Let’s talk about Saul

The story of Saul is set from I Samuel chapter 9 through to 2 Samuel Chapter 1. However, his reign or kingship is set from 1 Samuel 9 to 15. Meaning that, after Chapter 15, Saul spent the rest of his days fighting for a a throne that had been taken away from him.

It is important to note that the character King Saul cannot be made mention of without the likes of the Prophet Samuel, the King David and Jonathan, the son of Saul, and, some significant few.

Saul started his kingship well yet his life ended sadly. What happened? Was it his fault that he turned out that way? Did he ask to be King? Couldn’t he have just told God no? But who can tell God, no? These and many others are some questions I have heard or read people ask when it comes to the life of King Saul.

I will just take a few minutes of your time, to mention briefly, some observations I have made from the life of King Saul.

Saul became King mainly through his enchanting outward appearance. Though he managed to conquer the hearts of the people with his stature, he was never able to conquer his smallness of character. Simply put, Saul was a coward who never learned to become courageous.

Let’s see some examples to buttress this point:

1. When it was time to anoint Saul as King, he hid among the baggage (1 Samuel 10:21-23).
2. When he was asked by the Prophet Samuel to lead, he gave excuses (1 Samuel 9:21).
3. He always panicked in the face of trouble or confusion and took spiritual laws/matters into his own hands. (1 Samuel 13:12)
4. Whenever he sinned, he chose to blame others or find excuses .(1 Samuel 13:28)
5. He would rather be insecure over a young shepherd boy instead of drawing him closer to nurture his talents. He preferred to kill the talent (1 Samuel 18:7-8).

From my perspective as a human, I am tempted not to fault Saul for being afraid.

Imagine being King of the whole of Israel, a nation after God’s own heart? Saul was afraid of the weight he had to carry. He was insecure about being capable of handling the affairs of Israel. I am sure he would ask himself several time, “why me? Can’t there be any other person?” I am sure Saul led the people how he knew best but then, he missed God’s will for his life the moment he chose the voice of the people over God’s.

This is why Looks are never enough, the anointing alone is not enough, fame alone is not enough. I could go on and on. That’s why your anointing can take you to the highest of places but character can bring you back. You can hit the jackpot today and lose all your money by tomorrow, because of character.

Aside all these examples about the man, I noticed Saul was a determined man. Once he set his heart to do something, he always pursued it to the latter. And most often, before he made a move, he held his peace (1 Samuel 10:26). Saul was not one who talked much. He spent time devising and planning.

Can I use this opportunity to talk about, “The Power of Quiet”?

In 1 Samuel 10:14-16 (NIV), Saul’s uncle met him and was eager to know what transpired between Saul and the prophet Samuel:
15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”

16 Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.

The Power of Quiet is staying silent about your plans or what the Lord has told you concerning your life.

Not everyone smiling with you has good intentions for you. Ask Joseph. There are people who have stopped pursuing their purpose just because someone laughed at them and told them that their goals were impossible. There are also others who stopped because of comments like, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish?” or “How can this fellow save us?”

Enforce the power of quiet with total obedience to God and see how you will advance steadily.

Shall we learn something from Saul here? Do not be in a hurry to go telling people about your good news. Apply wisdom and be led.

I Samuel 9-10:16 higlights how Saul went looking for his father’s donkeys and all that transpired with Samuel. Something significant struck me at Chapter 10:11-13.

When Saul found himself in the gathering of prophets in vs. 10, people all around saw what happened.

Then comes my favourite part in v.11;

“When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”

One of the hinderances to the greatness of a man lies in his background or his past. This could be events or people who knew him. People cannot seem to change their mindset of a man’s future once their heart is set on the past. Imagine the people saying, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish?“

Learning about the insecurities of King Saul led me to this. The prophet Samuel exuded confidence and never for a moment felt insecure about speaking into the life of Saul or anointing him as a prophet.(1 Samuel 9:17-23). He even went as far as honoring Saul by giving him special food and a special seat at the table. Yet what did Saul do for David?

Can we take a look at the contrast between Samuel’s reaction to Saul’s greatness and Saul’s reaction to David’s potential?

Samuel;

1. honored Saul (1 Samuel 9:21-23),
2. anointed him (10:1),
3. prepared him to serve the people (10:6-9),
4. encouraged him (10:10-13),
5. spoke words of direction (15:1-3),
6. prayed for him(15:10,11),
7. and even comforted him (15:12-23).

Yet, Saul:

1. Kept David under his wing so he could keep an eye on him. (18:2)
2. Was angry at the progress of David and eyed him (18:7-8)
3. Persecuted and Tried to kill David several times (18:11, 18:25, 19:1-2, 19:10, 19:15)
4. Even cursed his own son and almost killed him because of his hatred for David (20:30-33)

Let’s take a moment to ponder over this.

How do we behave or react as servants of God when we are given an assignment to speak over another’s life? or when the Lord opens our eyes to see how great he has made another? Do we turn into Samuels or Sauls?

Selah

Please permit me to also mention this.

Consider carefully, whom you’d be willing to take a javelin for (1 Samuel 20:33).

I speak of friendships.

David’s friendship with Jonathan so much angered Saul that he did not hesitate to throw a javelin right at his son. And yet, Jonathan was ready to give up his life for his friend.

A quick question, please:

Should you find yourself in trouble today, how many friends can you call on to pray with and for you?

In accessing Saul’s story, what could he have done to salvage his situation?

1. Instead of continuously fighting David, he could have focused on repairing his broken relationship with God.
2. He could have drawn David closer to himself and nurtured him. After all, when a disciple/protege succeeds, has the master/mentor also not succeeded?
3. He should have dealt with his issues of insecurity and cowardise instead of fighting an innocent person.

My conclusion is this:

Personally, I think that aside being a coward, one of the reasons why Saul failed in his leadership was because he did not go through process. The Kingship was handed down to him with little to no readiness or preparedness. He had so many opportunities from God to right his wrongs yet, he chose to pursue his personal interests. Thus, process or the wilderness period is necessary. The wilderness forms your character and shapes you for what lies ahead. Any man who wants to do well in life, must learn to accept process.

Selah…

© 2021 Amy Kasim Ministries