Who Would Be King?
“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.” 1 Samuel 15:11
Regret – It was a triumph of self-determination, and a tragedy of spiritual disintegration. The man who would be king decided that his interpretation of God’s command was good enough. That decision precipitated his downfall and the kingdom was removed from him.
God instructed Samuel to anoint Saul king. But Saul made one mistake, a mistake that seemed insignificant at the time but had disastrous consequences. God sent Saul to eradicate the Amalekites. God’s command was terrifyingly clear. “Kill them all.” Saul, however, determined that a few were good enough to spare. So, the best of the sheep, the best of the cattle and the best of the people were spared. Why did Saul decide that God really didn’t mean what He said? Saul believed that he understood economics. Why waste the best? Why destroy something that had real, immediate value? After all, God has plenty. What does it really matter if a few of the very best are retained for future use? Saul even rationalizes his action by claiming that he preserved the best “for sacrifice to God.” Doesn’t that make it all right? After all, it’s for a religious purpose.
Saul didn’t understand the enormity of his disobedience. It looked like such a small thing. But he was king, and God expects those whom He anoints to act in absolute obedience. God says that He regrets making Saul king. The word is naham. The word has a wide umbrella of related meanings. Comfort, pity, avenge, regret, console, revenge and grieve all come from this root. All of these meanings are tied to a deep emotional distress that results in outward action. God’s grief over Saul’s failure resulted in immediate consequences. In the same way, naham expresses God’s immediate, comforting response to the distress of His people (Psalm 119:82). Saul experienced one side of naham. Hopefully, we will experience the other side.
There is a terrifying lesson in this historical event. God appoints with the expectation of obedience. Those who do not fulfill His commands are removed from the appointed office. Sometimes, there is no second chance. Proverbs tells us that there is a way that appears right in the eyes of a man, but the end of it is destruction. That’s Saul’s life in a nutshell. He was king. He was in command. What he did appeared right to him. In fact, he even argues that he has fulfilled God’s command. It never crosses his mind that he only did some of what God instructed because, for Saul, some was good enough.
Has God appointed you? Are you called to a particular task or role or office in the Body? Has God given you an assignment to carry out? Then you are in the place of Saul, for you are the one who would be king. This is very dangerous ground, not because fulfilling God’s orders is confusing or difficult. It is dangerous ground because it is so easy to think that our interpretation of what God says is good enough. It is dangerous ground because we are likely to see something “good” in what we are to utterly destroy, and keep it for our own purposes. Have you really taken God seriously? Have you put all of His command into action, without hesitation? Or would you rather be king in your own eyes?
Topical Index: Leadership
