In 1 Samuel chapters 26-31 we read that David would not kill Saul because Saul was the 'Lord's anointed'...yet, in the midst of the chapters we see Saul say of himself that he had sinned, played the fool, and committed serious error (26:21).
By 1 Samuel 28:6, Saul inquired of the Lord and the Lord did not answer him. In fact, verse 15 says that God departed from Saul, and verse 17: the Lord tore the kingdom away from Saul and gave it to David (who was upright, pleasing and no evil was found in him 1 Sam 29:6) .
By chapter 31, Saul was injured from being under siege and so he fell on his sword to end the agony. His time had come and he recognized it!
I thought it was crazy to read that King Saul, "the Lord's anointed", went wrong, turned bad. When I read this, I received it as God's way of saying....
Sometimes, people have had His anointing,
but that doesn't mean they can't turn bad,
sin, and lose their connection to the Lord.
It's like the overweight 40 year old guy w/ his small high school jersey on trying to relive the glory days. Maybe he had it going on at one time, but lost it when he grew lazy and complacent and did not do the right things to keep himself ready and prepared for action. In God's kingdom, it means remaining humble and transparent, honest, exercising your gifts and bearing fruits of the Spirit....by John 15.
Saul continually sought out David to remove David, as though David was the problem. A blaming/denial spirit? As we see by 1 Samuel 31, it's over for Saul, his day had come and he knew it. Amazing testimony of an anointed one coming to the end of the road. It also serves as a sign that God will bring about justice in due time. We truly can trust the Lord with vindication and vengeance upon the unjust, unfair, and unrepentant.
In reading this, I use it as a warning even for myself. I know that God has great things ahead for me and my husband. We know that at all times, we speak and serve an audience of One! And we recognize our nature, we recognize we are man, we are but dust, we can sin, we can make mistakes. By this recognition, we also accept that we must remain humble and transparent, repentant and forgiving, walk above reproach and uphold to high standards of integrity. God knows our hearts, so then we will aim to keep pure hearts before the Lord!
- We must not hurt others who are pouring their lives out to God.
- We must not betray, manipulate, or rule over people with harsh judgment and selfishness.
- We must not serve ourselves, but the Lord and others!
A new topic I'm diving into this week: SERVANT LEADERSHIP!
Can't wait. This is how the Lord served, why shouldn't we?
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