2 September 2010
Recently I was reading the account of Saul being chosen as the first King of Israel. Samuel was commissioned by God to go and tell Saul of God’s selection on his life. I was struck by Saul’s initial response to this divine opportunity. In 1 Samuel 9:21, Saul said, “Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?”
Part of Saul’s greatness when he was first called was the humility with which he viewed himself. There was a raw contriteness he possessed that was in fact the reason why God could push him into the spotlight. Later, when Saul was disqualifying himself by rash decisions and presumption, the prophet Samuel showed up again in 1 Samuel 15:17 and reminded Saul that “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not the head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel?” The prophet was revealing to Saul the quality that he had possessed was the reason for divine advancement. This is a message that resonates with us today. When we view ourselves with no expectancy or right of privilege we position ourselves to inherit what God has for us. The tragic reality was that Saul had lost that quality in his serving of the Lord as king.
May we all hold on to the simplicity of walking humbly as we serve. May we not take on the mindset of “we deserve more” as we faithfully serve the Lord and one another. How we see ourselves in the secret of our hearts may define how far we go in God. Don’t entertain the inflating effects of the enemy’s promptings to promote yourself, no matter what the situation is.
Pastor Tom Wells