February 28

Day 261: It's Not Saul

Every high school has a Saul. Every college too. You remember the guy. Loud, extroverted, center of attention. Commanded the lunchroom. Often demeaning toward others. Homecoming King. BMOC.

I remember meeting a kid at Thunder Mountain HS whose name is Saul. I almost burst out laughing. Very nice kid, though. Didn't fit the descriptors above.

The people of Israel forgot their King. This King had led them out of Egypt. This King had given them a homeland they hadn't worked for. This King later gave warrior judges to help them against their neighboring enemies.

But all the while, and in spite of a rich history of salvations, the people thought themselves without leadership. They had forgotten their King. And if other nations had a king, why not they?

So (in 1 Samuel 8-12) they ask the King for a king. And God gives them Saul. Big, tall, good looking Saul. Saul was what they all thought a king should be. But inside, Saul was a frightened little boy.

Pro tip: There are a lot of Sauls who come off externally qualified, competent and confident. But like Saul, a lot of leaders are frightened little boys.

A lot of Sauls live in fear of not knowing the answer to the next question. A lot of Sauls dread making a wrong or unpopular decision, hoping not to have to make a decision at all. And in government (or church), a lot of Sauls are frightened of the very people they are supposed to lead.

God the King gave His people what they asked for. But it came with a warning, a certified prediction. God tells them Saul will get rich off of the people. This Saul would oppress his own nation.

"And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day."

God the King did not say He would abandon His people. He had chosen them to be His. But He did say He wouldn't help them against the king they all wanted so bad. Essentially saying, "You'll regret getting what you asked for."

Because God the King was the rejected One. They wanted to dislodge the real King, and replace Him with a Saul.

We read about Saul, and wonder how they could have done such a thing. But we do the very same. We are quite prone to look for and then install our own Sauls as king.

It might be an elected official, or the political platform he/she embodies. It might be a pastor on a global stage. It might even be the person we hope will be the perfect spouse for us.

Because we are all quite prone to look for and then install our own Sauls as king. And more often than not, the Saul we've installed is the person we see each day in the mirror.

Sunday mornings are our opportunity to again confess and renounce our Sauls. And how we've forgotten our true King. We sing praises to Him. We read His Word to know His heart and His will. We pray to our King. Because we need to remember again Who the King really is.

And it's not Saul, whoever Saul may have been for us this past week.