When he (Samuel) had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found. therefore they inquired of the LORD further, “Has the man come here yet?”And the LORD answered, “There he is, hidden among the equipment.” 1 Samuel 10: 21, 22, NKJV.
Almighty God, as we come to You today, we do it in humility. We pray that Your mercy will not depart from us, but that You will enable us to follow where You lead us, not only in our study, but in our lives. We ask these mercies in the holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
As we studied about the nobility of Jonathan, as a son, a friend, and a faithful believer in YHWH, the question that popped into my mind was, what if Jonathan had been allowed to inherit the throne after his father Saul? Would his life story had been as amazing as we read about it in sacred history? Would he and David have had the incredible friendship that warm our hearts, almost to the point of tears? Or, would his position as king, have brought to the surface some of the less pleasant traits of character that, unfortunately, is often seen in the lives of many people in high places? Do not forget: The chip does not fall too far from the block! What if . . . ?
These thoughts were triggered by our Scripture for today. I look at the life of his father Saul, and feel very sad as I compare the beginning chapters of his life to the ending. Spend a few moments with me and let us see what Scripture reveals:
As the story of his life begins to unfold, we find a humble young man named Saul, and his servant, searching for his father’s sheep. He is so conscientious, that he decides to return home without the sheep, so that his father would not worry about him. He is humble enough to listen to the suggestion of his servant, to go and inquire about the whereabouts of the lost sheep, from the man of God (1 Samuel 9: 1-10). He is so small in his own eyes, that he is confused by the salutation of the man of God (20, 21).
It has been told him that, “God is with you” (10: 7b). As he turns to leave the presence of the prophet, the Bible declares, “God gave him another heart” (9). “[T]hen the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them” (10b). After all of this had taken place, he met his uncle who inquired where he had been but there was no boasting about what had happened to him. There is no mention made of the fact that he was now the most important man in the kingdom (14-16). According to our Scripture, on his coronation day, he cannot be found, he is hiding among the equipment. When the men of Jabesh Gilead reject him, “he held his peace” (27c).
Two years later he accepts the glory that rightly belongs to his son Jonathan (13: 1-4). He becomes impatient and performs the duty of the priest, and blames the people and the prophet, for his rash behavior (8-12). The man of God notifies Saul of God’s displeasure, and tells him that the kingdom had been taken from him and given to another (13, 14). He declares a fast in the midst of war; with his oath causes the people to sin; puts his own son’s life at risk, and blames the people (14: 24-33, 38, 39). He would have murdered his own son had the people not intervened (44, 45)! He openly disobeys God, and again, blames the people (15: 13-22). He is finally rejected by God (15: 26).
From that day onward, he descends as low as one can go when he or she has departed from God. An evil spirit now replaces the Spirit of God that once dwelled within him (16: 14). He visits a witch at Endor to find out what will be his end (28: 7). He speaks to a devil, believing it is the dead prophet (14-19; Leviticus 17: 7; Deuteronomy 32: 17; Psalm 106: 37; 2 Corinthians 11: 14). He dies at the hand of an Amalekite. He and his sons die on the same day (2 Samuel 1: 6-10).
How do you go from being so humble to becoming so haughty? Is Saul the only one who something like this could happen to? I don’t think so. It has been said that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts, absolutely.” What if this was what God saved Jonathan from? This is just my reflection on the situation.