LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF KING SAUL (PART 1).
TEXT:
Saul was "a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people." (1 Samuel 9 verse 2 , The English Standard Version).
The Bible is very clear about God's intentions as regards the reason for recording the stories of the old testament saints. They "were written for our learning" (Romans 15 verse 4) and "for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." (1st Corinthians 10 verse 11).
I do sincerely believe that from the plethora of accounts of the old testament individuals, the Christian is offered a variety of choices upon which to model his Christian character. Here, we are clearly presented with how and why they succeeded or failed in their walk with God. We are therefore not without guidance. The intention of God, I believe, is to present us with a smooth walk with Him, so that we learn through their experiences, without having to fall into their mistakes or errors.
From the Scripture reading for today, we see Saul, "a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people." He had a very impressive personality! God chose him to be king over His people, Israel.
Nevertheless, he goofed in his walk with God. He failed to keep or maintain his God given responsibility. He was anointed to be king over Israel, yet he stepped out of his position as King and attempted to assume the position of priest. In 1st Samuel 13 verses 8 to 10, we are told that king Saul had prepared his troops for war against the Philistines and Samuel had instructed him to wait seven days until he came to offer the sacrifice to put God's blessings on the troops before they went to the battlefield. To make sacrifice was the prerogative of the priest, Samuel. But as Samuel tarried and because "the people were scattered" from Saul, he went ahead to offer the sacrifice. The Bible says that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came" (1st Samuel 13 verse 10).
I've come to discover that whenever there's a divine tarrying, things go wrong with men. In Matthew 25 verse 5, for instance, while the bridegroom tarried, the entire ten virgins slumbered and slept. Even today as the Lord Jesus is tarrying, so many things are going wrong, even amongst Pastors who are shepherds of God's flocks.
Before God, Saul had committed a terrible sin. To God, he had offered strange fire. Although Nadab and Abihu were priests, and divinely qualified to offer sacrifices, because they didn't follow the proper order, they were adjudged to have offered strange fire and God struck them dead (see Leviticus 10 verses 1 to 2).
The bottom line in today's devotional is that as Christians, let's not follow the example of king Saul who failed to keep to his calling. Rather, we are to abide in our calling and not to step off into some other office into which God has not called us. What's more, as we abide in our God ordained calling, we are sufficiently graced to perform, proving to be most proficient and fulfilling in God's sight.
According to Apostle Paul in Romans 12 verses 6 to 8,
“We have different gifts that are consistent with God’s grace that has been given to us. If your gift is prophecy, you should prophesy in proportion to your faith. If your gift is service, devote yourself to serving. If your gift is teaching, devote yourself to teaching. If your gift is encouragement, devote yourself to encouraging. The one giving should do it with no strings attached. The leader should lead with passion. The one showing mercy should be cheerful.”
"Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called." (1st Corinthians 7 verse 20)
PRAYER:
Lord, may you reveal to me my calling in the Kingdom service. Help me also to not violate Your instructions to me, in Jesus name.