Few days ago during our nightly family prayer, the scripture we read and discussed was from the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 31. In there we read of the death of King Saul. A very ignominious end to a king who was chosen by Jehovah and anointed by his prophet Samuel to rule over the Israelites. The very first king for the people of Israel! We read, under attack from their enemies, the Philistines, Saul was pinned down and wounded severely. Also, his three sons were killed in the intense fighting between the Philistines and Israelites. Wounded severely, with no way to escape, Saul committed suicide by falling on his own sword rather than fall into the hands of his enemies alive. The Philistines cut off his head and mounted his body along with the beheaded bodies of his sons as war trophies outside their city gates.
When we go back to the earlier portions of the book of 1 Samuel, we see the making of the first king of Israel (chapters 8 onward). Appointed and anointed by God, we read of a naive, scared young man turning into a great fearless warrior and leader for the Israelites. One of his greatest victories was against a huge army of Philistines that Saul fought with mere 600 soldiers (the same enemy that gave him his final defeat!). The Lord gave him victory! We read, "Now when Saul had secured his grasp on Israel's throne, he fought against his enemies in every direction - against Moab, Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. And wherever he turned he was victorious. He did great deeds and conquered the Amalekites, saving Israel from all those who had plundered them." - 1 Samuel 14:47-48.
Saul became the king at age 30 and ruled the nation of Israel for forty-two years. - 1 Samuel 13:1. As he grew in power and stature, we see the character traits of Saul developing; and they were not pleasing to God. He was selfish, arrogant, lustful, prideful, impatient, petulant, and disobedient to God. How could the chosen one of God have such character flaws ???
God had predicted that the Israelites would ask for an earthly king just like all the other nations around them at time. He had prepared for his people to succeed by establishing guidelines for them to follow when it happened. In Moses' book of Deuteronomy, chapter 17, verses 14-20, we read God telling Moses, "You will soon arrive in the land the LORD your God is giving you, and you will conquer it and settle there. Then you may begin to think, 'We ought to have a king like the other nations around us.' If this happens, be sure that you select as king the man the LORD your God chooses. You must appoint a fellow Israelite, not a foreigner. The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself, and he must never send his people to Egypt to buy horses there, for the LORD has told you, 'You must never return to Egypt.' The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will lead him away from the LORD. And he must not accumulate vast amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself. When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy these laws on a scroll for himself in the presence of the Levitical priests. He must always keep this copy of the law with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the LORD his God by obeying all the terms of this law. This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. This will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel."
What we realize as we read the book of 1 Samuel is that as Saul's fame, stature, and power grew, he failed to acknowledge the LORD for who He is! Meanwhile, his successor, King David, though with some of Saul's same character flaws, was keen on acknowledging God for being God! Where Saul was blatantly disobedient to God and defiant when confronted by Prophet Samuel, David acknowledged his sins and made reparations to God and man. We see the inner working of David's mind and heart as he wrote in Psalms 19:12-13, "How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep me from deliberate sins! Don''t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin." In Psalms 139:23-24 we read David's prayer, "Search me O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."
It is not so much that we will always be obedient to God's laws and and never fail, rather what matters to God is our free will choices and intentions of our heart.
Lauren Daigle - Trust in You
No comments:
Post a Comment