In
1 Samuel 31 you can read the account of how King Saul died at the
point of his own sword. Driven to suicide as the seemingly
indomitable force of the Philistines marched against him. How
disheartening it must have been for King Saul to watch as his army
fled before the Philistines. How overwhelming and torturous to watch
his own sons being killed before his very eyes. How uncharacteristic
of a mighty man of valor to have to make the ultimate retreat by
falling on his own sword...Yet, what could he do? He had no hope,
for he had squandered it on his own presumptions! His own self
serving arrogance had taken him down a dead end road. Proverbs 14:12
says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is
the way of death". Various times during his reign, King Saul
had opted to follow his gut instead of God! Consequently, King Saul
lost his anointing, his kingdom, and his life. Chosen from all the
men of Israel, as the one to bear the greatest authority. Taken from
amongst the many. Individually set apart for service unto God, King
Saul died a lonely, cowardly man. No man in Israel had been given
more HOPE than King Saul! He had been honored in the most gallant
way. He had been set above all other men. He had even been
physically gifted, being head and shoulders taller than any other
man! Unfortunately, he forgot who set him there, falling for the one
who had "set him up"! He failed to keep his focus on the
source of his success. He took matters that should have been taken
to God, into his own hands. Therein lay his destruction. His HOPE
ended when he hoped in himself. He became delusional and irrational.
He sought to kill a boy who had "shown him up". He began
to deal with situations based on his emotions, prodded on by his
king sized ego! When faced with the truth, he did what most
politicians do, he claimed innocence. He lied to God and himself by
saying, "I have obeyed the voice of the Lord", knowing
full well that he had not carried out the instructions completely!
He denied his obvious sin, blaming it on the people, saying that they
took of the plunder! He also tried to turn his sin into a gift, by
asserting that the best sheep and oxen had been taken by the
people to offer as a sacrifice unto God in Gilgal! ONLY after
being told by Samuel that God had rejected him as king, did Saul
admit he had sinned. The act that lead to his loss of hope, and
eventual suicide can be identified in 1 Samuel 15:24, "I have
sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your
words, because I feared the people and obeyed THEIR voice". He
had been anointed King by God. God had given him the ultimate
authority. He in turn allowed the people to lead him, instead of
leading them by following God himself! So often, people get things
mixed up spiritually. They begin to follow their emotions. They
begin to allow their ego to determine important decisions. In
effect, they summarily put their own head in the noose that Satan
has fashioned for them. Could King Saul have been obedient to God?
Could he have followed the instructions of the Lord completely? Yes,
or God wouldn't have given him the opportunity to do so! What about
us?! Can we be obedient to God? Can we follow the instructions of
the Lord completely? Yes, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we
can!
Now
to the more positive portion of this article. There is a story of
Paul and Silas in prison at the midnight hour. They were in the
deepest, darkest part of the prison at midnight. You know what they
were doing?! They were praying, and singing hymns to the Lord! Their
focus was completely on glorifying God at ALL cost! What came next
was great. An earthquake shook the prison. The doors of the prison
flew open! All the chains fell off of the prisoners! The prison
keeper awoke seeing the open cell doors, and lost all hope. He knew
they would escape, and he would be held responsible. He drew his
sword and started to commit suicide. Then something powerful and
awesome took place...the impartation of HOPE! "Hope - to
cherish a desire for something with some expectation of obtaining
it." "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) Paul yelled out,
"Do yourself no harm, for we are ALL here!" Hope flooded
into the prison keeper's heart! He called for a light...not to check
each cell...but to see Paul and Silas...to ask how to be saved! In
that dark moment, the light from heaven shined into a prison cell!
In that dark moment, when all hope seemed lost, there were two men
glorifying God at ALL cost! In that dark moment, when death seemed
the best retreat, life abundant was found at those prisoners' feet!
They told the jailer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
you will be saved, you and your household. Then they spoke the word
to him and to all who were in his house. And he took and them the
same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he
and and ALL his family were baptized." I believe the prisoners
were also saved! Those hopeless men, condemned to captivity were
listening according to verse 25 of Acts 16! Paul and Silas didn't
know what was going to happen! They were merely living outwardly
what they believed inwardly! God, on the other hand knew what would
take place! He knew there would be a defining moment for the jailer
when the earthquake opened the cells and shook loose the chains! He
knew! That's why it is so important to keep our focus on the LORD,
no matter our circumstances! That's why Saul ended in such a dismal
way! His focus had gone from God to people! His hope was in what the
people wanted! Not Paul and Silas! Their hope was ONLY in the Lord!
As a matter of fact, the reason they were in prison in the first
place was because they sought to glorify God in spite of what man
thought! Man didn't like it! Big deal! God ALWAYS holds the trump
card! And He will play it at just the right time...if we are patient
and obedient! Paul put it succinctly in Romans 5:1-5, 1
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2
through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which
we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3
And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing
that tribulation produces perseverance; 4
and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been
poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to
us." Why did Saul go crazy? Why did he end in ruin? Because he
lost his peace, when his faith was no longer in God, but in man! At
which point he lost hope, and his last stand, became his last fall.
In Christ, no matter how weak we may seem to those on the
"outside", we are STRONG! Remember, His strength is made
perfect in our weakness...NOT our strength! Saul, as many subsequent
kings on this earth, thought higher of himself than he ought. He
relied upon man's wisdom, which is nothing more than folly dressed
up in fancy clothes! He believed in himself and the wishes of
others. Proverbs 9:10-12 says, "The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is
understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of
life will be added to you. If you are wise, you are wise for
yourself, and if you scoff, you will bear it alone". I'm sure
that King Saul felt lonely as he bore the magnitude of what his
pathetic faith, or lack thereof had caused. As he felt his own sword
plunge into his body, he knew why. Just as when Paul and Silas were
delivered from prison...they knew. It was all about God, and how
they had related to HIS WILL. How you will fair in this life is up
to you. The choice is yours. You can be a God pleaser and ultimately
win the hand with a "full house". Or you can be a man
pleasing self indulger who will ultimately lose with the suicide
kings. Until next time, be blessed with God's BEST!
Your
Partner in Ministry,
Greg McCowen
Covenant Life Fellowship - Lubbock
Church - (806) 771-4244
