first. That’s God’s place. We also aren’t next. We are to put others ahead of ourselves.
We have a natural inclination to put ourselves ahead of the rest. However, as we grow up, we learn how unappealing selfishness is. Those that are generous and care about others earn the most respect. So, we tame the beast and seek to be caring. While good, there is still self interest at the core.
True love enters as we follow the Lord. He tells us to be loving, but He goes much further, by giving us a new heart. Ezekiel 36:26 says, “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” This is one of the miracles of the new birth. It allows us to want to do that which the Lord asks of us.
Some are exhausted with the notion of religion with all the regulations and moral limits. Christianity was designed differently. The Lord gives us a new heart in which we want to follow Him and do His will. We are told to love one another. The new heart the Lord gives us wants to do that. We are still limited by our selfish nature, but it’s what we want.
In addition to this new heart, the Lord empowers us to do more than we are able. What’s natural is to be self focused. The Holy Spirit seeks to give us the ability to do more. Jesus says in Matthew 5:41,42, “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.” Those are difficult words. However, the Lord wants to give us the power to put off the normal rage that this circumstance would promote and to ask Him for the power to love.
In time, a loving response arises more naturally. I picture our walk with the Lord as one that ascends. The longer we are with Him, the higher and closer we get to Him. The higher we go, the more like Him we become. We are turning into citizens of Heaven. If we’ve lived a life in Him the transformation that happens at our passing to Heaven would be little. Believers are to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirt: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control”, (Galatians 5). Those are God’s traits and Ours as well. He seeks to instill those in us.
Saul was being a poor example of a leader of God’s people. He used that powerful position to promote himself. While this is natural, it’s not right. The Lord wants us to be better. He gives us a new heart and the power of His Spirit to accomplish that. In the end, the Lord rewards His people with a good reputation. Saul could have been a beloved figure. The Lord would have given that as a reward for obedience.
Casting Crowns has a song, Only Jesus, that gets to the heart of this. Here are some lines, “And I, I don’t want to leave a legacy. I don’t care if they remember me. Only Jesus. And I, I’ve only got one life to live. I’ll let every second point to Him. Only Jesus.”
The more we live life, the more we see the worthlessness of self promotion. Think of all the billions of lives over history. Some we know, the overwhelming majority are forgotten. We’ll be one of those. What really matters is that we’ve honored God and loved people. All that we seek to do for ourselves is tainted. What lasts is done for Him.
Lord, take away our search for selfish promotion. Help us to love You and others more. Help us to put down the demand for our rights, but to trust that You’ve got us. Thank You that You are patient with us.