557. The Easy Way or the Better Way?

Women World Leaders' Podcast

Life sure seems hard sometimes. Wouldn’t it be great if things came a little easier for us? They certainly did for Saul, Israel’s first king, but it didn’t work out as well as you might think. Join as host Julie Harwick takes you on a journey you won't want to miss!

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Welcome to Women World Leaders podcast. I’m your host, Julie Harwick. Thank you for joining me today as we celebrate God’s grace in our lives, in this ministry and around the world.

My husband and I have had the opportunity to travel quite a bit in the last year – much more than usual. I’ve enjoyed every bit of it, but it has brought an unwanted side effect – quite a few extra pounds. As a petite woman of a certain age, I have to be pretty careful about how I eat if I don’t want to have to purchase a whole new wardrobe. But when I’m on vacation, I throw caution to the wind and take a vacation from my normal diet. It makes the vacations more fun, but reality hits quickly when I return to a much higher number on the scale and increasingly tight-fitting clothes. It’s always so much easier and enjoyable to put it on than it is to take it off. I was contemplating that reality recently and desperately wishing for a quick fix when I re-read the story of Saul, the first king of Israel. There’s a lot we can learn from him, but what stands out most is the dangers of leading a charmed life where everything just seems to fall into place.

Saul’s story begins in the book of 1st Samuel. For the first 400 years of Israel’s existence in the promised land, the people were governed by a series of judges. You can read about it in the book of Judges. During these four centuries Israel alternated between seeking to please God and walking away from Him depending on how things were going for them. Their enemies would oppress them and they would cry out to God for help. He’d send them a judge like Gideon or Deborah to lead them in victory over their enemies, and filled with gratitude, they would serve God… for a while. As they drifted away from Him yet again, God would allow another enemy to oppress them until they turned back to Him in repentance. The cycle repeated itself over and over with the recurring line repeated throughout the book, “in those days there was no king in Israel and every man did what was right in his own eyes.”

The people of Israel recognized that the situation wasn’t good and something needed to change. But instead of considering that the problem could be that everyone doing what was right in their own eyes, rather than what was right in God’s eyes, they decided that it was the lack of a king creating this annoying cycle. They noticed that all of the countries surrounding them were ruled by kings and like immature children, they went to their spiritual father, God’s anointed priest, Samuel, to demand a king. Samuel was not impressed with the “everybody else is doing it” argument and pointed out the negatives associated with having a king. He reminded them that a king would tax them heavily so that he could live in luxury. He would conscript their sons into his armies and their daughters to make perfumes, cook and serve at the palace in other ways. He would make unreasonable demands of them and they would have no choice but to comply. Like petulant children, they essentially responded with, “we don’t care – we want a king anyway.” God reassured Samuel that he should do as they asked. “They’re not rejecting your leadership, Samuel,” He explained. “They are rejecting Mine.”

Here's the first lesson we can learn from the story of King Saul. Be careful what you wish for - God may give you what you demand – even if it’s not what’s best for you. All of the warnings Samuel had given came to pass for the Israelites. Anytime we look to a king, or a president, or a governor or any dynamic leader to solve all our problems, instead of making God’s leadership supreme in our lives, we are at great risk. God never forces His way in our lives, that’s what free will is all about. If we ignore His warnings and insist on having our own way, He’ll allow it, but there may be a high price to pay for our stubbornness.

God orchestrated a chance encounter between Samuel and Saul and immediately told Samuel that the young, good-looking man, who stood head and shoulders above everyone else was to be Israel’s first king. In spite of his impressive appearance, Saul seemed to be quite humble at this point in his life. When Samuel hinted at what was about to happen, saying, “At this moment, Israel’s future is in your hands,” Saul replied, “I’m from the smallest of Israel’s tribes, and from the most insignificant clan in the tribe at that. Why are you talking to me like this?” Initially, he seemed a very reluctant king. When he returned home to his uncle after Samuel had privately anointed him king, he never mentioned any of the incredible things he had just experienced. When Samuel officially introduced him as the newly appointed king, he was ultimately found hiding behind a pile of baggage. Saul’s story is another example of how power and fame can change a person.

When Samuel privately informed Saul that God had selected him to be king, he anointed him with oil and told him three very specific things that were about to happen to him as confirmation. Samuel predicted that the final sign would be that Saul would encounter a group of prophets playing musical instruments and prophesying. “What’s more, “ Samuel said, “is that the Spirit of God will come on you and you’ll prophesy too. In fact, you’ll be transformed into a completely new person!” When I read those words “transformed into a completely new person,” I immediately thought, “I want that!” I thought of all those extra pounds and inches just disappearing instantaneously, but that felt kind of frivolous. So, what if God took all of the things I struggle with spiritually, emotionally, relationally and just instantly fixed them and made me a whole new person? Wouldn’t that be the ultimate? It was exciting to think about, but as I did, God reminded me of what I knew of the rest of Saul’s story.

The new person he became after his episode of prophesying started out pretty well. Even after he was publicly named king, he returned to his uncle’s fields and started plowing. His humility caused some people question his credentials and refuse to acknowledge his status. But when his neighbors in Jabesh Gilead were threatened, the Spirit of God came upon him again and he took charge, leading Israel’s army to victory. Many of his new-found fans suggested that he round up those who had questioned his leadership and have them executed. But Saul had no interest in revenge, saying, “This is the day God saved Israel! No one will be executed today.”

But it’s funny how a little fame and power can change your perspective, especially when you’re under pressure. Saul’s reign had been going perfectly, but the Philistines started causing trouble again. King Saul summoned his army and they came, but quickly recognized that they were vastly outnumbered and in serious danger. It was unthinkable to venture into battle without the Lord’s blessing, which would come after Samuel arrived to offer the necessary ritual sacrifices. Samuel had communicated that he would arrive within seven days to perform his duties. Seven days passed, but no Samuel. And his troops were getting really antsy. They were already nervous about their odds and when there was no sign of Samuel, they began slipping away in large numbers. Fearing that he would have no army left, King Saul decided to take matters into his own hands and make the requisite offerings himself, even though it was in direct violation of the Law of Moses. While the animal sacrifices were still burning, Samuel arrived, demanding, “What in the world do you think you’re doing?” Saul responded with what he thought was some very solid reasoning. “ I saw that I was losing my army and that you hadn’t come when you said you would,” in other words, “your fault, not mine.” And then to seal his argument with an extra spiritual rationale, he added, “the Philistines are about to come on me and I haven’t yet come before God asking for His help. So I took things into my own hands and sacrificed the burnt offering.” Samuel was not impressed. “That was a foolish thing to do, “ Samuel replied. “If you had obeyed God by waiting for me to make the sacrifices, He would’ve set a firm and lasting foundation for your reign. But instead, He is already looking for your replacement.”

This was a pivotal moment in Saul’s life and from here, things went from bad to worse. Israel was constantly at war with the Philistines during his reign and in one battle, he superstitiously made a ridiculous vow that nearly cost his son, Jonathan, his life. When God told him to completely annihilate the Amalekites – all people and possessions, he allowed his men to keep the best of the Amalekites’ belongings and neglected to eliminate their king. When Samuel confronted him about his disobedience to God, he once again tried to rationalize it by saying that they had kept the best of the Amalekite’s livestock so they could sacrifice it to God. Samuel, once again, was not impressed and reminded Saul that God valued obedience far more than sacrifice.

Soon after this, God led Samuel to anoint an unimpressive young shepherd boy, named David, as the new king. Few people even knew about it, but after his victory over the giant, Goliath, the name of David was on everyone’s lips. When Saul heard his female subjects singing, “Saul kills by the thousand and David by the ten thousand,” jealousy overcame the once humble Saul. From that point on, the King was tormented by a spirit of fear, jealousy, rage and confusion. He alternated between loving David as a son and trying to kill him. He depended on David to lead his troops against the Philistines, calm his troubled soul with his skill on the harp and even made the younger man his son-in-law. But he threw a spear at him from his throne on two occasions and pursued him all over Israel and the surrounding nations in an effort to get rid of him once and for all. He would most likely be diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and paranoia if he lived today because of his rapidly changing moods and behavior toward David. In his final years, he never had a moment’s peace and no longer heard anything from God. He was killed in battle against the Philistines along with his son, Jonathon.

The man who had shown such promise and received incredible blessings from God did not finish well. In spite of God’s miraculous works in his life, transforming him into a completely different person, he began to transform himself from a humble, obedient servant into a proud, jealous ruler.

By contrast, the shepherd boy, David didn’t have such an easy path to the throne. As the youngest of many brothers, he was completely forgotten when Samuel asked to meet all of Jesse’s sons. His brothers mocked him when he expressed a desire to take on the challenge of defeating Goliath. He endured years of hiding in caves and mountains trying to escape from King Saul who wanted desperately to kill him, even though David gave him nothing but absolute allegiance. The difficult road from shepherd to king, built character in David and taught him to rely on God for deliverance and vindication. God actually transformed him into a completely different person through the hardships he endured… transformed him into a man after God’s own heart. When things come easily, we tend to not value them as much as we do the things we’ve had to struggle for. Although the idea of instant and painless transformation is appealing, it is not what’s best for us. The bible is full of characters who endured ridicule, hardships and persecution and in every case, it’s what drew them nearer to their maker and allowed them to accomplish His purposes. No doubt it’s what prompted James, believed to be the brother of Jesus, to begin his letter to the Church by challenging his readers to, “consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

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