Being Saul

“Being Saul” (1 Samuel 8)

Everytime I read this part of the history of Israel, I feel bad for Saul. First, he didn’t really ask to be king, but when called to be king, he tried to be the best king he knew how to be. He didn’t have any examples before him in Israel, since he was the first king.

He tried to rely on Samuel , the great judge and prophet of Israel. But, Samuel was against Israel having a king from the start, as God had always appointed a judge to lead the people. A judge in those days was like a prophet and priest as well as a judge.

But, as we read, the people were tired of being led by a priest and prophet; they wanted a king like the other nations around them. They wanted someone more like a general, who had a palace. Prophets like Samuel didn’t have palaces.

But, I keep thinking about Saul,and how things started falling apart for him during his reign. It seems like Samuel won’t show up when Saul needs him, and it seems like Samuel is just looking for a reason to condemn Saul and replace him. God seems to abandon Saul as well, as no Word of the Lord comes to Saul. Saul begins to lose his mind, it seems, and then comes David, who is taken into the royal household, especially after David’s miraculous victory over the giant Philistine warrior, Goliath. And, David is trusted by Saul, even playing music to sooth Saul’s nerves. But, soon it becomes clear to Saul that David is overtaking him in popularity, and may replace him as king.

In the end, Saul dies in battle and David becomes king, a very successful king, whom God favors.

But, I want to think about the first king of Israel today: King Saul. Sometimes in this life, we are called to serve in roles that don’t fit who we are. Sometimes the role we serve in is a burden we endure for a time. It was that way for Saul. He seemed to try to bear the role responsibly, but he just wasn’t cut out for it. And, God allowed him to fail as king.

That is the way of life often. We somehow find ourselves playing a position we aren’t good at, we aren’t suited for, and it is frustrating. And, often when we find our way to a role that is not meant for us, to a relationship that is not meant for us, to a way of living that is not right for us, we feel a sense of frustration and failure. Like a golfer trying to play football, it just doesn’t work. Like a carpenter trying his hand at neurosurgery,we just end up in the wrong place at times in life. Like a city boy trying be a farmer, or a country boy trying to be an urbanite. It is just wrong.

And, we all need to find our way to something that is right. Where we can grow and blossom in our living. We need a place where we can come to understand what our real strengths are, and also understand what our real weaknesses are. Poor ole Saul. He seemed to have been chosen because he was better looking than anyone else. But, that doesn’t go too far when it comes to figuring out how to run a nation,lead an army,resolve disputes between nations.

Saul didn’t seek out the kingship. It seemed to seek him out as the will of the people was expressed. Saul was made king to satisfy the people. But, David was chosen to be king to satisfy God.

And, I guess that might be a good thing to focus on here. Saul became king because the people wanted him to be king. Now, as the scripture tells us: God told Samuel the prophet to let the people have what they wanted. But, it was not what God wanted.

That is one thing to worry about: God will stand aside at some point and let us do what we want even if what we want is destructive and unholy. Of course, God pleads with us, works with us, calls to us for a long time before he stands aside and says: well, if you are so deadset on foolishness, go ahead. That’s what God did in Israel. They wouldn’t listen to his prophets, so he finally said: “I’ll let you be like other nations, and be led by and king, and you will end up being made into slaves in your own country.” And, it came to pass in the time of Solomon that the people were made into servants of the royal power.

This story of Saul shows that where we are seeking to please people, to do the will of people, then we have no real center and no real guidance. If we choose to serve humans and not God, then our lives can spin out of control. In your life, there are always going to be pressures from people to get you to be this way or that, to do this thing or that. But, I want to invite you to step aside from those pressures and start thinking about what God would have you to do, who God would have you to be. That is what I am asking you to begin taking seriously right now.

Saul was the one the people wanted. His kingship was a failure. Maybe he should have protested when Samuel tried to anoint him king. Maybe Saul should have asked the holy prophet: “Do you think God really wants a king?” I don’t know. Maybe it was Saul’s fate if there is such a thing as that.
If you are living a life that seems to be falling apart over and over again, its likely that you are living out a life chosen for you by people, and not a life chosen for you by God.

Now, I didn’t say that everything is perfect in a life chosen by God. I didn’t say you will all the sudden have no financial trouble or illness or conflict if you walk in a life set out for you by God.

But, what I am will say is this: When you get where you care more about pleasing God than people, you will start getting somewhere as a person. Your mind will clear up; your heart will begin to feel free; your body will begin to feel alive and rested. When you start really looking to see what God wants you to do, you quit worrying about what others want you to do. And, you start really doing for others what they need. When you start finding out what God wants you to do and who God is calling you to be, you won’t have to be looking to others to assure you that you are worth something or that you are worth loving or worth respecting. When you start listening to God as the one Lord of your life, you will hear God’s assurance in your soul and feel God’s assurance in your body. For our God is the one who has said: “I will not leave you or forsake you. For I have loved you since you were born, and I will receive you in my arms when you die. You are my child. I am your father. I am with you now, and I will have you with me always.”
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.