The LORD saved

Likewise, when all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they too followed hard after them in the battle. So the LORD saved Israel that day. And the battle passed beyond Beth-aven.
1 Samuel 14:22-23

This is an interesting account. God used one man to run off an entire army and to rally God's people to action. That man was Saul's son, Jonathan. This was a case where one man's faith was rewarded by God. Jonathan is tired of the state of Israel. At the beginning of chapter 14, all of Israel, including king Saul have taken to hiding in caves from the threats of the Philistines. And it appears that the Philistines have taken the high ground in battle.

Jonathan decides, with his armor-bearer, in trust to God, to take one the Philistines single-handedly. He climbs up the rocks to get to the high ground and when the Philistines taunt him as he climbs, he takes it as a sign from God that victory is assured! When he reaches them, he strikes them just as God sends an earthquake. The Philistine ranks are thrown into such confusion that in the haste to escape, they begin fighting off one another. Israel sees what is going on, and Saul hastily rallies his troops to drive off the confused pagans. The result is a great victory for the nation.

The key to understanding what happened is to know that the Lord saved Israel. He used one valiant man to get it going. He moved His people to follow in the wake of what God was doing. And in that day, God was glorified by providing the means for Israel to be established. The Philistines fled to their own territory and once again God brought peace.

This moment also served to help establish Saul's leadership, even though the text is clear to point out that Saul's leadership was spotty at best. He was not a strong leader. 1) He did not start the battle, his son did. Saul was quick to take advantage, but not a great one to start something daring. 2) Saul was also a rash leader. In the heart of the battle he forbade Israel from taking food. His hungry troops thus did not fight as fiercely as they could have done. 3) He rashly threatens to kill his own son, Jonathan, the true leader of the battle because he did eat some honey, even though he did not hear the command from his father. 4) He lets the people over rule his order to execute Jonathan, showing himself to be the populist that he was. 5) At the end of the battle, Saul's strategy was to surround himself with men he perceived as brave or valiant, perhaps to enhance his appearance as a leader.

What Saul missed was the little insight in the middle of the story: The Lord saved Israel. Saul could have been a fine instrument of God's choosing. instead, he tried to make something of himself that he was not, and the result would be more disappointment in his story.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

taking matters in my own hands

And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever."
1 Samuel 13:13

Society may admire self sufficiency. But that is not the kind of thing that brings spiritual strength. In fact, as evidenced by Saul, it is highly destructive. Saul got impatient. He wanted to do the right thing (offer a sacrifice to the LORD before a major military engagement), but he did it in a wrong way (not waiting for God's priest, Samuel, to arrive to properly offer the sacrifice). The result was this foolish act. The king himself performed the sacrifice.

God saw this for the sin it was, and Samuel quickly reprimanded Saul for his hasty disobedience. It cost him the future of the kingdom. It is true that Saul continued to reign for some time, but after this foolish act, God decreed that his kingdom would not last. There would be no dynasty from Saul's line. His was a dead-end future, because of his haste to take spiritual matters into his own hands.

The lesson here is that waiting on God is a good thing. And we can sin by being impulsive... even impulsive in a "good thing". It was good to want to honor God by sacrifice. But ultimately, it was disrespectful to do so in a manner that showed no regard for His Law. We cannot take just the parts of a relationship with God that we want. We have to take all the obedience God demands of us. This is why Christians are warned against things like neglecting to assemble together with other believers, making light of the significance of the Lord's Table, and not paying attention to the careful teaching, and learning, from God's Word.

Faith is humble submission. It is that simple... and that difficult. Any time I take control, humble submission does not mark my life. It is hard not to want to take things in my own hands. But the consequences of doing so are severe, painful, and warn me to watch my own heart.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

For His great name's sake

For the LORD will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself.
1 Samuel 12:22

I think I direct the outcome of my life
I am Invictus
I am the master of my fate

Nothing could be a bigger destructive lie
than autonomy
that walks through broad gate

In truth God is in control even of the cast of the die
I may experience
benefit... loss... early or late

From the moment of death until I will die
For His glory
my life is lived for His great name's sake


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

where credit is due

But Saul said, "Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has worked salvation in Israel."
1 Samuel 11:13

Saul's first military engagement as king of Israel is a roaring success as it is blessed by God. When the Ammonites threaten the citizens of Jabesh-gilead, Saul sends a request for troops throughout the land and 330,000 men respond to the call. Saul devises a military strategy to fight Ammon and God blesses the efforts. The Ammonites are defeated, and Saul's prestige among the people begins to take root. His kingdom really is established in the victory of this battle.

After the battle, Saul's victorious army wants to punish those who ever doubted Saul's ability to lead. But this is not a time to vindicate a man. It is a time to celebrate what God had done. And Saul wisely lets God get the glory for the deliverance on that day. Had he chosen to use this chance to go after his political naysayers, he would have began his reign in tyranny. Instead, Saul focuses on God. And this worship of God after the battle kept Israel focused on the better spiritual results of the kingdom.

It is refreshing to see Saul give God the credit that is due Him. He knew the Lord had won the battle. He is really humble early in his story. When news of the Ammonite threat reaches him, Saul is not sitting in a tent or a kingly palace. He is out plowing a field with a yoke of oxen! He was the farm boy king. His first response was to surrender this situation to God. He immediately takes the very oxen he was plowing with to an altar and sacrifices them. He knows that God must be in this endeavor. God certainly blessed that devotion. That is why Saul could not take credit for what God had done in him.

I want to live a life that points toward God. My self wants recognition, achievement, and credit. And the church can be a subtly sinister place of selfishness with its leaders. I see it with pastors and teachers who put more emphasis on the size of the church in their resume, than the service to the church that God requires of them. It is all about books they write, and then it might be books about them. It out to be about the Book they are humbly preaching. It is a shift towards taking some of the credit. That will lead toward a false focus. Then it is about Christian celebrity. But that is not the leadership example left by Saul in this passage. It would do me good to remember than when I start thinking of my life in terms of achievement or self-promotion. God gets the worship and the credit and the praise!


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

getting what you want

And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"
1 Samuel 10:24

Although this was a new and joyous celebration in Israel, it was not necessarily a good thing. Israel has rejected God in favor of a human king to govern them (1 Samuel 10:18-19). God makes it clear through Samuel that this new king, Saul, though God's "choice" would be less than an ideal leader. Part of me wonders if these words made Saul so shy about the kingship. When his name is chosen in the convocation, he is so reluctant to come forward that they find him hiding "among the baggage" (1 Samuel 10:22).

The early account of Saul is interesting. He has a strong commitment to family when he meets Samuel and is anointed king. Once anointed by the priest/prophet, he does not tell anyone. He even hides the fact from his own family. And once he is brought before the nation, he is again quite shy. He is received enthusiastically, yet even at the end of the chapter, we are aware that there is already a coalition of "worthless fellows" who doubt his ability to lead the nation.

I believe the story told here is so full of contrast because of the warning that God gave to the nation. He told them that a king would be a burden to them, as well as a leader. He told them that the establishment of a monarchy at this time was a direct rejection of God as their true King. And yet the people persisted. Eventually God would give them what they wanted, and Saul, the ambivalent Benjamite would be their king. Getting what we want is not always a great thing, as evidenced in this story.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

beginning well

As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God."
1 Samuel 9:27

The relationship between Saul and Samuel is unusual in the Old Testament. It marks a unique transition. Samuel is the last of the judges. Samuel is a priest. Samuel is a prophet. Saul is the first of the kings. We see a transition taking place. The emphasis was still vital that God's Word guide the direction of Israel. And Samuel begins there with Saul. He wants to make known to him the Word of God.

Leadership provides direction, but it requires direction, perhaps a better word might be "directives". True leaders have guiding principles and philosophies that dictate their leadership. Samuel wanted to be clear with Israel's first king that the Word of God must be that directive. And Saul begins very well in this sovereign encounter.

I have always found this story a bit amusing. Saul is on a quest for lost donkeys. He did not focus his life anything beyond that goal at this time. And in the middle of searching for these lost beasts, God interrupts this farm boy with a bigger calling. It had to come as a shock. He had been unprepared for it. But the text makes it clear that Saul was God's choice. Sovereign leadings of God will bring all events together for His glory.

I am impressed that the story of Saul begins so well. It is encouraging to see him spending time with the man of God, listening to the Word of God. The world would be a better place if more leaders did so.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

saying "No!" to God

But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, "No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."
1 Samuel 8:19-20

The Israeli monarchy began with the nation in rebellion against God. Samuel attempted to create his own "dynasty" by appointing his sons as judges. His sons, however, did not share his character and commitments and defaulted to bribery and self-satisfaction with their offices. The people immediately turned to Samuel with a simple solution: Appoint a king over all of Israel.

Samuel knew that the motivation behind the request was not in conformance with the will of God. He went to the Lord, and God told him to give in to the request, but first with a prophetic warning about what the monarchy would do to the people. They heard Samuel's words and yet still chose to continue in their request for a king. It is clear that this is more than just dissatisfaction with Samuel or his sons. This is a desire to have something that everyone else has. It is driven by a desire to be like the rest of the nations. It would be cool to have a king.

The ESV translation is emphatic. The people "refused to obey" Samuel's warning. The first word in answer to him is: "No!" The exclamation point strongly punctuates their refusal to heed the warning from God. They don't care about the potential consequence. They are driven by want for something, and this desire does not consider the spiritual consequences. They were ultimately saying "No" to God.

This story stands as a warning to me. I need to consider that really, any time that I am driven by my own strong personal desire, I am saying "No" just as strongly. The Christian life is one of submission and surrender to the Lordship of Christ. It allows God's thoughts to direct my every choice. It analyzes the culture around me in the light of God's Word. It says "Yes" to God's warnings and direction and "No" to anything that does not align with that. It is foolish for me to live any other way.



- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13