~ Devotion by Cayce Fletcher (SC)
Cayce Fletcher is a wife and homeschool mom of three. She writes and podcasts at amorebeautifullifecollective.com where she helps women grow in grace, build with purpose, and live beautifully. Read the latest post in the Systematic Theology series here.
Last week, as I was working on writing our summer camp journals, I turned on David for my kids to watch. It was the first time that I had seen the movie myself, but with The Prince of Egypt being one of my favorite movies as a kid, I had high expectations.
Of course, there were things that I wish they had done differently, but overall, I was pleasantly surprised. I so appreciated how they didn’t just stop at the Sunday School version of David’s life (just covering the story of David and Goliath), but instead told his story up until he received the kingship after Saul’s death.
Saul is such a tragic figure. He was so earnest in the beginning. If you remember in 1 Samuel 9, when Saul was first anointed, he responded to the kingship with humility. In verse 21, Saul responds to Samuel, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?”
As the years went on, this humility began to wane, and it was replaced by pride and self-focus. He is so scared to lose the kingdom, to do something wrong, that he ultimately loses it anyway. In Saul’s story, we see an example of someone who holds the ‘good’ so tightly that it becomes an enemy of the ‘great’ – a deep relationship with and dependence on God.
Over and over, Saul chooses to do ‘little sins’ in order to bring honor and fame to himself. He tries to manipulate the outcomes of battles. He’s willing to kill Jonathan (multiple times). He tries to keep the spoils of war and hides them from Samuel. By the end, he even turns to witchcraft to get answers because he feels like God has left him.
Like Macbeth and other power-hungry characters, Saul’s downfall was his lack of awareness that God can just as easily take away the responsibilities that he gave if the holder is found lacking. If Saul had depended on God completely, we would have read a different ending to his story than what we read today in 1 Chronicles 10.
1 Chronicles 10:13-14 sums up Saul’s life: “Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the Lord because he did not keep the Lord’s word. He even consulted a medium for guidance, but he did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David, son of Jesse.”
The tragedy of Saul affected more than just him. All of his sons fell in the doomed battle against the Philistines – an entire house extinguished.
Writing this just after Father’s Day, this makes me think about the responsibility we have as leaders. Saul was so concerned with his own pride and recognition that he ultimately sacrificed not only himself but also his family on that altar. As a leader of the people, we were supposed to steadfastly point them to God. Instead, he foolishly acted in ways that ‘seemed right in his own eyes’ but were contrary to God’s law.
Wherever you are leading – whether in your own homes, your church, or your community – you have a great responsibility to be steadfast. You cannot fall prey to the temptation of allowing the lines between right and wrong to blur in the service of your own desires. You cannot hold the good you feel like you deserve too tightly, ultimately rejecting wholehearted obedience to God.
Saul’s life is a reminder to look at our own lives and the gravity of our actions. How are they measuring up? May our lives always be characterized by faithfulness, not unfaithfulness like Saul.
Reflection Questions
- Saul’s life is a tragedy, and tragedy is often characterized by a central character flaw that leads to their doom. What do you think is the core sin of Saul’s life?
- As Saul began to grow in influence and power, that tainted his relationship with God. How do you handle influence rightly so that it brings glory to God – not yourself?
- When we think of Saul, we often think of Saul the King, not Saul the Father. How did Saul’s actions affect his family? What lessons can we learn from this about parenting?
Prayer
Lord,
Help me hold my responsibilities rightly so that they bring glory to you. May I not fall prey to the dangers of pride, but instead lead with humility. Help me to guide those who are following after me to a better relationship with you.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Seek Grow Love 