Reading: I Samuel 14:24 – 16
And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou(I Sam. 15:26-28).
One point that is easily forgotten when reading of the early days of the monarchy of Israel is that Saul was hand-picked by God to lead His people. To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over My people Israel, that he may save My people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon My people, because their cry is come unto Me. And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over My people (I Sam. 9:16-17). God looked favorably on Saul, imbuing him with the Spirit of the Lord (10:6-7) and gifting him with the skills necessary to make him an exceptional military leader (11:1-15). Had Saul remained humble and willing to be led by the Spirit, he would have, in turn, led Israel into an era of righteous glory.
Saul’s choices, not God’s, revoked his calling. The further Saul rose in the people's esteem, the further away he pulled himself from God. Saul’s love for the adulations he received from his subjects caused him to take great pride in his accomplishments and led him to forget the true source of his power. He began to think of himself not as God’s anointed king but as the all-powerful ‘King’ of all Israel. Saul believed that as ‘King,’ he had both the right and the responsibility to interpret God’s Commands and to modify them in whatever manner he felt necessary. The problem with that, of course, is that once modified, the Commands were no longer of God. Thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
There is no greater feeling in the world than being full-on called by God. To stand before Him and know, beyond any shadow of any doubt, what path He expects you to follow and what purpose He expects you to fulfill is to experience the most soul-deep satisfaction possible for a mortal man to experience. Yet it is also at this point that we may also find ourselves in the greatest spiritual danger of our lives. As we start down the path God has laid before us, we must never allow ourselves to lose sight of our reason for being there. Regardless of our earthly standings, we will never be anything more or less than God’s humble servant. If we give into the temptation to forget that fact and start believing in our own importance, then we risk losing it all. Just as Saul was called and later rejected due to his prideful nature, so too is it possible for us to lose our focus and be removed from His service.
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace(Eph. 4:1-3).
Thought For Today:Being called to serve in a position of earthly power by God does not automatically give us a seat next to Him.
Christ Revealed:Through David’s name (I Sam. 16:13), which means beloved. David is a type of Jesus, whom the Heavenly Father called My beloved Son (Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; Luke 3:22; 9:35).
Word Studies:14:24 adjured = threatened under oath; 14:31 smote = struck down; 14:41 perfect lot = right answer; 14:47 took the kingdom = took possession; vexed = harassed; 14:52 sore = fierce, severe; 15:29 repent = change His mind; 15:32 delicately = fearfully; 16:18 comely = handsome.
Pray For Country:Italy (61,482,297) in Southern Europe • Major Languages: Italian, German • Religious Freedom • 80% Christian (overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, some Jehovah's Witness & Protestants); 20% Atheists/ Agnostics; Muslims (about 700,000 but growing) • Prayer Suggestion: Give thanks for the privilege of assembling with other Christians each week (Heb. 10:25).
Optional ReadingActs 6