A Word about Going Over to the Dark Side

 

Today I want to share a word about going over to the dark side as I comment on selected verses from 1 Samuel 20-28.

In our last episode, we saw that God had directed Samuel to anoint David to become king. We also saw that David’s destiny had changed, but by-and-large his day-to-day life had not changed. He was still his father Jesse’s youngest son, and David recognized that fact. He still tended his father’s sheep, and he still took lunch to his brothers.

For as long as Saul remained the king of Israel, David was a model of humble service to Saul, to the people of Israel, and to God. David did service without subversion both in the shadows and in the limelight, and he continued to serve God after he was driven off into the wilderness. David was content to be a model of humble service because Saul was still his king. 

Saul was still king, but he was struggling. He knew he had sinned against God, and that he had lost his destiny, and that his son Jonathan, with whom he was very close, would never become king over Israel. Even so, Saul could have repented and served his God and his people with honor until the end of his life. This is not what Saul did, however. He went over to the dark side.

The idea that we have a dark side to our spirits was a prominent theme of the Star Wars media franchise, so much so that a very popular meme appeared that is common across social media in various forms. This makes light of going over to the dark side by showing Darth Vader or the evil Emperor Palpatine proffering a plate of delicious looking cookies, saying, “Come to the dark side . . . we have cookies.” I can admire the wittiness of that meme while also knowing that evil is nothing to make fun with.

The idea that we must choose between good and evil did not begin with Star Wars, of course. An old Cherokee parable says that people have a fight going on inside their spirits. It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf is evil and the other wolf is good. The bottom line of this parable says that the wolf which wins is the one which you feed. We will see that Saul fed his evil wolf copious amounts of red meat. Let’s begin by reading 1 Samuel 20:30-34,

Then Saul became angry with Jonathan and shouted, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you are siding with Jesse’s son to your own shame and to the disgrace of your mother.  Every day Jesse’s son lives on earth you and your kingship are not secure. Now send for him and bring him to me—he must die!” Jonathan answered his father back, “Why is he to be killed? What has he done?” Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan to kill him, so he knew that his father was determined to kill David. He got up from the table fiercely angry and did not eat any food that second day of the New Moon, for he was grieved because of his father’s shameful behavior toward David.

Saul Fed His Dark Side Through Rage:

Anger is a natural human emotion. We all feel and express anger, although what angers us and how we express that anger varies considerably between people and also between situations. Usually, our anger is an example of our lack of control, but not always.

It is true that some anger is righteous anger. When someone else is being hurt, or when God’s name and cause is being slandered, it is only right that we should get angry. When Jesus cleared the Temple of the money changers, He explained His actions in Matthew 21:13,

He said to them, “It is written, my house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves!”

This action of Jesus was so out of character for Him that it has become another internet meme, which merges two separate thoughts: “If anyone ever asks you, ‘What would Jesus do?’ Remind him that flipping over tables and chasing people with a whip is within the realm of possibilities.” Again, I admire the wittiness of this meme, but it misses the point of what Jesus did. Jesus was defending His Father’s house and His reputation, He wasn’t just blowing His top. Paul taught us in Ephesian 4:26-27,

Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the devil an opportunity.

Saul/Paul wrote this sound counsel many years after Saul had been king, but his Old Testament namesake could have benefited from it. King Saul held onto his anger, he fed it, and it exploded one day into a fiery rage. When that day came, Saul nearly killed his own son, whom he loved. Unchecked anger is a dangerous thing.

Not many days before I wrote this, a minor car wreck in St. Louis, MO resulted in an argument between the drivers involved. This contention became so heated, that one of the drivers returned to his automobile, procured a firearm, and shot and killed the other driver. We must learn to be angry but to not sin, because the consequences of sinful anger are severe. 

Saul fed his anger, which burst out into a rage that pushed him further into the dark side of life. Next, let’s read 1 Samuel 22:9-19,

Then Doeg the Edomite, who was in charge of Saul’s servants, answered, “I saw Jesse’s son come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob. Ahimelech inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” The king sent messengers to summon the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub, and his father’s whole family, who were priests in Nob. All of them came to the king. Then Saul said, “Listen, son of Ahitub!” “I’m at your service, my lord,” he said. Saul asked him, “Why did you and Jesse’s son conspire against me? You gave him bread and a sword and inquired of God for him, so he could rise up against me and wait in ambush, as is the case today.” Ahimelech replied to the king, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David? He is the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard, and honored in your house. Was today the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Please don’t let the king make an accusation against your servant or any of my father’s family, for your servant didn’t have any idea about all this.”  But the king said, “You will die, Ahimelech—you and your father’s whole family!” Then the king ordered the guards standing by him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord because they sided with David. For they knew he was fleeing, but they didn’t tell me.” But the king’s servants would not lift a hand to execute the priests of the Lord. So the king said to Doeg, “Go and execute the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite went and executed the priests himself. On that day, he killed eighty-five men who wore linen ephods. He also struck down Nob, the city of the priests, with the sword—both men and women, infants and nursing babies, oxen, donkeys, and sheep.

Saul Fed His Dark Side Through Murder:

While Saul had a track record of being morose, difficult, and angry, his sinful actions reached a new darkness in this horrific event. Saul resorted to the cold-blooded murder of innocent people to try to achieve his own political survival. This will not be the last instance of premeditated murder in our study of the kings of Israel and Judah, but this homicidal act by Saul set the climate for others to follow in his steps.

Murder, as opposed to killing on the battlefield or as part of a judicial process, is always a sin. Murderers decide that it is time for another’s life to end, placing themselves in the role of God. No human born of a mother and father is God, and to place oneself in that position is the height of arrogance. That’s not the only factor in this massacre that makes it a heinous act, however. Saul went over the top in this spree of premeditated murder.

First, Saul accused Ahimelech of a motivation that he did not have. The priest had been misled by David, and he never had any intention to overthrow Saul’s reign. Ahimelech was as innocent of subversion and conspiracy as was David, yet Saul decided he must also die.

Next, not only did Saul kill an innocent person, but he also killed the representative of God on the earth. Priests stood between God and people to bring about reconciliation and forgiveness of sins, yet Saul did not honor that vital work. Saul struck at the very heart of the spiritual life of his people.

Even worse, Saul not only killed Ahimelech, but he also had many other priests and their entire families killed. He even had an entire city destroyed. Note that Saul’s own soldiers refused to conduct this massacre, and Saul had to enlist an Edomite to do his dirty work for him.

This incident reminds me of a story told by my professor in an undergraduate class. He was a former police officer and a former state trooper, and one day he was drinking in a bar when another patron took offense at him. The other man was both very large and very inebriated and he threatened to attack the professor and beat him. My professor, who was not so drunk as his challenger, looked at the other fellow coldly. He said, “Go ahead; take your best shot. You might hurt me this evening, but when I am well again, I will find you and burn down your house. Then I will kill your wife, your children, your parents, and any other person, animal, or thing you hold dear. Then I will come for you.” The drunk decided that this man was no one to trifle with, and so he moved on.

Whether or not my professor was simply bluffing or not, Saul meant what he had said, and his cold-blooded murder pushed him further into the dark side of life. Next, let’s read 1 Samuel 23:19-29,

Some Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Isn’t it true that David is hiding among us in the strongholds in Horesh on the hill of Hachilah south of Jeshimon?  So now, whenever the king wants to come down, let him come down. As for us, we will be glad to hand him over to the king.” “May you be blessed by the Lord,” replied Saul, “for you have shown concern for me. Go and check again. Investigate where he goes and who has seen him there; they tell me he is extremely cunning. Investigate all the places where he hides. Then come back to me with accurate information, and I’ll go with you. If it turns out he really is in the region, I’ll search for him among all the clans[of Judah.” So they went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness near Maon in the Arabah south of Jeshimon, and Saul and his men went to look for him. When David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. Saul heard of this and pursued David there.  Saul went along one side of the mountain and David and his men went along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away from Saul, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them. Then a messenger came to Saul saying, “Come quickly, because the Philistines have raided the land!” So Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to engage the Philistines. Therefore, that place was named the Rock of Separation. From there David went up and stayed in the strongholds of En-gedi.

Saul Fed His Dark Side Through Obsession:

For Saul, David became an obsession. David lived rent-free in Saul’s mind and soul, and he became Saul’s major focus in life. Obsession is the character traits of determination and focus misused. When people become obsessed, they lose touch with other important factors in life. Saul was not always an obsessed person, if he at times came close.

Remember back before Saul was anointed king? He had gone out with his servant to search for his father’s lost donkeys. He and his servant looked high and low, but they could not find them, and Saul came to the point when he was ready to give up the search. At that point, Saul was diligent and determined, but he was also rational and realistic. He could balance his search for the lost animals with his concern for his father, who probably had begun worrying about the safety of his son and his servant. Those days were gone, and Saul was now obsessed with David to the point that Israel became vulnerable to a Philistine attack. He was derelict in his duties to the nation because of his obsession. How can we avoid this mistake of feeding our dark side through obsession? 

First, we must recognize that some obsessions derive from medical conditions and these must be treated by medical means. To ignore this is to ignore how God’s creation has been affected by human sin. By that I don’t mean that someone who has a medical condition that causes obsessiveness is sinful, but that human sin has corrupted the perfect creation of God. Yet, God in His grace has given us modern medicine to address these medical conditions.  But, what about other obsessions, the ones which do stem from our sins? What do we do about those?

Jesus gave us a simple, yet profoundly powerful means to avoid feeding our dark side through obsession. In the Sermon on the Mount, He taught us this in Matthew 6:33,

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

Of course, we are limited and weak people, so we need God’s help to follow even this type of simple command. Blessedly, Paul told us in Romans 8:26 that God’s Spirit helps us in our weakness. Saul, however, cultivated his obsession, and that was another factor that pushed him toward the dark side.

Next, let’s read 1 Samuel 28:5-10,

The Philistines gathered and camped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel, and they camped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine camp, he was afraid and his heart pounded. He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him in dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets. Saul then said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and consult her.”  His servants replied, “There is a woman at En-dor who is a medium.” Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes and set out with two of his men. They came to the woman at night, and Saul said, “Consult a spirit for me. Bring up for me the one I tell you.”  But the woman said to him, “You surely know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you setting a trap for me to get me killed?”  Then Saul swore to her by the Lord: “As surely as the Lord lives, no punishment will come to you from this.”

Saul Fed His Dark Side Through Witchcraft:

In a previous episode, we saw how Samuel had delayed anointing Saul’s replacement, David, because Samuel was so fond of Saul. He simply could not let go of their past together. The same is apparently true of Saul. An old saying that describes why people can get into a rut in their lives is, “You go with what you know.” Saul had not progressed in his spiritual life, and in fact he had regressed. He was desperate for help, and he turned to his old mentor, Samuel.

While God does intend for His people to grow and mature, there is nothing inherently wrong in asking an old friend for advice. The problem in this case stemmed from the fact that Samuel was dead, and Saul went to the dark side to contact him.

It is easy to conclude from our study of the Scriptures that Saul never did anything correctly after his rescue of Jabesh, but his conversation with the Witch of Endor belies that fact. Saul had prohibited using seers and mediums, and he had made the penalty for witchcraft as death. Yet, like many things Saul set out to do, he violated his own laws and his own oaths. He said one thing and did another, and in this case, he looked to the dark side for help. How did that work out for him? Let’s read 1 Samuel 28:15-19,

“Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Samuel asked Saul. “I’m in serious trouble,” replied Saul. “The Philistines are fighting against me and God has turned away from me. He doesn’t answer me anymore, either through the prophets or in dreams. So I’ve called on you to tell me what I should do.”  Samuel answered, “Since the Lord has turned away from you and has become your enemy, why are you asking me? The Lord has done exactly what he said through me: The Lord has torn the kingship out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David. You did not obey the Lord and did not carry out his burning anger against Amalek; therefore the Lord has done this to you today. The Lord will also hand Israel over to the Philistines along with you. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and the Lord will hand Israel’s army over to the Philistines.”

Satan is a liar from the pit of Hell, but ironically, he also knows the truth. James 2:9 tells us,

You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.

When Saul turned to witchcraft, he was playing with fire, and it was not a good move. The facts that Saul learned from feeding his dark side through witchcraft were not any different for him had he not done so. To state it plainly for us today, nothing good comes from turning to the forces of evil for help when we are in trouble. 

The results of all of Saul’s foolish actions are found in I Samuel 28:20-225

Immediately, Saul fell flat on the ground. He was terrified by Samuel’s words and was also weak because he had not eaten anything all day and all night. The woman came over to Saul, and she saw that he was terrified and said to him, “Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. Now please listen to your servant. Let me set some food in front of you. Eat and it will give you strength so you can go on your way.” He refused, saying, “I won’t eat,” but when his servants and the woman urged him, he listened to them. He got up off the ground and sat on the bed.

Saul Fed His Dark Side Through Fear:

Everything that Saul had done since he had disobeyed God led him to this point. He had fed his dark side until it was obese, and it was weighing down his spirit to the point that Saul collapsed on the floor and refused to eat. Not only was Saul unable to lead his troops, but he was also unable to even control his own emotions.

As Saul fed his dark side, it became more than a ravenous wolf, it became a debilitating parasite. It sucked the very life out of Saul, and the more he fed it, the more it wanted, until it all but destroyed him.

In contrast to Saul’s experience with the dark side, the Scriptures abound with God telling His people to “fear not, for I am with you.” In John 10:10 Jesus described the contrast between good and evil this way,

A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

The dark side is the thief of our joy. Why would we ever feed it?

Conclusion:

Few people are ever as one-dimensional in their failures as was Saul. We try to play both ends against the middle by feeding both wolves, but that is a fool’s errand. The only way to that abundant life in Christ is to let him feed your good wolf. He’s the only one able to do that and wise people let Him!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about a Model of Humble Service

Today I want to share a word about a model of humble service as I comment on verses from 1 Samuel 16-17-18-19.

In our last episode, we saw how God had taught Samuel some lessons in living with wisdom as He directed Samuel to anoint David to become the next king over Israel and Judah. Samuel learned that wise living includes releasing the past, watching our words, seeing people and situations as God sees them, and seizing the day when opportunities are presented to us by God. Now, our focus will turn to David, the young shepherd boy whom Samuel had been told to anoint as king. How would he respond to this opportunity which had been presented to him by God? David became a model of humble service, unlike another young man whom I recently read about:

This young fellow was a new husband, and he and his young bride moved into their first house together.  They were learning how to live on their own, without the help of their parents or their siblings, and that included making minor home repairs. One of their light fixtures had developed a fault which caused the bulb to begin blinking, and the young husband decided he would repair it. His equally young wife knew he’d never done such a thing before, and she suggested that they should hire an electrician. Her husband scoffed at that, “We don’t need to spend all that money, I’ll watch a video on-line and take care of it.” Despite her vociferous protests, the young man said, “Quit your fussing! I have this all under control!” He climbed up a ladder that he had borrowed from their neighbor, but it was too short. He then ascended to the very top step, whereupon the ladder tipped over and fell from under him. As he, too, fell, he latched onto the light fixture to save himself. Down came the ladder, down came the young man, down came the light fixture, and down came half of the ceiling of the room. When the dust settled, the young man jumped up, holding the fixture above his head, exclaiming, “I fixed it! It won’t blink anymore!” What his wife said in reply is unprintable.

Proverbs 16:18 tells us that, “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.” Young David could have fallen prey to that temptation, but with God’s grace and power in his life, he didn’t. We will begin by reading 1 Samuel 16:14-23,

Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and an evil spirit sent from the Lord began to torment him, so Saul’s servants said to him, “You see that an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command your servants here in your presence to look for someone who knows how to play the lyre. Whenever the evil spirit from God comes on you, that person can play the lyre, and you will feel better.”  Then Saul commanded his servants, “Find me someone who plays well and bring him to me.” One of the young men answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is also a valiant man, a warrior, eloquent, handsome, and the Lord is with him.” Then Saul dispatched messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a wineskin, and one young goat and sent them by his son David to Saul. When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul loved him very much, and David became his armor-bearer. Then Saul sent word to Jesse: “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor with me.” Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would pick up his lyre and play, and Saul would then be relieved, feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

Service Without Subversion:

Almost from the moment that David was anointed by Samuel, his story became intertwined with Saul’s. The timeline of their relationship is very intricate and convoluted, and the Biblical account of their relationship may not be completely chronological. Like with the Gospel of John, the timeline of these events is not always clear, but the lessons God intends for us to learn however, are crystal clear. 1st Samuel presents to us two facets of how David came to be in service to Saul, and there may have been more which the Holy Spirit did not lead the Biblical authors to record. Both stemmed from a need that only David could fulfill.

The first need was a personal one. Saul had become a tormented soul, and the only therapy that eased his spirit was music. David was a skilled musician, and he did Saul a great personal service by playing the harp for him. This brought David into Saul’s household, which gave David access to all the sordid details of Saul’s disaster of a life. What use did David make of this knowledge? Well, none, actually.

The “holy grail” of a national intelligence agency is to place a source at the seat of power of their enemy. This is called a penetration agent or a mole. This type of spy gives access to the juiciest kind of intelligence, upon which action can be taken that could cause the fall of a king or even a nation. Yet David never used his access to Saul and the inner workings of Saul’s court in that way. Why not?

First, Saul was not David’s enemy, he was David’s king. David had been designated as his successor, but Saul still sat upon the throne. David’s attitude towards Saul will be seen later in their mutual story, when Saul was chasing David to kill him. David had the chance to kill Saul in a cave but didn’t. 1 Samuel 24:6 reveals David’s heart in this matter,

He said to his men, “As the Lord is my witness, I would never do such a thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed. I will never lift my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.”

In addition to this, through his experiences as a shepherd, David had learned to trust in the Lord. In 1 Samuel 17:37 we read,

Then David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Although he had many opportunities to do so, David never tried to manipulate God’s plan for his life and for Saul’s, either. In contrast to that, I know of a former youth pastor who conspired to push the pastor of his church out of his position so that the youth pastor could take his place. David refused to do that kind of thing, and he is a model of humble service without subversion. Next, let’s read 1 Samuel 17:55-58,

When Saul had seen David going out to confront the Philistine, he asked Abner the commander of the army, “Whose son is this youth, Abner?” “Your Majesty, as surely as you live, I don’t know,” Abner replied.  The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is!”  When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the Philistine’s head still in his hand. Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” “The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David answered.

Service In The Shadows:

The second need to which David responded was a need of God’s people in battle. At least he did so in due course. First, however, he had some more mundane needs to fulfill. 

When Samuel anointed David to be king, it changed David’s destiny, but did it change his life? In the short-term, the answer was, no. David was still the youngest of eight sons of Jesse, and he still took care of his father’s sheep. David came to the attention of Saul because of his confrontation with Goliath, but we must remember why David was there on the battlefield in the first place. He only came to the battlefield to bring his brothers their lunch!

God graciously offers His people the opportunity to work alongside Him. Sometimes these opportunities are big, and flashy, and complicated. Sometimes, they involve making lunch.

One of my favorite characters in the Bible rendered their service in the shadows, and they do so even until this day. That person is the one who made the lunch of five loaves and two fishes that Jesus used to feed the five thousand men, plus women and children. We don’t know who made this little boy’s lunch. Chances are that it was a mother or older sister. In any case, some unknown, but diligent parent or sibling thought, “There is no way I am going to let Junior go out without some food!” Then they proceeded to put feet to their thoughts and made a common, every day, but perfectly adequate lunch . . .  for one!

They had no way of knowing what Jesus was going to do with their act of diligence. They could never have imagined that Jesus would feed a multitude with such meager rations. They only knew that the right thing, the diligent thing, to do was to send out their son or brother with lunch. Because they were diligent in a small, everyday matter, they got to be a silent partner with Jesus in one of His most famous miracles!

So, what if that unsung mom or sister didn’t do the right thing that morning? What if they had slept late, or what if they didn’t care if Junior went hungry? Would that have kept Jesus from feeding everyone (including Junior)? Of course not; Jesus as Creator could make bread and fish appear from nowhere. Everyone would have still been fed, and there still would have been baskets and baskets of leftovers. The only one to miss out would have been the silent partner, the slothful sluggard who let a little boy leave home without lunch. 

David, too, faithfully served in the shadows, that is, until he was thrust into the limelight. Next, let’s read 1 Samuel 18:5-9,

David marched out with the army and was successful in everything Saul sent him to do. Saul put him in command of the fighting men, which pleased all the people and Saul’s servants as well. As the troops were coming back, when David was returning from killing the Philistine, the women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul, singing and dancing with tambourines, with shouts of joy, and with three-stringed instruments. As they danced, the women sang: Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands. Saul was furious and resented this song. “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward.

Service In The Limelight:

One fact that Jesus highlighted in His teaching, is that the truth of our lives will, sooner or later, be exposed. As He said, in Mark 4:22,

For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light. 

This is a fact for both the good aspects of our lives, as well as the bad. As one old saying puts it, “The cream will always rise to the top,” and as my friend from my deployment to Iraq always said, “You can’t hide money!” Despite how humble and unassuming David was, he still had skills, and he also had been given an anointing from God. Sooner or later, he was going to make a splash, and he did. He didn’t try to do anything special, he just could not help himself. 

Also, it is clear from the Scriptures that David was not a “one hit wonder.” David was able to consistently and effectively meet the security needs of God’s people. The interesting part about this tale of David’s success was not that it happened; the interesting part is how people reacted to it. 

First, God’s people were thrilled. Nothing succeeds like success, and the people of God loved what they saw in David’s life. They loved what they saw so much, that David became a celebrity. The praise of people is intoxicating, but it is a high that does not, and cannot, last. Psalm 103:15-16 reminds us,

As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known. 

The crowds that proclaimed Jesus on Palm Sunday were replaced on Good Friday by the crowds that called for Jesus to be crucified. We will see that as much as anyone might enjoy the fame that David received, David was a model for us, because his focus was on serving God. As Paul reminds us in Galatians 1:10, our true audience is God, saying,

For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

If the people loved David, Saul did not. He became jealous of David’s fame, and he became jealous of David’s success. Maybe Saul saw in David what might have been in his life, but regardless, David’s fame turned Saul’s love for him into something sour and bitter.

Like fame, we must also not take the jealousy of other people to heart. When another becomes jealous of us, it can hurt our feelings, and we can feel threatened by them. However, it is imperative we must remember whom it is we actually serve. Paul reminded the church at Corinth of this in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9,

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So, then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

So, what did David think about all of this?  We can see that in 1 Samuel 18:20-23,

Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David, and when it was reported to Saul, it pleased him. “I’ll give her to him,” Saul thought. “She’ll be a trap for him, and the hand of the Philistines will be against him.” So Saul said to David a second time, “You can now be my son-in-law.” Saul then ordered his servants, “Speak to David in private and tell him, ‘Look, the king is pleased with you, and all his servants love you. Therefore, you should become the king’s son-in-law.’” Saul’s servants reported these words directly to David, but he replied, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law? I am a poor commoner.”

Despite the intoxicating applause of the people, and despite the fearsome jealousy of King Saul, David remembered whom he served and he didn’t allow the limelight to overshadow his call from God. Finally, let’s read I Samuel 18:28-19:2

Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him, and he became even more afraid of David. As a result, Saul was David’s enemy from then on. Every time the Philistine commanders came out to fight, David was more successful than all of Saul’s officers. So, his name became well known. Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Saul’s son Jonathan liked David very much, so he told him, “My father, Saul, intends to kill you. Be on your guard in the morning and hide in a secret place and stay there.”

 Service In The Wilderness:

Saul had now reached what I call his Popeye Moment. Like Popeye, his attitude towards this upstart David was, “I’ve stood all I can stand, and I can’t stand no more!”  In his madness and jealousy, Saul decided he had to kill David. To be clear, no universe exists in God’s Creation in which murder for jealousy is a righteous act. By this mindset, Saul demonstrated to all how low he had sunk in his spiritual condition. This was bad news for David, but in the event, however, he had more hope than Saul did.

Despite Saul’s anger at him, David still had friends who were righteous people, and one of those was Jonathan, Saul’s son and David’s best friend. Jonathan warned David, and that would allow David to escape into the wilderness to fight another day.

Many of God’s servants in the Bible have experienced a wilderness experience, so many that it almost seems like a rite of passage: Abraham, Moses, and David, each journeyed through a literal wilderness, while Joseph, Daniel, and Nehemiah, had figurative wilderness experiences. Peter was in a spiritual wilderness from the moment he denied Christ on the night He had been betrayed until dawn on the first Easter Sunday. Paul spent three years in solitude, being taught a renewed and redeemed understanding of Scripture, and Jesus, Himself, fasted in the desert forty days before His triumph over the temptations of Satan. I believe we can take three practical lessons from these experiences that we can apply to our lives today.

First, wilderness experiences sometimes occur because of our own sin. Despite that, God will not abandon us, but when we repent, He will lead us through to the other side.

Second, wilderness experiences sometimes occur because God wants to teach us lessons that can only be taught in that way. The school of hard knocks is a thing, and sometimes, that is the only school with the curriculum that we need so that we can grow and mature and serve God effectively.

Finally, wilderness experiences always give us the opportunity to trust God, and when we do, He always proves Himself to us, and He always receives the glory that He is due. As the old hymn paraphrases Malachi 3,

Trust Me, try Me, prove Me, saith the Lord of hosts, and see if a blessing, unmeasured blessing, I will not pour out on thee.

Conclusion:

For the servants of God, for those who are His co-workers, humility is always the best course of action. This is not the way of the world, but God’s Kingdom is not of it, but it is above it. In these Scriptures above, David a model of humble service, and one we should emulate. Our humble service to God brings Him the glory He deserves, and the blessings that we need.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about Lessons on Living with Wisdom

Today I want to share a word about lessons on living with wisdom as I comment on verses from 1 Samuel 16.

In our last episode, we saw how Saul’s life and reign self-destructed. After rising to the occasion to lead the Children of Israel to victory over their enemies, Saul began acting just like all the other secular kings of his day.  He was rash and impatient, and he took upon himself authority to act that was not his. Saul also made a foolish oath, which was burdensome to his troops, and which in the end he himself did not keep. The final straw with God, however, was Saul’s blatant disobedience. Instead, of being confirmed as king over Israel by God, the prophet Samuel told Saul that he had been rejected. What would God do next? God taught Samuel some lessons on living with wisdom.

A great but simple definition of wisdom is “seeing things from God’s point of view.” This is often troublesome for humans, because, as Paul said in the King James Version of the Bible in 1 Corinthians 13, “For now we see through a glass, darkly . . .” We don’t see things as clearly as we would like to see them. This can have unintended consequences.

For example, an elderly lady had been diagnosed with a cataract. It took her daughter some time to convince her to have eye surgery, but she finally did. The surgery went well, and the mother returned home with an eye patch. Again, all was well until after the follow-up visit to her ophthalmologist, who removed the patch and dismissed her from his care. Daughter dropped off mom at her house, but soon she received an indignant call from the elderly lady. “Someone broke into my house while we were at my doctor’s office,” she exclaimed. “The whole place is a mess. The carpet is dirty, my couch is stained, and they stole my curtains and replaced them with shabby, thread bare ones. What is the meaning of this outrage?” Her daughter calmly replied, “It means your surgery was a success!”

Our lives are better when we live them from God’s point of view.  We will begin by reading 1 Samuel 16:1,

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem because I have selected for myself a king from his sons.

We Must Release The Past:

From reading the Scriptures, it is hard for us to see how fond Samuel was of Saul. Saul’s story is so condensed in 1 Samuel and in 1 Chronicles that most of what we see of their relationship is Samuel correcting Saul and then pronouncing God’s judgement on him. This verse, however, tells us that Samuel genuinely grieved Saul’s fall from God’s grace and from his kingship over Israel and Judah. Samuel was holding on to the past when God was looking toward the future.

Like we do, Samuel was grieving the loss of something good. God had shown him all the positives that were in Saul’s life, and that he had all the makings of a king. Samuel had also seen Saul rise to the occasion to save the people of Jabesh and to defend the reputation of God and God’s people. These were all great and good things, but now they were gone.

Samuel reminds me of the joke about how many Baptists it takes to change a lightbulb in a church sanctuary. The answer is twelve: one to hold the ladder, one to change the bulb, and ten to stand in the parking lot, saying how great the old bulb was, and how the new bulb didn’t hold a candle to the old one! 

We struggle to release the good things of the past, but when that time comes, we must do just that. When I retired from the military, I used this saying as a part of my remarks during my retirement ceremony, “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.” 

Like we do, Samuel was also grieving the mistakes that were made. There is no doubt that Saul had disqualified himself from being the king of God’s people, and the things that should have been, became the things that would never be. Samuel, like we do, was grieving things that were gone and that would never be recovered.

In the New Testament another Saul had sinned, and he had also hurt God’s people through his sin as well. He had conspired to murder Stephen, and Acts 8:3 says that Saul, “. . . was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.” Then, of course, Saul was miraculously saved on the Damascus Road, and later he became Paul, the greatest church planter of all time.

Did Paul grieve his former sinful and murderous way of life? Yes, he did, but he also said, in 2 Corinthians 5:17-19,

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

Paul also wrote in Ephesians 4:20-24,

But that is not how you came to know Christ, assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth. 

The writer of Hebrews used the analogy of runners taking off all the items of clothing that would hinder them from running a good race. This is wise advice for us. Holding on to the bad things of the past will rob us of our joy in our present condition in God’s grace. Holding on to the good things of the past will deny us the better things that God wants to bring to us as we walk into the future with him! Next, let’s read 1 Samuel 16:2-5,

Samuel asked, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!” The Lord answered, “Take a young cow with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate to you.” Samuel did what the Lord directed and went to Bethlehem. When the elders of the town met him, they trembled and asked, “Do you come in peace?” “In peace,” he replied. “I’ve come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.”

We Must Watch Our Words:

When Samuel realized that he could not put off anointing the next king of Israel, he confronted another truth that frightened him. He knew that Saul had begun acting just like all the secular kings, and he also knew that survival was always foremost in a king’s mind. Despite their history together, He knew Saul would kill him before he would allow Samuel to anoint his replacement. 

We have seen before that Jesus told his followers not to worry when brought before human rulers, because He would tell us what to say, and this event is an Old Testament example of that very thing. The Lord told Samuel exactly what to say. 

First, what God told Samuel to say was the truth. Satan is a liar from the pit of hell, but God is not only Love, but He is also Truth. Throughout the Scriptures, God condemns deceitfulness, and He would never have His people lie on His behalf. He told Samuel to tell the truth, and Samuel did.

Second, the course of wisdom here is that we don’t always have to tell everything that we know. We should consider carefully before we reveal some of the facts and understandings that we possess. A seminary professor illustrated this point by telling what happened once when he was the pastor of a nearby church. He and his chairman of deacons arrived at the church for a meeting at the same time. As they were walking across the parking lot, the deacon greeted him casually, saying, “What do you know, Preacher?” The pastor shook his head ruefully and replied, “Brother, if I told you what I know, we’d both have to leave town!”

I once was in a situation in which I had learned some disturbing facts about the pastor of a church. I was a denominational servant at that time, the missionary for a local association of Baptist churches. I was responsible to serve all the churches in the association, including the one whose pastor had made a serious transgression, but I had no authority over him or his church. I wanted to help, but officially, I did not know what I actually knew. I consulted another denominational leader about what course of action I should take. He said, “Oh, this is simple. You are the pastor’s friend, right? And you are the church’s friend, too, right? Just call him up and invite him to lunch. When you meet, just simply ask how things are going at church and with his ministry. These are natural questions for someone in your position to ask. If he has something he needs to tell you he will. Otherwise, just keep that knowledge to yourself, entrust it in prayer to God and He will handle the rest.” I took that advice then, and I have followed it many times ever since when similar situations have occurred.

Third, discretion in our conversations is more important than we realize. We can say things that are true, but that also hurt others. Words are like bullets, and once they leave our lips, they cannot be recalled, and we are responsible for every word we utter. 

As an example, a colleague once learned that he had been replaced as a leader of a ministry when his replacement sent out an “all addressee” email message congratulating himself on his promotion. Everything he wrote in that message was true, but it also could have been sent after my friend had been informed of the change in person. Proverbs 29:20 says, “Do you see someone who speaks too soon? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”

On several occasions in His earthly ministry, Jesus would instruct people to not reveal all He had done for them. So, Proverbs 13:3 applies to our lives, and to the lives of others that we know as well, “The one who guards his mouth protects his life; the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.” Next, let’s read 1 Samuel 16:6-11,

When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Certainly the Lord’s anointed one is here before him.”  But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.” Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either,” Samuel said. Then Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either.” After Jesse presented seven of his sons to him, Samuel told Jesse, “The Lord hasn’t chosen any of these.” Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” he answered, “but right now he’s tending the sheep.” Samuel told Jesse, “Send for him. We won’t sit down to eat until he gets here.”

We Must See What God Sees:

When I was a youth in my home church, we had three brothers as youth group members also. All three were growing Christians, but the middle brother, whom I will call Mo, had some personality quirks. In fact, most of us looked at him as a strange person, and with some reason. For example, once when he was asked how his day was going, he replied, “Well it depends on how you look at it.” He cocked his head one way and said, “You can look at it this way, or . . .” he cocked his head the other way, “you can look at it that way.” None of us every really understood what he meant by that. We just took him for what he seemed to us to be, a rather strange, if harmless teenager with a weird personality

One day at a summer youth retreat, our group was divided into small groups for an afternoon prayer session. My best friend was assigned to the group that Mo was in, and when their group marched away, Mo was muttering to himself and wagging a pen back and forth between two fingers of one hand as he strode off. My friend gave me a grimace as they left, but he was in for a surprise, however.

When we all gathered back after our prayer time my friend pulled me aside. “You won’t believe it,” he said. “I just heard Mo pray the sweetest, most spiritual prayer that you could imagine. Who would ever have thought Mo was capable of that?” With hindsight, I can answer that rhetorical question with one word: God!

Samuel learned the same lesson from God. People may say, “Beauty is only skin deep,” but from God’s perspective, beauty moves from the inside out.  This is what 1 Peter 3:3-4 says,

Don’t let your beauty consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes, but rather what is inside the heart—the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

When we see things from God’s perspective, we can truly understand the depth, breadth, and height of what He can do in transforming our lives. Finally, let’s read I Samuel 16:12-13,

Jesse sent for him. He had beautiful eyes and a healthy, handsome appearance. Then the Lord said, “Anoint him, for he is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.

We Must Seize The Day:

Some years ago, a winery launched a nation-wide advertising campaign with the slogan, “We will sell no wine before its time.” This was a catchy and memorable tagline, so much so that the owners of a barbecue restaurant in my hometown paid the winery homage by launching their own advertising campaign with the slogan, “We will sell no swine before its time.” They offered all sorts of merchandise with that slogan and a logo of a pig. I don’t drink wine, and I would have eaten at that restaurant in any case, but I must admire the wit and winsomeness of both of those campaigns.

The Scriptures are replete with stories of people who answered God’s call at the right time and place: Abraham, Moses, Samuel, and Isaiah. The Scriptures also contain stories of people who refused God’s call. A prime example of that is Job, but Jesus also told the Parable of the Two Sons in Matthew 21:28-32,

“What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I don’t want to,’ but later he changed his mind and went. Then the man went to the other and said the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he answered, but he didn’t go. Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn’t believe him. Tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; but you, when you saw it, didn’t even change your minds then and believe him.”

The best course of wisdom is to answer God’s call, promptly, and Paul taught in Ephesians 5:15-16,

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk — not as unwise people but as wise — making the most of the time, because the days are evil.

Timing, as the saying goes, is everything. If at all possible, as we walk with God’s Spirit, we must not get ahead of God, and we must not lag behind him, either. In baseball, the difference between a swing and a miss and a homerun is measured in milliseconds. When God calls, the wise course of action is to seize the day and live in His wisdom.

Conclusion:

As Samuel walked with God, he learned how to live with wisdom. What Samuel learned through experience is mirrored in what Solomon would write many years later in Proverbs 2:6-10,

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up success for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity so that he may guard the paths of justice and protect the way of his faithful followers. Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and integrity—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight you.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt 

A Word about Self-Destructing

 

Today I want to share a word about how Saul self-destructed as I comment on verses from 1 Samuel 13, 14, and 15.

In our last episode, we saw Saul rising to the occasion to lead the Children of Israel to overcome the cost of their compromise with the world, at least temporarily.  Saul rose to the occasion because he didn’t cut himself off from God’s wisdom and power. If he had relied on his own abilities, the battle he fought for Jabesh could have been, and probably would have been, a disaster. Instead, Saul stayed close to God, and thus the Children of Israel enjoyed a tremendous victory. But . . . what would Saul do next?

When you hear the words self-destruct what do you think of?  Some of us older folks might think of the old Mission Impossible television show in which Mr. Phelps and his team got their assignments from a tape recording that then self-destructed. Others might think of how the Blues Mobile virtually exploded at the end of the chase scene in the Blues Brothers movie.

I also might think of a good idea that had unintended consequences.  One of the most dangerous man-made items to birds and small animals is the plastic rings that hold six-packs of drink cans together. The plastic in them lasts virtually forever, and these little creatures often get the discarded rings wrapped around their necks and they die.  One inventor came up with a plan to solve this problem.  He developed plastic rings that would bio-degrade after exposure to sunlight.  The rings would essentially self-destruct after a few days in the Sun.  This was a great solution, but there was a problem.  Many convenience stores make displays of their six-pack drinks in the front of their stores where they are exposed to sunlight.  Customers would grab a six-pack to buy it, and the plastic rings would self-destruct, and the cans of soda would spill to the ground.

A self-destructing tape or a self-destructing plastic six-pack ring might cause some mild amusement, but when a life self-destructs it is a disaster.  Today we are going to stare wide-eyed at a train wreck of a life as it happens.  We will see it coming, but we will be powerless to stop it.  We can learn from it, though, and be warned. As we continue to study the Kings of Israel and Judah let’s read God’s Word and see how the life of King Saul self-destructed. We will begin by reading 1 Samuel 13:1-7,

Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty-two years over Israel. He chose three thousand men from Israel for himself: two thousand were with Saul at Michmash and in Bethel’s hill country, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. He sent the rest of the troops away, each to his own tent. Jonathan attacked the Philistine garrison in Gibeah, and the Philistines heard about it. So Saul blew the ram’s horn throughout the land saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” And all Israel heard the news, “Saul has attacked the Philistine garrison, and Israel is now repulsive to the Philistines.” Then the troops were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal. The Philistines also gathered to fight against Israel: three thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Michmash, east of Bethaven. The men of Israel saw that they were in trouble because the troops were in a difficult situation. They hid in caves, in thickets, among rocks, and in holes and cisterns. Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul, however, was still at Gilgal, and all his troops were gripped with fear.

Saul Was Rash:

We have seen how Israel wanted to be like the other nations that were around them and amongst them. They had lost their purpose and their focus. They had become just like other nations in their hearts. They wanted to be like other nations with a king. They got what they wanted; God made Saul king. Now, Saul began to act like a human king. What did kings do in that day? They made war.

Saul decided to attack the Philistines. Like other kings, Saul enlisted a standing army, and he felt like he had to put it to use. Several wars had already been fought with the Philistines. There was hatred between the two peoples, and since they were a popular target among his people, Saul decided to attack.

This was a rash move on the part of Saul. First, the Scriptures do not record that there was any direction from God at this time to go to war with the Philistines.  At that time, there was no active conflict with the Philistines, and Israel had the opportunity to be redemptive in their relationship with their enemies. Remember, the Scriptures tell us that sometimes God tells us to fight, and sometimes He tells us to flee, and sometimes He tells us to wait on Him. Saul chose to fight, when God may have been telling him to wait.

This was also rash because Israel was unprepared. As we noted in the previous episode, 1 Samuel 13:19-22 reveals to us that their previous compromises prevented Israel from being equipped for battle. In fact, only Saul and Jonathan had proper weapons for battle. This was almost literally like bringing a knife to a gunfight. As some experts in self-defense will quip, “The first rule of a gunfight is to have a gun.”  Likewise, the first rule of warfare is to arm yourself. This Israel could not do.

Saul’s rashness scared Israel to death. When the two spies had gone into Jericho, Rahab told them that everyone in the city was quaking in their sandals because of the reputation of the God of the Israelites. The opposite was true now, as Israel adopted the ways of the world. Some Israelites ran away, and some even joined the Philistines.

Saul decided he needed to act kingly, and so he exceeded his authority!  When he did this, he ruined his role as leader of God’s people. Next, let’s read 1 Samuel 13:8-14,

He waited seven days for the appointed time that Samuel had set, but Samuel didn’t come to Gilgal, and the troops were deserting him. So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” Then he offered the burnt offering. Just as he finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. So Saul went out to greet him, and Samuel asked, “What have you done?” Saul answered, “When I saw that the troops were deserting me and you didn’t come within the appointed days and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash, I thought, ‘The Philistines will now descend on me at Gilgal, and I haven’t sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.” Samuel said to Saul, “You have been foolish. You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. It was at this time that the Lord would have permanently established your reign over Israel, but now your reign will not endure. The Lord has found a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded.”

Saul Was Impatient:

In ancient Israel, a separation of powers existed among the leaders of God’s People. God worked through three different types of leaders to guide and nurture His people: prophets, priests, and kings. Prophets revealed God’s heart to His people. Priests interceded with God on the behalf of His people. Kings were to rule His people righteously. If each one did their part properly, the nation would be blessed.

In this case, Samuel was both prophet and priest, and Saul was king. They each had a role to play, and the well-being of Israel depended upon fulfilling their roles. Saul got impatient, and he sacrificed to God instead of waiting upon Samuel. This was an act of arrogance and rebellion. Saul took unto himself power and authority which God had not bestowed upon him.

I remember well the story of a pastor who caused havoc at a covered-dish supper at his church. The serving line was set-up to have servers on one side of the table, while those filling their plates were supposed to do so from the opposite side of the table. So, this was a one-sided serving line, and it was organized that way for a reason. This pastor (who wasn’t me!) became impatient with the slow serving line and he grabbed a plate and utensils and began serving himself from the wrong side. He got in the way of the servers who were bringing in dishes from the church kitchen, and he inspired others to follow him on the wrong side of the table. The result was a confused mess! Not only did he act impatiently, but he also forgot the leadership principle that, leaders eat last!

We must be careful to understand our calling from God so that we can fulfill it. To exceed our calling is to be arrogant. To fail to go the distance is a lack of faith.

When Saul got impatient, he forgot his calling, and he ruined his relationship with God. Next, let’s read I Samuel 14:24-30,

The battle extended beyond Bethaven, and the men of Israel were worn out that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath: “The man who eats food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies is cursed.” So none of the troops tasted any food. Everyone went into the forest, and there was honey on the ground. When the troops entered the forest, they saw the flow of honey, but none of them ate any of it because they feared the oath. However, Jonathan had not heard his father make the troops swear the oath. He reached out with the end of the staff he was carrying and dipped it into the honeycomb. When he ate the honey, he had renewed energy. Then one of the troops said, “Your father made the troops solemnly swear, ‘The man who eats food today is cursed,’ and the troops are exhausted.” Jonathan replied, “My father has brought trouble to the land. Just look at how I have renewed energy because I tasted a little of this honey. How much better if the troops had eaten freely today from the plunder they took from their enemies! Then the slaughter of the Philistines would have been much greater.”

Saul Was Foolish:

Despite Saul’s failings, God protected His people. He showed Jonathan how to infiltrate the Philistine camp and cause panic among them. All that was left was for the Israelites to pursue them to destruction. That’s when Saul had a foolish thought.

We all say things that we should not say. For example, when we say, “I’m about to starve to death,” we are certainly exaggerating. Likewise, we probably don’t mean it when we tell a child, “If you don’t be quiet, I’m going to pinch your head off.” One of my favorite foolish sayings that I have ever heard was, “I’m going to rip your arm off and beat you to death with it.” The outrageous eloquence of that statement is just above and beyond!

When we say these things, people know we don’t mean them. However, when the king says such, people take him seriously. As an example, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director J Edgar Hoover once wrote on a report, “Watch the borders.”  In response the FBI sent hundreds of agents to surveil the borders of the USA.  What Hoover meant was to widen the margins on the format of the reports sent to him! In Biblical terms, David once said he was thirsty and his so-called Mighty Men risked their lives to acquire a drink of water for him. When a king says something, his people take it seriously.

Saul made a foolish oath. It was unnecessary. It was unhelpful. It was unwise. It did nothing to motivate Israel. When he was head coach of the Washington Redskins football team, George Allen was pilloried by some commentators, because he would give prizes like TVs or clock radios to his highly paid athletes to help motivate them to win. So, did Saul even mean what he said? Let’s read I Samuel 13:42-46,

Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan,” and Jonathan was selected. Saul commanded him, “Tell me what you did.” Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey with the end of the staff I was carrying. I am ready to die!” Saul declared to him, “May God punish me and do so severely if you do not die, Jonathan!” But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die? He accomplished such a great deliverance for Israel! No, as the Lord lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he worked with God’s help today.” So the people redeemed Jonathan, and he did not die. Then Saul gave up the pursuit of the Philistines, and the Philistines returned to their own territory.

Apparently, Saul was not a man of his word. When his son Jonathan was caught, he tried to enforce his oath, but the people shouted him down. Because of his impetuousness, Saul put himself between a rock and a hard place. If he had enforced his oath, he would have been foolish. When he didn’t, he made himself a liar. Jesus later would tell His followers not to take frivolous oaths, but He also said, “Let your yes be yes, and your no be no.”

Saul’s tongue wrote a check that his integrity couldn’t cash and he ruined his character. That was not the last of his folly, however. Let’s read I Samuel 15:1-3,

Samuel told Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over his people Israel. Now, listen to the words of the Lord. This is what the Lord of Armies says: ‘I witnessed what the Amalekites did to the Israelites when they opposed them along the way as they were coming out of Egypt. Now go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. Do not spare them. Kill men and women, infants and nursing babies, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

 Saul Was Disobedient:

The vast majority of God’s revelation to us is easily understood. Some areas of His Word are more difficult for us to engage with, like the Doctrine of the Trinity, but the vast majority is easily approachable by us. For example, The Ten Commandments are quite straightforward, as are The Greatest Commandments and The Great Commission. Usually, our trouble with God’s Word stems from when we deliberately obfuscate it to give ourselves an excuse. Our model for this type of manipulation of the plain meaning of words is former President Bill Clinton, who tried to defend his actions by debating the meaning of the word, is.

Saul had been given some explicit instructions from God. Before, Saul was free-lancing, but now God told him what to do. Saul was told to attack and destroy Amalek. He was told to kill all the people and all the animals. While we may not understand the motive behind this directive, we can understand the mission very clearly from what Saul was told. So, what did Saul do? 1 Samuel 15:7-15 tells us,

Then Saul struck down the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is next to Egypt. He captured King Agag of Amalek alive, but he completely destroyed all the rest of the people with the sword. Saul and the troops spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and choice animals, as well as the young rams and the best of everything else. They were not willing to destroy them, but they did destroy all the worthless and unwanted things. Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, “I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned away from following me and has not carried out my instructions.” So Samuel became angry and cried out to the Lord all night. Early in the morning Samuel got up to confront Saul, but it was reported to Samuel, “Saul went to Carmel where he set up a monument for himself. Then he turned around and went down to Gilgal.” When Samuel came to him, Saul said, “May the Lord bless you. I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.” Samuel replied, “Then what is this sound of sheep, goats, and cattle I hear?” Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites and spared the best sheep, goats, and cattle in order to offer a sacrifice to the Lord your God, but the rest we destroyed.”

Saul deliberately disobeyed God. Instead of destroying all of Amalek, he allowed Agag to live. Instead of destroying all livestock, he allowed Israel to keep the banned cattle and sheep. Saul deliberately did what he was told not to do. What were the results of this? Again, Samuel 15 tells us, this time in verses 22-23.

Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.

In the end, Saul was disobedient to God, and he ruined his role as king over Israel.

Conclusion:

Are we like Saul? Are we rash and impatient? Are we foolish and disobedient? Have we ruined our walks with God? Have we self-destructed? There is hope that Saul didn’t have!

God sent Jesus to be prophet, priest, and king. He sent him to help us when we could not help ourselves. If you’ve made a mess of your life today, turn it over to Jesus! If you have ruined your walk with God, repent and come back to Jesus who said: “all that the father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me, I will by no means cast out.”

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about Rising to the Occasion

 

Today I want to share a word about rising to the occasion as I comment on verses from 1 Samuel 11.

In our last episode, we saw Saul being publicly anointed as king over Israel and Judah. Saul had all the makings of a king, but he was reluctant to take on that role. All he saw were obstacles, like heritage, doubt, fear, and reputation. Despite this, he was anointed king, although some of his subjects shared Saul’s doubts. In our focal passage above, we will find out if Saul could rise to the occasion or if he would fail out of the gate.

Those who train first responders and military people know what happens the first time someone is faced with a critical or dangerous situation. A saying in that profession is, “You don’t rise to the occasion, but you fall to the level of your training and experience.” It rarely goes well the first time you try something new under stress. 

One example of this is demonstrated by police officers involved in on-duty shooting incidents. The record shows that their marksmanship in those situations is abysmal. This is because very few officers are ever involved in on-duty shooting incidents, and also because their time for training is limited. This is not to say that police officers are incompetent, but that being involved in a shooting incident is an extraordinary and life-changing event.

People don’t have to be involved in a shooting to underperform during stressful incidents, either. When my wife was expecting our first child, we attended a Lamaze child-birth methods class together. We trained and we practiced, but on the day our first son was born, things fell apart rapidly. I was trying to help my wife use the techniques we learned, but it wasn’t going well. I knew I had failed when she looked at me and snapped, “Shut up!” The experienced and better trained (and less emotionally involved) labor and delivery nurse took over, and from that point, all went well. As the saying goes, “Don’t try this at home . . .” or anywhere else, for that matter.

In 1 Samuel 11, Saul experienced his first critical incident as king. Did he rise to the occasion? Let’s begin by reading 1 Samuel 11:1-5,

Nahash the Ammonite came up and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.” Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I’ll make one with you on this condition: that I gouge out everyone’s right eye and humiliate all Israel.” “Don’t do anything to us for seven days,” the elders of Jabesh said to him, “and let us send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. If no one saves us, we will surrender to you.” When the messengers came to Gibeah, Saul’s hometown, and told the terms to the people, all wept aloud. Just then Saul was coming in from the field behind his oxen. “What’s the matter with the people? Why are they weeping?” Saul inquired, and they repeated to him the words of the men from Jabesh. 

The Cost Of Compromise:

1 Samuel 11 begins by illustrating the cost of compromise. Israel had been directed by God to possess the entire Land of Canaan, and to drive out all the heathen nations who lived in it. This they did not do. Instead, they decided to live in a compromised situation, which caused them trouble during the time of the Judges, and which continued to bedevil them now.

Compromise among the Children of Israel began when two-and-a-half tribes decided to live on the wrong side of the Jordan River. They had been required to help the other tribes subdue the land, and indeed they were told to actually lead the rest of the tribes when they crossed the Jordan River, but those days were long gone. The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half‑tribe of Manasseh were settled east of the river, and they were essentially cut-off from the rest of the tribes.

Judah was cut-off also. The city of Jerusalem was a strong hold of the Jebusites, who were one of the tribes that Israel was supposed to drive out. They had strong fortifications, and so they remained there, a thorn in the side of Israel. Their position caused Judah to be isolated from the rest of the tribes.

The Israelites were cut-off from the Mediterranean Sea as well, because the Philistines had occupied the coastal plain, and the Israelites didn’t drive them out either. Even worse, the Philistines had prevented the Jews from having their own blacksmiths to work iron and metals. 1 Samuel 13:19-22 says,

No blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise, the Hebrews will make swords or spears.” So all the Israelites went to the Philistines to sharpen their plows, mattocks, axes, and sickles. The price was two-thirds of a shekel for plows and mattocks, and one-third of a shekel for pitchforks and axes, and for putting a point on a cattle prod. So on the day of battle not a sword or spear could be found in the hand of any of the troops who were with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons.

All of these situations were bad, but now, the chickens were really coming home to roost. The people of Jabesh faced subjugation, disfigurement, and humiliation. Even worse, all that some people in Israel felt that they could do was to cry, weep, and wail.

Compromise is an essential political tool, but in spiritual terms, compromise leads to subjugation, defeat, and destruction. In God’s Kingdom, compromise cuts us off from the blessings we will find as we follow God’s will and ways.

Next, let’s read I Samuel 11:6-10.

When Saul heard these words, the Spirit of God suddenly came powerfully on him, and his anger burned furiously. He took a team of oxen, cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by messengers who said, “This is what will be done to the ox of anyone who doesn’t march behind Saul and Samuel.” As a result, the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they went out united. Saul counted them at Bezek. There were three hundred thousand Israelites and thirty thousand men from Judah. He told the messengers who had come, “Tell this to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Deliverance will be yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.’” So the messengers told the men of Jabesh, and they rejoiced. Then the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we will come out, and you can do whatever you want to us.”

The Call Of The Spirit:

In other messages, we have seen that when confronted with a sudden crisis, people either, flee, fight or freeze. Are any of these reactions better or worse than others? Examples of all three of these responses are found in Scripture. 

One example was when Joseph was being seduced by Potiphar’s wife and he fled. In fact, he ran away so quickly, that he left behind his clothes that she had grabbed. This caused him problems later, but that did not make his decision to run a poor one.

Another example is found in Ecclesiastes 3:8, which says that there is “a time for war and a time for peace.” Fighting is a valid solution, but it is not the only solution. We don’t have to charge at every one of life’s problems like an enraged bull, unless that is the right course of action.

A third example is found in Psalm 46:10, which says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Sometimes doing nothing is exactly what God would have us to do. As the Country and Western Song advises, 

You got to know when to hold 'em; Know when to fold 'em,

Know when to walk away; And know when to run . . . 

That song continues with this popular wisdom,

Every gambler knows that the secret to surviving is knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep.

'Cause every hand's a winner and every hand's a loser and the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.

So, if we have all of these options, how do we avoid falling into the trap of cynicism, fatalism, and despair? The Bible tells us how in the account of the first miracle Jesus performed at the Wedding at Canna. In John 2:1-5 we see what took place,

On the third day a wedding took place in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’s mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding as well. When the wine ran out, Jesus’s mother told him, “They don’t have any wine.” “What has this concern of yours to do with me, woman?” Jesus asked. “My hour has not yet come.” “Do whatever he tells you,” his mother told the servants.

Jesus also taught in Luke 12:11-12,

Whenever they bring you before synagogues and rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how you should defend yourselves or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said. 

Saul modeled this exact behavior here. When there was a crisis, the Holy Spirit called Saul, in this case, to fight, and fight he did. His example also emboldened Israel to fight as well, despite how cut-off they were from each other.

We must not let our sin cut us off from the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Instead, in God’s Kingdon, we must remain close to Him so we can hear God’s still small voice which will tell us what to do.

Next, let’s read I Samuel 11:11,

The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions. During the morning watch, they invaded the Ammonite camp and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. There were survivors, but they were so scattered that no two of them were left together.

Completing The Mission:

I think it is safe to say that, under the leadership and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, Saul rose to the occasion. A key indicator of that was that he completed the mission. Again, we must remember that the biggest failure Israel had was that they compromised and they did not finish the task of subduing the land. That wasn’t because they lacked good models to follow.

Saul was a good role model in this case, but he was not the first good example for the people of Israel. When Joshua fought the five kings of the Amorites to protect the Gibeonites, with whom he had made a treaty, the sun started to go down before the battle was won. In Joshua 10:12-13, this is what Joshua did to complete the mission,

On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” And the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance on its enemies.

As audacious as that request was, it was still not enough. God had to rain down large hailstones on the Amorites, and more of them died from the hail than from the Israelites! Still, the mission was completed.

Earlier in this series, we have already seen that Joshua’s colleague Caleb wanted to take the tough, high ground, even though he was eighty years old. Like Joshua, he wanted to complete the mission. Joshua and Caleb were great models for Israel, as was Saul, in this case anyway, but the greatest model for us all is Jesus.

Saul is a good model to follow because he finished the job, but Jesus is an even better model to follow. Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for sin. He kept all of his disciples except the one who was the son of perdition.  Jesus defeated death and hell. Jesus created the church and gave her a mission for the sake of His Kingdom. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with us when he left. Not surprisingly, as well as Saul did here, he was not perfect. Our Perfect Lord, however, is our Perfect Model.

So, the question comes to us, “Have we cut off our efforts before the mission is complete?” Israel did not subdue the land, and neither have we done so either. In God’s Kingdom, our mission is to make disciples of all nations. Will we cut off before it is completed?

Finally, let’s read I Samuel 11:12-14,

Afterward, the people said to Samuel, “Who said that Saul should not reign over us? Give us those men so we can kill them!” But Saul ordered, “No one will be executed this day, for today the Lord has provided deliverance in Israel.” Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let’s go to Gilgal, so we can renew the kingship there.” So all the people went to Gilgal, and there in the Lord’s presence they made Saul king. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings in the Lord’s presence, and Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

Confirming The King:

Saul’s performance in this event demonstrates that God could use him as king for several reasons. First, Saul reminds us of a common and astoundingly simple lesson: When we do things God’s way it works. Every. Single. Time.

Second, Saul reminds us that compromise prevents completion of the mission. Saul did not negotiate with the forces of evil, nor did he try to appease them. Instead, he followed God’s plan without compromise, and so he was able to complete the mission.

Another lesson for us here is that Saul made sure not to go too far. God had achieved His purpose, and any further killing would not be necessary. Saul’s lesson for us in this case was not to go further than God would have us to go. This is like the fellow who used the fertilizer Miracle Grow on the tomato plants in his garden. He put the prescribed amount on them, and they grew to an impressive size. He was so pleased with the results that he decided to double the strength. Sadly, for him, the tomatoes grew so big that they split open and they were ruined. We must go as far as God leads us to go, but no further!

Finally, one last lesson we can observe here is that gratitude is never wrong. We should show our gratitude towards our human leaders, but we must especially demonstrate our gratitude towards God. The truth here is that it was God’s idea to choose Saul, and it was God’s Spirit who led and empowered Saul to complete the mission.

In God’s Kingdom, we must never cut ourselves off from appreciating our fellow servants of God and also from appreciating all that He has done for us!

Conclusion:

As we saw in the Scriptures we reviewed for this message, Saul did not stumble coming out of the gate. Saul did rise to the occasion, but he did so because he didn’t cut himself off from God’s wisdom and power. If he had relied on his own abilities, this battle could have been, and probably would have been, a disaster. Instead, Saul stayed close to God, and he the Children of Israel enjoyed a tremendous victory instead.

What about us today?

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt