Day 20 of 90 - 1 Samuel 9-1 Samuel 20:17

Day 20 - COMPLETE!

On Day 20, we examined 1 Samuel 9-1 Samuel 20:17, and I have never had as many notes and “spiritual epiphanies” as I had today. But I really want to be practical this week, so I’m pointing to verses that most might overlook, in the hopes that we can humanize these biblical characters and see ourselves in them.

Now I don’t know how you’ve been taught to look at Saul, but I’ve only ever seen Saul through the lens of his mistakes. I’ve only seen Saul as a pre-cursor to David. The sermon typically goes, Saul was first, BUT DAVID, now THAT was the king. Saul, then, becomes the appetizer to a main course, or his role in our sermons, are reduced to the protagonist that incites a climax of some sort, before the real “hero” takes the baton and carries us to the finished line. But this time, when I read 1 Samuel, I paid attention to who Saul was before he messed up. Saul was a regular guy. He was respectful, humble, giving, and really tall. He stood out, so he had that “kingly” appeal, but I think I forgot two simple things about him. He was the first to do it, and he reigned as king for 42 years. That is major for a lot of reasons. As the first King to do it, he was prone to mess up. He had no template; no one to compare his job to; he didn’t have a job description or a handbook. He was also selected because the people wanted a king, not because he wanted to be one. He’s found in the beginning of his story, looking for some lost donkeys; not knowing his entire life is about to shift. In a way, he reminds me of a child protege who becomes famous too soon, and now he’s managing a success he never imagined he’d have.

On top of that, his tenure wasn’t tentative. He was king for 42 years. And that’s a long time when you think about it. I always thought that he was King for a quick second, then he half-obeyed God, and was fired; then David came along and saved the day. But technically, Saul was king longer than David (40 years). Now let’s go really practical here. How old are you right now? What has changed about you over the last 20 years? Would you make the same decisions you made 20 years ago about love, leadership, and money? NO! So why do we judge Saul so harshly when he literally fell into a kingship he didn’t expect, became comfortable and maybe a little entitled over time, and because he was first, that also meant he didn’t think there would be a second. This leads me to my final point. Obedience would be easy if the requirements were short-term. True obedience is commitment until the end—not the honeymoon stages of love, but 40 years later, can you still be faithful? Will you still come home at night? Can you still preach with vigor?

Lesson- have a little grace with “Saul’s”. Over time, he might’ve let his position get to his head. But if it were me, I might’ve done the same. He was 30, which is young. But he was also the first. It’s hard being the first to do anything because you are judged for everything. Lord, help us not to judge. Help us to cover and pray.