In this chapter Saul leads an army to rescue a besieged city in Israel, thus gaining him the allegiance of Israel, and he is officially crowned king.
“Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead… And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. And the next day Saul put the people in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together. So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.” (v1a,6,11,15)
Obviously many details were left out from the verses above, but suffice it to say Saul ultimately leads the armies of Israel and Judah into battle to defeat the Ammonites. I don’t really approve of his recruitment method (he basically threatens the people of Israel into following him), but God was on his side, so maybe his method was acceptable.
Saul starts out as a great king – he delivers the people from their enemies and gives the glory to God. He listens to his mentor Samuel, and submits to his authority. When some people want to execute those who opposed Saul’s kingship, Saul denies their execution, declaring they need to celebrate the Lord’s salvation for Israel. Saul wisely implies that Israel should focus on worshiping God, not executing someone for their opinion.
One of the reasons I think Saul is such great king at first is because his influence hasn’t gone to his head (ie. he’s not full of himself). Early in his career he’s reliant upon Samuel and God for guidance and has to win the people over by doing the right thing and meeting their expectations of him.
The same can happen to Christ followers – when we’re young and inexperienced in the faith, we rely more heavily upon our mentors and God, though that dependency can wane over time as we gain knowledge and experience.
My encouragement for today is that no matter how experienced we become, we remain dependent upon God and the wise people God has placed into our lives. Let’s never allow ourselves to think that we don’t need help, or that we don’t need prayer. Let’s grow strong in our faith, while remaining weak in our own strength. Meaning, let’s never think we are strong enough to do anything on our own. Saul realized he could not fulfill his calling without Samuel and God – so too we cannot fulfill God’s calling in our lives without His help. Let’s glorify God, and fully rely on Him for strength and wisdom.
“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (1 Cor 12:10) Paul reminds us that we are at our strongest when we rely on God instead of ourselves.
Father God, our High and Sovereign King, You are wise and mighty beyond compare. We confess that we are weak and foolish compared to Your strength and wisdom. Spirit please guide us minute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day. May we never stop relying on You to carry us on this journey. Father please keep us strong by loaning us Your strength, and keeping us reliant upon You alone. In the name of Jesus who did nothing in His own strength, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training