Solomon

Saul’s Downfall To the request of the Israelites, a king was given to them. As Saul grows into his kingship, his pride does as well. Through the course of his life, Saul blames others for his failures and does not repent for the sins that he commits against the Lord. He trusts more in the words of Samuel then in his faith with the Lord. This results in the loss of his perspective on practicing trust in the Lord. The consequences of this act do not give Saul a chance for a successful kingship because he develops a darkened mind set of pride. Saul’s failures result from the lack of a kingship founded on God, impatience with Samuel and trust in demonic powers leading to his destructive downfall. In desiring a king rather than the Lord, the Israelites reject the true king of kings Seeing their neighbors with physical kings Israel became restless and cried out “Give us a king…” The Israelites no longer remembered the deeds that the Lord had done for them and they began to seek a physical king. Saul “was an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites…a head taller than any other.” The Israelites only looked at the physical aspect of a king, and not the inner spiritual strength needed as well. Though the Israelites wanted a physical leader they did not think of the consequences of having a king that did not have a spiritual relationship with the Lord. They “have rejected me as their king…listen to them but warn them.” The Lord saw Saul’s heart and knew that it was not for Him. Because, the Israelites were blinded by their desire for a physical king, they did not ask the Lord for a spiritual king. They are now guided by a worldly king, and are no longer differentiated from the world. Through his impatience Saul is unable to humble himself and realize that the Lord is mightier than he. In fear of the Philistine army “Saul’s men began to scatter…so Saul said bring me the burnt offering…and offered up the burnt offering.” As a result of not trusting in Samuel’s words, Saul gives into his weakness of being left alone. In that he seeks the Lord’s favor through his own hands. Whenever he is confronted by Samuel he blames the Philistines and Samuel for the departure of his people. The unbelief of Saul adds onto the flaws that lead him to stumble towards a darkened mind set. With these churned type of thoughts, the Lord departs from Saul. His departure is due to Saul’s refusal to admit his sins and repent, triggering his downfall. Thinking other powers were equal to that of the Lord’s, Saul inquires the help of demonic powers that he had previously rejected. After “Saul inquired of the Lord but the Lord did not answer him…he consulted a medium…Saul fell full length on the ground with fear.” When Saul sees that the Lord is not answering him, he loses his trust. He moves on to things he knows the Lord forbade. Saul does not care how he gets his answer, as long as he gets it. This loses the whole perspective on placing trust in the Lord. He would leave the Lord for a medium who cannot even be trusted in saying the truth. Saul’s paranoia is shown when he places his trust completely in the medium. This is evident in the fear he shows after hearing the mediums verdict. Saul already knows, in his heart what the answer will be but does not want to admit to it. He does not listen to Samuel before but now desperately tries to get his advice. The Israelites cried out to the Lord for a physical king, and the Lord gave them a king. However, he was not a spiritual king who would turn to the Lord for guidance. Through the forty two years that Saul ruled over the Israelites, he blamed others for his failures. Because of his pride, Saul would not repent from the sins that he had committed against the Lord. Due to his lack of faith he trusted more in the words of demonic powers then he did in God. In society today, people look more towards the appearance of a person than their spiritual mind set. The Israelites chose Saul to be their king, fully knowing they were rejecting the true king of kings.