I Chronicles 10:13,14
“So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he committed against the LORD, because of the word of the LORD which he did not keep; and also because he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of her, and did not inquire of the LORD. Therefore He killed him and turned the kingdom over to David, the son of Jesse.”
I can still recall the words from pastor Chuck Smith about Saul. It was the mourning of lost potential. I Samuel 9:2 says, “And he had a son named Saul, choice and handsome, without equal among the Israelites—a head taller than any of the people.” While appearance can be a stumbling block and a source of pride, it can also be a blessing. The people were proud to have him as king.
Saul was reluctant to be king. He was fearful. I Samuel 10:22 says, ‘So again they inquired of the LORD, “Has the man come here yet?” And the LORD replied, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”’ Reluctance could be a good sign. Moses was reluctant. It also says that he was the most humble man. He was one of the greats. Unfortunately, this could be a sign of too much though of one’s self. We are worried about how we will appear. This is rooted in pride.
This reluctance would turn into disobedience. It was there when God was through with his reign. He attempted to remove Saul from the throne. He wouldn’t take the throne willingly, nor would he step down willingly. He tended to do what he wanted to so.
I have to pause here, because most of us have these negative traits. I could see myself hiding in the baggage. David went through much preparation. Even though chosen in his teen years, he was on the run for his life for nearly a decade. God taught him great dependence on Him in those years.
We are also taught discipline from God. Hebrews 12:6 says, “For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” God puts us through challenging times to teach us dependence on Him as well as many other lessens.
We should be grateful for God’s discipline. The previous verse in Hebrews says, ‘And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him.”‘ There is much in life that can discourage us and increase our stress. Sure we are to work to reduce that, but trust in the Lord. More than that we are to praise Him in the storms. That’s what faith does, it trusts in the difficult times.
Saul could have done that. When he had his difficulty there was much dishonesty and blame. He was given the task to go to battle and to destroy everything. When he returned, Samuel asked him why he didn’t do that. ‘Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but the rest we devoted to destruction.”’ He was partially obedient. Samuel shares an important truth, “to obey is better than sacrifice”, (v. 22).
Coming clean and being honest is a big deal. Many of us were dishonest and blamed in our youth. We still may. We are a work in progress.
This passage also shares a big stumbling block that Saul had. He feared man more than God. The people brought the sheep to him. They may have given him the reason of sacrificing them. He didn’t want to appear the fool, so he kept them. We have all done this and unfortunately still may. But to fear God is what we are to be about.
Our culture is very anti-God. They don’t agree with His stances on sex. They don’t agree on His stance on faith and so on. At times we are confronted with a choice to go God’s way or the worlds. Sometimes that’s public. God give us courage to stand with You.
Saul wasn’t obedient. Passages were shared today exemplifying it. There are many more. It was clear that God anointed David to succeed him. He should have gone to Samuel and asked him how to proceed. Should I step down, should I take David into my house and mentor him and have a gradual transfer of power. Instead, Saul sought to kill David.
Saul was living in total disobedience to God. The Lord gave him other signs to tell him to change his ways. I Samuel 16:14 says, “After the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, a spirit of distress from the LORD began to torment him.” Saul was miserable. He had to bring in David to play the harp to sooth him. He could have repented. Again, go to Samuel and ask him what he should do to get right with God.
Power and pride were feeding Saul. He loved it. More so than his peace of mind and all else. We saw hints of pride in him. We are to let the circumstances of life purge us of pride and other sinful traits.
Lord, help us to learn from Saul’s example. Help us to be obedient. Help us to follow Your Word. Help us to respond to Your Spirit. Thank You that You are so willing to do so. You have blessed us greatly. Thank You.