Posts Tagged ‘Saul’

“Serves Ya Right!”

Friday, May 29th, 2009

 

“Serves ya right!”

Have you ever said those words? I have – mostly to my siblings when they broke the family rules or got into trouble for picking on me when we were kids. Even now, as a grown woman, I admit I feel like spouting them when someone wrongs me and later falls into a difficult time. Oh, the wickedness of the human heart.

If anyone had reason to say “Serves ya right,” it was David. Saul had chased him, thrown spears at him, taken his wife from him and married her to another man. Saul’s jealousy had nearly killed him countless times, forced him into hiding, and dethroned him from being a celebrated military leader to the commander of a few hundred motley men.

Then Saul died in battle.

What was David’s response? He had every reason to say “Serves ya right!” but he refused. Instead, he avenged Saul’s death by taking the life of the man who said he’d killed him. He composed a funeral song for Saul (and Jonathan) and commanded that the entire population of Judah learn it. He said Saul was beloved and gracious. He called him a mighty hero. And he promised to reward the men who gave him a decent burial (2 Sam. 1:15-2:6). Amazing.

What enabled David to respond this way? I believe several factors played into it:

  • His understanding of who God was. He knew that God was bigger than his circumstances. He recognized that He was in control of every detail of his life even when Saul behaved like an idiot.
  • He feared God more than he feared the king. He held God in high esteem, and knew the value of standing in good relationship with Him.
  • He respected Saul as a person even though his behavior didn’t deserve respect. Perhaps this ability also came from his understanding of God’s role in his life.

Frankly, I stand in awe of David. His attitude towards Saul encourages me to check and change mine where necessary. To be gracious in spirit when someone wrongs me. To treat the offender with respect and encourage others to do the same.

If we all made this our goal, the world would turn upside down!

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The Humble Prince

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

The Scriptures tell us a lot about King Saul and his reign. They tell us even more about David and his journey from the pasture to the palace. Squeezed between the two we find another character – Jonathan. Prince Jonathan, to be exact.

He was Saul’s son, the rightful heir to the throne. But because Saul was such a doofus, God transferred  the royal lineage to David. That meant one thing – Prince Jonathan would never assume the throne. If you were in his royal boots, how might you have felt? Betrayed? Bitter, perhaps?

Jonathan could have said something like, “David – you’re supposed to be my friend. How could you do this to me? You know I’m the heir to the throne, so get outta the way and let me take over. I know my dad’s been a jerk, but that doesn’t give you the right to take my place as the next king.”

But no. Jonathan fully supported David and committed himself to helping his friend achieve what God had ordained for him. “Don’t be afraid,” he told David. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father is well aware.”

What a model of humility! In fact, Jonathan’s attitude reminds me of Philippians 2, the chapter that speaks of Christ’s humility. He existed in the form of God but didn’t demand and cling to His rights as God (v. 6). Instead, He gave up those rights for our sake, so that we could become all that God has ordained for us.

Are we willing to give up our personal rights for the sake of others? Are we willing to give up our dreams or aspirations to enable someone else to succeed? Wow – that’s a challenge. It’s so contrary to mankind’s way of thinking in a society that encourages us to look out for ourselves and stand up for our rights.

“God, help us to model Jesus, the humble King, and Jonathan, the humble prince. Grant us the desire and ability to set aside our personal rights for the sake of others. Help us see life through Your eyes – to see the bigger picture of what You want to accomplish and to joyfully jump in to do whatever’s necessary to help it happen. Amen.”

 

Have a great weekend!

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More Thoughts about Obedience

Monday, May 18th, 2009

Saul’s life offers some priceless insights about obedience or lack thereof. God’s command to him was clear: “Go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation – men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys” (1 Samuel 15:3).

Did Saul do as he was told? Nope. He captured the Amalekite king and allowed his army to keep the best of the sheep and cattle – everything, in fact, that appealed to them (v. 9). He must have skipped class on the day his teachers explained the definition of obedience, because his understanding obviously lacked. When Samuel asked him why he didn’t obey the Lord’s command, Saul answered, “But I did obey the Lord. I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep and cattle and plunder to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal” (v. 20-21).

Saul failed to connect the dots between God’s Word and his behavior, and God held him accountable. Samuel pronounced the verdict: “Since you have rejected the Lord’s command, he has rejected you from being the king of Israel” (v. 26). Ouch!

A couple of thoughts from these verses:

  • It’s possible to convince ourselves that we’re walking in obedience when in reality, we’re far from it. Others might recognize our shortcoming but we’re blinded. If a godly person tries to warn us, we’d best listen.
  • God desires complete obedience. (v. 22 – “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice.”) Halfway obedience simply doesn’t cut it.
  • God holds us accountable for lack of obedience. There are consequences when we refuse to listen to His voice.

Why is obeying God’s Word so important? Because of who He is. Psalm 11:7,8 say: “All he does is just and good, and all his commandments are trustworthy. They are forever true, to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity.”

God’s commands are good and fully reliable because He is good and faithful. They’re given for our protection, to enable us to live life as He intended. Failure to obey hurts us and affects those around us.

Whether or not we obey what He tells us to do is our choice, but we need to choose well. When we do, we will receive a reward: “The rewards of wisdom come to all who obey him” (v. 10). How different from paying negative consequences as Saul did when he disobeyed!

Here are a couple of questions for you: What do you think is the biggest hindrance to our obeying God’s Word? In what area of life do you struggle with giving God complete obedience?

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Obedience and Other Stuff

Friday, May 15th, 2009

We humans are a perplexing bunch, don’t you think? We can justify nearly anything we do. Sometimes it starts with the small stuff. Here’s an example:

I’m working at my computer in the middle of the afternoon when hunger pangs strike. I satisfy them with a brownie despite knowing that an apple would be a smarter food choice. “It’s okay,” I reassure myself, “I needed something sweet.” (Like, duh…a few too many brownies later, I’m frustrated at the bathroom scale for its ever-increasing numbers).

Sometimes the issues are much bigger…

A man sits in our dining room, explaining why he’s leaving his wife of 28 years. “I just need some time to myself,” he says. “I need to think, to sort things out.” (He was having an affair but didn’t realize that we knew about it. He was actually making the break with his wife so he could move in with his girlfriend).

Who are we kidding, anyway? And who was Saul kidding when he blatantly disobeyed God’s commands and then justified his behavior?

1 Samuel 15:1-15 tells the story of Saul fighting the Amalekites. God had issued his command: “Go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation – men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys.” Saul went into battle, but rather than obeying implicitly, he captured the Amalekite king and spared the best of the sheep and the cattle. Then Samuel showed up and demanded an explanation.

“I have carried out the Lord’s command,” said Saul wearing a grin a mile wide (v. 13).

“Then what’s all the bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel asked.

“It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep and cattle,” Saul admitted. “But they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God. We have destroyed everything else.”

Did Saul actually think he could justify his disobedience and get away with it? I guess so. Sadly, it didn’t work. It doesn’t work for us either.

When God tells us to give to the needy, He’s not impressed with excuses such as, “Well, my kids’ sports activities cost so much that I didn’t have anything left to give.” When He tells us to get rid of questionable books or magazines, He’s not impressed with answers like, “But the fizzle left my marriage years ago. These stories replace the romance I don’t have in real life.” When He tells us to get involved with missions in North America or overseas, He’s less than excited when we respond, “Who, me? Uh, I don’t have the time right now.”

God wants our obedience, not our reasons for why we do life our own way. More on Monday.

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