Samuel,
a great prophet of Yahweh, was known as one of the last judges of Israel. He was considered honorable with a good
reputation in the land. He had the opportunity to pass down a few good things
to Saul, his mentee. Samuel was also
referred to as a “seer”. He could “see” supernaturally the contents of Saul’s
heart. He could see Saul’s destiny.
Saul was to become Israel’s first king. I've read commentaries that said that Saul
was a handsome guy who had a certain level of charisma and charm. The word on the streets was that the ladies
wanted to holler at Saul. After all, his
family was also prominent; yet Saul appeared to be modest about his background.
Saul looked up to Samuel as his spiritual mentor, as Samuel
was considered to be anointed from birth.
Similarly to Jesus and his disciples, Saul was devoted to Samuel and
served in a significant role. After all, in
1 Samuel 9, God specifically leads Saul to Samuel. (There was a donkey or three
involved). They were destined to cross paths and to walk together with
Yahweh and the people of Israel. Saul’s name even meant, “asked
of God”.
As time went on, Saul’s other characteristics began to
show. He was impatient, short-tempered, jealous,
and disobedient. He couldn't take
criticism. Saul’s behavior hurt Samuel
so much that the word says that Samuel mourned Saul…even though Saul was yet
alive. Saul had great promise, but his
ego was out of order. Saul’s ego later
shows itself in his behavior toward his own mentee, David. These two relationships have shown the classic
battle between the older order and the new order, the tradition and the
contemporary movement. I read somewhere
that Saul was referred to as “a Moses who went wrong”.
Coming under and remaining under authority is a difficult
task. It is one that I have struggled
with often because of my innate leadership ability and strong personality. The reality is that being in authority is not
an easy task either. There is a certain
level of responsibility for the people under the authority and a whole
different level of accountability to God.
Don’t let your ego take you out of the protection of and favor
with God because you refuse to submit to authority. The word of God says:
Romans 13:1-3
13 Let everyone be subject
to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which
God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.2 Consequently,
whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has
instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For
rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do
you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right
and you will be commended.
If you find yourself at odds with the authority figures
in your life, intercede on their behalf and pray for them; then pray for
yourself. You are responsible for
setting a godly example for how you respond to such matters because others are
watching. God will handle them if they are out of order. But if you plant those types of good
seeds, rather than seeds of discord and strife, then you will know how to
respond when YOU become the authority – just as Samuel was over Saul. Your time is coming!
The
Lord Rejects Saul as King
35 Until the day Samuel died,
he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord regretted that he had made
Saul king over Israel.
Thanks, needed this.
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