[More thoughts about 1 Samuel 9]
There are tall and short fools. It so happened that Saul was a tall one. Outward
profile counts for little. Israel would
have to learn that when they rejected spiritual leadership and God as their
king and chose instead an empty-headed man, they were guaranteeing trouble for
themselves. It took years to rebuild and
reorganise Israel after Saul had ruined it.
When God sent Jesus he had no public status (his father was
a carpenter and he came from a down and out town called Nazareth). People weren’t
attracted to him by his handsome appearance (Isaiah 53.2 he had not form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty
the we should desire him.) But Jesus had the beauty and glory of God’s love
and grace and he possessed power to actually accomplish the will of God—not just
LOOK regal. Compare the British royal
family—they symbolise stability and power by their big palaces and rich
paraphernalia—but they don’t actually have power to do anything.
God gave Saul every opportunity to become a spiritual man
and receive the grace of God being extended to him—even though he had nothing
better to do than search for lost donkeys.
He gave him Samuel as a mentor. God also gave him a taste of the Holy
Spirit when he allowed him to join with the prophets as they praised God and
spoke his words. God gave him signs to
confirm that he was calling Saul. Saul needed to respond to these with faith.
But Saul didn’t actively receive the grace of God held out
to him. He was passive and quite
unresponsive. He let God’s blessings
fall on him like a warm shower or fragrant petals—but he did not respond
strongly and decisively. He never prayed like Mary prayed: “Look, I am the
servant of the Lord, let it be done to me just has you have promised.” Luke
1.38.
Saul was told that whatever his hand found to do—when the
Spirit came on him—he should get stuck in and do it. He hung back and took no initiative.
[There is a lot to think about here. How am I actively
receiving the grace and the promises of God—like a warm shower or as motivation
to ACT in faith?]
2 comments:
1 Samuel 9
Was Saul the right person for the job?
I suppose that we can't read chapter nine without knowing that Saul was going to turn out to be the wrong man for the job. We know the story! So when we read it we look for signs of personality traits in Saul, his spiritual attitude and his actions, to see what might have caused his failures further down the track.
But when the Lord was talking to Samuel he didn't tell him that Saul would fail, he tells him that he will accomplish good things through Saul. (vs 15-18) As far as Samuel knew Saul could develop into a good king! I'm not sure how the day they spent together went and how much they talked about, but I'm sure Samuel would have been trying to suss him out and understand why God had chosen Saul for the job of being King! He would also be thinking about God's description of how an oppressive King would act in chapter 8, and how that was going to play out. Samuel must have been really thinking hard about these things with this young man standing in front of him.
But none of the silly things with donkeys or bad character traits which we can see hinted in these chapters are 'sealing Saul's fate' as a failed servant of God. Now days we would say… "Oh i always knew he was a fake; that pretty-boy Saul, who can't make decisions by himself, who talks big but ends up hiding among the luggage when he gets frightened…hardly brave! (see chapter 10).
All of these bad character traits, all his fake-ness, or superficial attitudes or "dumb kid-ness!" could have been reworked and reformed and changed to become a servant of God. If Saul was tied to to his bad 'raw material' making up his personality then we are all in trouble, because in the end we are all fakes unless God breaths life into us and gives us a purpose in serving him. I remember Moses and how embarrassed and scared he was and yet God overcame this to make him the right person for the job.
The problem was that we can't see faith at work in Saul, to turn his character, his personality, fears, pride, over confidence etc. around. He didn't just need a better character or a more suitable skill set to be a king, he needed Faith to transform it all into something pleasing to God. He needed a desire to please God, and enjoy God to be anchored deeply in his life.
Recently, I have been thinking a lot about what it means to be the 'right man for the job' in the face of the many thing which seem to to say that I'm not.
L.
Saul needed to 'receive the grace of God'--which I think is what faith we do when we act by faith. We recognise the goodness of God when it shows up in some promise or opportunity and start thinking and acting in the assurance that it is genuine.
I think that is what Samuel meant when he said: 'do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you.' 10.7.
Seems to match Philippians 2.12,13: 'Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.'
And, 'faith without works is dead' James 2.14ff
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