“But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king” (1 Samuel 8:6, 7 NIV).
“GIVE US A KING LIKE THE NATIONS”
The people’s choice of Saul as their king did not come as a change of their hearts…It merely revealed their hearts. Israel was called by God to be a distinct nation and yet they fell prey to the temptation of the other nations round about. They judged things by the natural, cultural appearances rather than from the heavenly perspective. Although they were trained for battle, they did not want to take their part in defeating their enemies. They were called to be God’s Army. And yet…they wanted someone (Other than God) to fight their enemies for them.
HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE THE REST
Saul was chosen by the people because He was head and shoulders above his brothers. They forgot that the LORD is not impressed with the stature of man. He is with those who are “lowly and humble of heart”. Part of the strategy of spiritual warfare for the believer is to “Cast down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Jesus Christ”.
ANOINTED BUT NOT QUALIFIED
It was not as if Saul was entirely bad or unsuited. Rather he was not proven albeit anointed. He still was given the chance(by God)to prove he was qualified. Under his anointing there were a few victories over God’s enemies. But the moment came when he disqualified himself. The pressure of leadership and the unsurrendered self-life brought those unhealed character flaws once again to the surface. He became impatient with God and His directives through Samuel. He “forced“ himself by yielding to the people’s pressure and presumed to function as a priest, offering the sacrifice ahead of the prophet Samuel’s appearance. Again,he disobeyed God’s orders by not destroying all the sheep & sparing Agag the king of the Amalakites, of whom God warned Joshua that they would be a perpetual enemy to His people. Finally, we see that under Saul’s leadership that the kingdom of God was not established in the earth. Rather Saul had determined to make his son,Jonathan, heir apparent to the throne. (Unfortunately, the spirit of Saul is alive and well in many religious circles). What does God announce to the prophet Samuel after Saul had disqualified himself from being a true king under God’s Lordship? That He will replace Saul with another “who is better than he”.
KINGDOM PARADOX
The scriptures seem to give us a paradoxical lesson through another Saul, Saul of Tarsus. He started with many of the traits of his predecessor. He had all the markings of one who was,as it were, “head and shoulders” above the rest. Ironically, He was a descendant of king Saul, a Benjamite. He wrote: “Although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, (Philippians 3:4-8 NASB) What made the difference? How did Saul the proudest of men become Paul the meekest of men? His encounter with the true King of Israel, Jesus the Messiah. In his own words: “I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood”(Galatians 1:14-16 NASB).
INWARD VISION
Saul of Tarsus was transformed by a true vision of the King. His vision of the Messiah outwardly gave way to a deeper revelation of Him inwardly. That vision was one of a new reality, a vision of Christ Jesus and the Way of the Cross. He writes, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20 NASB).
VISION AND PURPOSE
Saul of Tarsus let the vision of the Cross have it’s perfect way in him. It was the eternal vision of what the Father had planned before time began. It had been a mystery but now was revealed. “The mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”(Colossians 1:26, 27 NASB). With that vision ever before him, Saul of Tarsus became “Brother Paul”. He thus was able to fulfill his God-given mission in life. Recall him having been arrested by Rome and put on trial for his missional activity he dares to proclaim before king Agrippa, “I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision”(Acts 26:19 NASB). So…Which “Saul” are you? Saul, the people’s choice; head and shoulders above others, moving under natural, carnal zeal and religious reasoning? Or, Saul, the Lord Jesus’ chosen servant; moving and serving under the vision of the Cross and soon coming King?
(c) Copyright 2013, Walter Fletcher Jr. All rights reserved. This article may be copied free of charge provided that it is not altered in anyway from its original content. Please address all correspondence to: Walterfletcherjr@gmail.com
Messenger On The Bridge 