Read: 1 Sam 10-12; Proverbs 10
Verses chosen for meditation:
25 Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valour whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
Reflect
Saul was anointed as king. Such an anointing was done for the sake of the people; where the prophet Samuel said that they had asked for a king. Furthermore, they had asked for a king because they had rejected the God of Israel. Even then, God chose a good king for Israel. In addition, Samuel was inspired to write for them a guidebook on the rights and duties of kingship; hoping to provide Israel with good leadership. Yes, at this point of biblical history, Saul was a secure and wise king. Even when some people despised and mocked him, he held his peace.
However, after a few years of kingship, such security in the Lord and humility was soon replaced by a great sense of insecurity and mistrust. Such a sense of insecurity and mistrust gave rise to anger, violence, misrule and eventually his own tragic downfall at the hands of the Philistines. If we read the account of king Saul, we know that it was not that God had chosen wrongly for Israel; rather it was Saul and the people who doomed themselves. Saul was so jealous by David and so overwhelmed by his own sense of achievements, that he became another man altogether.
Relate
Kings (or leaders) rise and fall. Some kings do better than the others. Some does not last even a few years. What makes the difference? No fix pattern but one thing stood out. Those who remain secure and wise are those who trust not in man but God. It will be those who continue to depend humbly on God who will ride out the storms of our hearts. It will be those who seek to be accountable to others, who will run the race well. It will be those who seek help from the right sources and friends, who will benefit themselves and also the lives of others. It will be those who care for their family and not prioritise ministry over their family, who will be protected from temptations.
Quite often, kings or leaders fall because they start to distant away from their family members, especially spouse if they are married. The excuse was to find in others a better companion or listening ear. Yet, this is never the whole truth. The truth is that we all have the tendency to want to be popular, to silence our critics and to be acknowledged for our worth.
If we give in to these tendencies once too often, we will find ourselves in the shoes of Saul. We will begin to mistrust and try to control more than we should. We will begin to listen to wrong advice because we will develop itching ears. We will begin to step into the wrong places. We will begin to descend onto the slippery slope of self-destruction.
The good news is that God can save us from ourselves. If we only practice our dependency on God. If only we are humble and acknowledge that we need help. If only, we hold our peace.
Rest
Dear Lord, teach us to be dependent on You. No matter what kind of victories you have bestowed upon us, help us to lean on You. Enable us to know that it is only by Your grace, we can walk right with You. This we pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdXopI_eld4
Jason
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