The Lord Rejects Saul

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

Let’s consider Saul’s Monument

1 Samuel 15

12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.”
13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the LORD. I have performed the commandment of the LORD.”

Saul was in great spirits! He had set up a monument for himself, and had performed the commandment of the LORD. What? Wait! What did that say? He set up a monument? For himself? Saul was riding high here, and this was a precursor to a great fall. Notice that King Saul blessed Samuel, as if he was some great spiritual giant, that could bless poor ol’ Samuel.

Hebrews 7:7 It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.

Notice also the story told to Samuel about Saul’s actions. “Turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal” That seems unnecessarily wordy, unless of course the narrator is speaking of Saul’s victory parade, and how he made the most of it. Who knows, but it does seem a bit odd.

Nevertheless, this short passage describes a man who is in rebellion, about to loose his kingdom, boasting of how great he is, full of self confidence and strutting about.

I suspect he was feeling like we sometimes do when we are oblivious to the truth of the situation. There is tremendous wisdom in a continual attitude of humility, willing to hear others as opposed to our own voices.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

We don’t have to wait to be humble. As a matter of fact, if we wait, it might not be our choice and the humbling may be far worse! Notice that it is a choice, or James wouldn’t have told us to “humble ourselves”. It is just not our nature to bend, and we have to understand that if we are going to have any victory.

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