Week of April 13

“He had it all,” as we say, “then lost it all.” Humanly speaking, Saul had everything that people prize in a leader. He was kingly in appearance, a strong military strategist, and popular with the people. He fits a common leadership misconception; namely, that leaders are born, and their charisma wins the approval and following of their people. My how things never seem to change! We often choose our leaders for similar reasons, don’t we?

Our focal passage today demonstrates the contrasting view. God looks for something different in a leader. Saul was a spiritual rebel and did not adhere to the Lord’s word, so God rejected him as Israel’s leader. We may argue that Saul did not have a predecessor, so how was he to know how a king should conduct himself? But this is not the point here. This is about the heart. Let’s discover the evidence that Saul’s heart was not right and learn from his mistakes.

Every leadership situation has a context, so we do not want to skim past this section of material. The setting and stresses will expose flaws in a leader’s character. All these people and places held moral meaning in Saul’s day, just as they do in our day. The fledgling monarchy faced an immediate need to secure its boundaries. It needed to expel the Philistines from the central part of the country and reclaim what had formerly been a religious center in Geba (13:3; cf. Joshua 21:7; NAC). This would provide the nation with the centralized religious leadership that was lacking. The major “traffic arteries,” as I will describe them, had to be secured (13:2). Saul needed to cut off the travel routes the Philistines would surely take to maintain their hold on the nation. He also needed an army, which he “drafted” into service (13:2). 

Every good general not only knows his troop strength and plans for victory, but he also will plan for the counterattack that will likely come. Saul may have underestimated this part of the plan to secure Israel, but there was a more pressing question. How would the king accomplish this goal? Think of your own life and the challenges you face. What are your resources and who provides the counsel for your plans to succeed?

A heart for God and His word. Israel’s religion was based upon revelation from God. This spiritual lesson is a key one to learn. Saul had been given instructions to go down to Gilgal where he was to wait seven days for Samuel to arrive (cf. 1 Samuel 10:8). First, Saul committed the sin of rejecting God’s divine word. Secondly, he took the word of God and added further instructions to it. This moral blunder is as old as the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 3:3, “neither shall you touch it”). He laid additional requirements upon the Israelite soldiers that went beyond the words God had given in the Torah (cf. 1 Samuel 14:24; NAC). Saul showed quickly that he lacked the required moral character to lead Israel successfully. 

Trust God’s leadership. We very often plot and plan our lives as though we can “see infinitely into the future.” I certainly believe that planning is useful, because it does help us to live and flourish. We steer off course, however, when in our planning we overlook the fact that we are finite and are not able to see every consequence of our plans and subsequent actions (cf. 13:3-4; “the Philistines heard of it” and “had become a stench”). Saul and Israel failed because good looks, a keen mind, and passion for one’s people are not good qualifications to be “God” (cf. 12:25; 13:14). Saul took spiritual matters into his own hands. He blamed his soldiers who were scattering, on Samuel who did not arrive at the set time, and on the Philistines who were assembling at Michmash (13:11). He literally tried to gain the Lord’s favor through his disobedience. In Saul’s case, the penalty was severe: his dynasty would end at his death and God was already seeking a leader whose heart would be obedient (13:14).

Everything that I have learned about fighting wasps, I have learned on the internet. I have an ongoing “battle with the bugs” at the Baptist Center’s offices. They are persistent pests, so I applied knowledge gleaned from Google and threw warm soapy water on their hive. It seemed like a good plan, but the problem was I did not anticipate the impact that clean but mad wasps would have on me! I had not contemplated all the possible consequences. It is a simple illustration, but I hope that my incomplete planning illustrates human finitude and the need for God’s assistance to live a truly flourishing life. I cannot stress enough the spiritual importance of placing God fully in control of our lives and seeking to obey Him with all our hearts. 

How like Adam was Saul! Both individuals were leaders, and both forfeited enduring legacies because they were willfully disobedient to God’s commands (cf. Genesis 3:1-19). They left God out of the planning and the process. Thankfully, God loves people like Adam and Saul (you and me, too!) and has offered a means by which we may become part of His Son’s enduring legacy (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:45-50). Praise God!

1. Notice the progression in Saul’s life. His house of cards was built to fail from the very beginning because God was only secondary to the design. Regardless of where you are in the life-building process, pause today and make a sincere commitment to turn your life and plans entirely over the eternal God.

2. I believe that successful decisions are made by asking one further question at the end of all the planning—“Then what?” In other words, when we have considered every human possibility and as many consequences as we may conceive, then we should ask, “Then what?” This two-word question opens the mind and heart to consider the eternal implications of our choices. Add this question to your plans today.

3. For Families: For our children and families, a basic application of this passage is that God is God and we are not. God is the one who decides how our lives should unfold, and He has all consequences and next steps firmly in hand.

If you have ordered something lately, maybe for Christmas, that contains a booklet of instructions, like something you had to assemble, or perhaps even an appliance manual, bring these to the table and ask your kids to join you.

Explain to them how you ordered your machine or appliance, and had to crack open the instruction manual in order to make sure you were putting it together, setting it up, and teaching yourself how to use it correctly. You had to read the instructions, step by step. Only a foolish person would think they know everything about all things, so as not to need the instructions.

Living with God is like that. We live well when we follow His instructions. Everything works best according to a certain plan, and we need our Creator to tell us our life instructions. God’s word helps us learn, as does prayer, and good sound leaders whose hearts belong to God. Encourage your kids to listen to Him rather than trying to live without His guidance! In doing so, they are becoming good leaders.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock