en yan hua fang

“Saul Slipped Away” ~ ✨

When reading 1 Samuel, readers often place their magnifying glass on David, the second king of Israel, and rarely focus on the failures of Saul, the first king of Israel.  After all, how many people in the world can attain a status as illustrious as David’s?  His success is not the kind of success ordinary people experience.  Conversely, I believe the failure of Saul—often reviled by readers—holds a warning that is far more necessary for ordinary people.  2 Samuel chapter 1 records David’s lament over the death of Saul and the tragic circumstances surrounding it.  One line in that song (2 Sam 1:19) deeply touches the heart: “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights.  How the mighty have fallen!”

Before being anointed king by God, Saul came from a family of mighty warriors; he was from a well-to-do household, a descendant of the tribe of Benjamin, one of Israel’s twelve tribes.  Saul was both strong and handsome; there was no one among the Israelites more handsome than he was.  He was a head taller than any of the people (1 Sam 9:1-2).  Beauty in the eyes of the flesh is always what attracts the flesh.

While searching for his donkeys, Saul was led to the prophet Samuel.  Samuel said to Saul, “Who is it that all the people of Israel desire?  Is it not you and all your father’s family?”  At that time, Saul replied, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin?  Why do you say such a thing to me?” (1 Sam 9:20-21).  This sounds like Saul was a humble person.  Was he truly humble?

Let me compare him with a predecessor, God’s servant Moses.  God called him “very humble, more than any man on the face of the earth” (Num 12:3).  When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Ex 3:11); and also, “They will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’”  Moses further said, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, for I am slow of speech and tongue.”  Moses essentially meant, please send someone else to accomplish this great feat (Ex 4:1, 10, 13)!  When I read these passages years ago, I thought Moses had various reasons for being unwilling, but I never considered that it might be related to his “very humble” nature.

Although Saul felt unworthy to be anointed king, he did not refuse.  When Samuel anointed Saul, he said to him, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over His heritage?”  Upon hearing this, I imagine Saul’s feeling at that moment was one of smug self-satisfaction.  The Bible says that after being anointed, God gave Saul a new heart; moreover, the Spirit of God rushed upon him powerfully, and he prophesied among the prophets.

The Bible does not record that when God commissioned Moses, God gave Moses a new heart; or when Moses passed the baton to Joshua, God gave Joshua a new heart; or when God anointed David, God gave David a new heart.  Nor does the Bible record that when the Lord Jesus called Saul (later renamed Paul) to be an apostle, the Lord gave Paul a new heart.  My thought is this: when God chose them, they had already had a heart that pleased God—that was “faithfulness” towards God and the Lord.

God anointed Saul and gave him a new heart; sadly, Saul did not guard his heart above all else.  Saul exalted himself, for example: he asked Samuel to honour him in front of the people, rather than honouring God (1 Sam 15:30).  Saul did not regard God as great or holy, and willfully disobeyed God’s commands (1 Sam 13:8-9; 15:3, 8-9), yet he did not know why he had stumbled (1 Sam 15:15, 20-21, 24).  This was all because he did not listen carefully to God’s words, did not incline his ear to God’s speech, and cast God’s will from before his eyes (1 Sam 15:22-23).  Not storing up God’s words in the heart means the heart will certainly not be guarded (1 Sam 12:14-15, 25); yet the issues of life flow from the heart (Prov 4:18-23)!

In the second year after Saul had become king, he began to make grave mistakes, one after another. His first great error was disobeying God’s command.  At Gilgal, where he was made king, in the presence of all the people, he presumptuously offered the burnt offering without waiting for Samuel (1 Sam 13:1-10).  Samuel rebuked Saul for not keeping the command the Lord had given him, so his kingdom would not endure.  Samuel also told him that God had sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler over His people (1 Sam 13:13-14).  Despite this, God did not immediately depose Saul; instead, He enabled him, throughout his reign over Israel, to defeat his enemies wherever he went (1 Sam 14:47-48).

However, in the matter where God commanded Saul to attack the Amalekites and utterly destroy everything they had, Saul disobeyed and did not destroy all the people and possessions.  This was his second great error.  It was at this point that God said He regretted having made Saul king (1 Sam 15:11).   Samuel rebuked Saul’s rebellion and told him that God had rejected him as king over Israel.  Later, when David killed Goliath, the women came out dancing and sang, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”  This provoked Saul’s anger and incited his desire to kill David (1 Sam 18:7-9).  Saul’s fate was doomed by his decision to go his own way, leading to his gradual, steady decline!

Saul’s downfall stemmed from three main factors:

1. Disobedience: After having been anointed as king, he became arrogant and did not honour God as great; the Bible records his two instances of disobeying God’s commands.

2. Jealousy: He was jealous of David, which gave rise to his intention to kill David; David was also God’s anointed!

3. Lack of Repentance: He had moments of remorse, but he never truly repented.  He consulted a spirit, lacking genuine contrition for all his transgressions and a firm resolve to change.

In summary, Saul’s downfall resulted from his repeated lack of reverence for God, leading God to reject him.  After the Spirit of the Lord departed from him, he didn’t just revert to his original state; rather, due to his own sinful desires, he was tormented by an evil spirit (1 Sam 16:14).  Though he sat on the throne as king, he was filled with paranoid thoughts all day; though he had loyal subjects serving him, he constantly feared being overthrown (1 Sam 20:31; 22:7-8).  Saul did not appreciate the blessings he had; he fell short of God’s glory and wronged those who were utterly loyal to him, like his eldest son Jonathan (1 Sam 20:30-33) and his servant and son-in-law David (1 Sam 22:14 — Ahimelech the priest’s assessment of David at Nob).  Saul continually schemed to kill David, and his fatal wound was consulting a medium.  From then on, Saul had no peace until he fell on his own sword on the battlefield after having been defeated in battle (1 Sam 31:1-4).

Saul’s tragic end issues a serious warning to readers: God cannot be mocked!  A man reaps what he sows.  Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life (Gal 6:7-8).  “Pride” tops the list of seven things God hates (Prov 6:16-19), and “jealousy” is the root of murder (Gen 4:8).  These two evils frequently appear in human nature, and their harm is boundless.

The desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—these are not from God the Father, but are from the world.  The world with its desires is passing away, but whoever does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:16-17).  May we all take Saul as a warning, and not let go of our obedient heart.  If the obedient heart is lost, life itself is lost forever!  May Saul’s outcome teach us, in every choice of obedience or disobedience, to learn to anchor ourselves in Christ’s humility and obedience.  Only then can we overcome the temptation that power and success bring to life.  Recognise that the inner life is more important than outward gifts, and that persistent obedience is the shield against pride.

I conclude this sharing with my poem 👇🏻

“Obedience” or “Disobedience” — It’s Your and My choice✨

Obedience or Disobedience

The vast universe has its fixed decree.

Whether master or servant, it is destined to be.

The master has his role, the servant his own.

The servant is not greater; to the master’s law, he must be prone.

Obedience, reaching its peak, benefits people far and near.

Disobedience brings no benefit; such is humanity’s path, made clear.

Humility and submission are the love man should embrace.

Pride and arrogance will one’s life efface.

Each has a master; the master has his lord.

The obedient find smooth paths; the humble are restored.

The disobedient face defeat; the proud are brought down low.

Obedience or disobedience, each has its way, its seeds to sow.

✨✨💖 ~