The Fall of Saul

(Note: originally posted as guest blogger on Dallas First Assembly of God blog 10/25)

1 Samuel 15 tells a very poignant story.

It starts off with Saul the great King of Israel. Victorious in battle, slaughtering his enemies, he was the champion of God. The anointed. The chosen to lead God's people.


It ends with a heart-wrenching condemnation of Saul:
v35 Samuel never went to meet with Saul again, but he mourned constantly for him. And the Lord was sorry he had ever made Saul king of Israel.

How did Saul reach this point? How could he fall so far so fast? By doing something most of us do everyday.

My wife and I have been fighting this very thing in our 3 3/4 year old son Connor. There are times we tell Connor to not to do something and he goes ahead and does it anyway. Normal kid, right? But normal for us too. When I ask Connor why he did the thing I told him not to do, his reply is almost always: "But I wanted to ...". There is a direct conflict between his will and mine. He then makes the choice to obey or not.

We make that same choice everyday, probably even every minute. Do we obey God or not? Even in the smallest things that choice is there. It boils down to this: do I value God's commands higher than my desires? Or is what I want more important to me than what God wants?

Saul fell so fast. Don't fall with him.

v22-23 What is more pleasing to the Lord:
your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.
So because you have rejected the command of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.