“…Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel?…” – 1st Samuel 15:17 (NIV)
The account of the demise of King Saul should serve as a life-changing lesson to us all. God selected Saul, a young man filled with promise and with the potential to lead Israel to prosperity. At first, Saul was a humble King; the Bible records in 1st Samuel 9:21 that when the Prophet Samuel indicated Saul would lead Israel, he replied, “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 things to me?”
However, as time passed, Saul separated himself from God and relied on his own perceptions, leading him to have a very miserable end. We saw Saul’s pride in Israel’s fight against the Philistines when he engaged in war before he was blessed by the man of God; he offered the burnt offering himself (1st Samuel 13:12). His rebellious attitude was more evident when he disobeyed God’s instructions to utterly destroy the Amalekites and their livestock by sparing King Agag and some of the prime livestock (1 Samuel 15:9).
Moreover, he did not admit to his faults when he was accused by Prophet Samuel of committing various transgressions against God, but debated the accusation and even blamed his transgression on Samuel and his soldiers (1st Samuel 13:11-12 & 1st Sam. 15:20-21).
Saints of God, God’s provision is transformational. He (God) has a track record of transforming His people from rags to riches, obscurity to prominence, from sickness to health, and from victim to victor. The problem arises when we have attained our career objective (s), wealth, and academic acquisition and become haughty, proud, and arrogant – attributing all our successes to our own earthly abilities and intellect. Essentially, we sear our conscience with hot iron (1st Timothy 4:2) to erase the fact that God is the source of our existence and achievement. God, however, resists the proud and gives grace to the humble (James 4:10).
We must humble ourselves before the Lord, and He will lift us up since nothing that we possess belongs to us, we are simply stewards of His provision. The very breath that goes through our body belongs to Him, every heartbeat that we experience is by His permission. He numbered every hair upon our head and at every juncture of our life, He opened doors of opportunity for us to become what we are today. So, it is important for us not to forget our humble beginnings lest we go the way of King Saul. Forego pride and arrogance and humble yourself in the presence of God.
Read: Proverbs 11:2; Luke 18:14
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 112; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:1-7; Isaiah 63; Isaiah 64; Isaiah 65:1-16
