Scripture
Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the Lord because he did not keep the Lord’s word.
~ 1 Chronicles 10:13 (CSB)
Quote
Don’t waste your life trying to be something you are not or trying to impress other people: do what you love and love what you do.
~Image Quotes
Every time I read the bible through, I am gripped by the tragedy surrounding king Saul’s life. Saul was a big man, a head taller than all the other Israelites. This means he was probably 6’8″ at least. He had a very humble demeanor; he shunned the spotlight and he was devoted to his father. Samuel and his fellow Israelites saw a leader in the making but what they could not see was Saul’s deep insecurity. They basically have to twist Saul’s arm to get him to be their king but Saul was not cut out to be a king. His deep insecurity made it difficult for him to trust anyone and it is hard to manage a kingdom by yourself. Saul was easily threatened and prone to fits of anger. His insecurity caused him to be very jealous. David was the exact opposite. He was confident, you may even say cocky. It’s a fact that his brothers thought he was cocky. David was a natural born leader. David also exhibited great courage and faith an area where Saul was deficient. Saul enjoyed David victory of Goliath but when the masses began giving David praise, Saul became intensely jealous. His jealously turned to hatred and for the rest of his miserable like, he lived to destroy David. His hatred for David caused him to neglect his greater responsibilities. Saul spent his time and resources hunting David. It was a tragic waste of life.
Saul was not a young man when he died but according to the bible, he died as a result of his rebellion against God. He died at the hands of the Philistines and three of his sons died with him. Saul’s heart was set on Jonathan taking his place but Saul foolish sin got Jonathan killed. The sad thing is: it did not have to be this way. David was the key to winning a victory over the Philistines: in this instance, David is a type of Christ. Saul needed David to defeat the Philistines but he was so prideful that he rejected David’s assistance and tried to defeat them himself and it cost him and his sons their lives. You might say Saul’s death was suicide in more ways than one. His foolishness and pride got him killed. Matt Maher’s song, LORD I Need You, has become a part of my daily devotion and sermon preparation.
Bowing here I find my rest
Without You I fall apart
You’re the One that guides my heart
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You.
- Wow, what an incredible day. We couldn’t order better weather. God is good.
- It has been awhile since I’ve heard the band and they did great on the Praise and worship. There was one problem for me: I didn’t know the songs. I sang as loud as I could from the front row last night but you didn’t hear me. Old age has reduced my volume which is a good thing for you but the band is singing louder which I like. To have REVIVAL, we all have to sing. Our Father loves to hear us praise His Son.
- Honestly, I hate politics but it is a necessary evil. I drove home hoping to get some good news but I didn’t hear what I wanted to hear. Things don’t look good but we have survived uncertain times in the past. Not many of you can remember Jimmy Carter and the Iran hostage crisis. Those were days of doubt and uncertainty. We had a president who had no stomach for war. He was afraid and everyone new it. Ronald Reagan gave us hope and a sense of security. We have to be more Christian and mature than our counterparts. They are motivated by pure hate and they are pragmatic, they do what works whether it is ethical or not. Our hope has always been Jesus and that has not changed. Jesus is coming back to make things right: every slanderous lie will be accounted for as well as the murder of every innocent baby. One good thing: we don’t have to hear those abominable political ads for a while.