UNFITNESS FOR THE KINGDOM

PREPARATIONS FOR THE KINGDOM


(Studies in 1 Samuel)


5. UNFITNESS FOR THE KINGDOM (Chapters 9 - 14)


Harry Foster


WE enter now into a period which at times seems bright with hopefulness and at others dark with despair, but which has always the undertones of the amazing grace and patience of our God. To us Saul is a person of mystery. Why was he ever called and anointed? It is a futile occupation for mere men to try to understand the ways of God. It is a much healthier and more helpful exercise to follow the divine record, gratefully accepting the encouragements of the story and humbly profiting from its warnings.


Chapters 9 and 10


There are some beautiful spiritual lessons to be learned from the call to the kingdom of this young man, Saul. We begin with a personal problem in his home, the loss of his father's asses. We ask, what could some wandering donkeys have to do with God's kingdom? The answer is that God makes use of so many apparently irrelevant things when He is pursuing His purposes. God's beginnings are usually small, and yet so much can hang on the seemingly unimportant. That is how it happened with Saul. He was instructed to choose whomever he wanted from among his father's servants, and he chose as his companion a man who served him well. For Saul was by nature an impetuous man. Three days searching for the lost animals was more than enough for him, and the pair would have returned home forthwith if the decision had been left to him. But a rash man is often also a weak man, and Saul was that. In this case happily so, for it was his servant who suggested the next step, provided -- or offered to provide -- the money judged to be necessary, and urged his master to get in touch with Samuel. They did not have to seek very far for, under the overruling providence of God, the two groups met almost at once: "When they came into the city, behold Samuel came out against them". Once again we see the miracle of God's perfect timing. Obviously He was taking great interest in the affairs of this young man Saul, ensuring that he did not find the lost asses, working to make him turn to Samuel for advice and forewarning the seer that this was the one who was to reign over Israel.


All Saul's problems were met at once. He was re-assured about the asses and he was invited to a prepared meal. But more than this, he was astonished to find that he was called to the kingdom. He, the member of such an insignificant family in the smallest of the tribes, was to be given the supreme honour in Israel. He had not thought of it; he did not choose it; and he certainly made no effort to obtain it; his beginnings were entirely a matter of grace. But there are warnings in Scripture about despising or frustrating the grace of God, and the tragic story of Saul will show us how possible such an action can be. [96/97]


For the moment, however, we have fair promise. Saul is led by Samuel into the banqueting house and there presented with a special dish which had been specifically set aside for him. It was a shoulder -- symbol of strength -- so that he could be sure that the God who called him to service would always provide abundant energy for that service. Samuel fed him before he gave him instructions. That is always God's way with us. He makes spiritual sustenance the priority. First we must feed on Christ and then we will be ready to be told what to do. Moreover, Saul had to be anointed. This was a very private and personal experience. Later Saul was to be publicly crowned in the presence of all the people, but at the first his experience of anointing came as he and Samuel were quite alone. Until then the nameless servant had witnessed and shared in what had taken place, but now Saul had his own intimate experience, as Samuel anointed him, kissed him and told him of the confirming signs which God had provided.


These were three, and they all happened just as Samuel said they would. The first was an encounter with two men at the tomb of Saul's famous ancestress, Rachael. That tomb marked the victory of faith, for there Jacob had changed his child's name from Son of my Sorrow to Benjamin, Son of the Right Hand. The message which the men gave was timely, for it re-assured Saul about the asses, but it was also one of fundamental principle since it indicated that God will always look after the personal concerns and problems of those who seek first His kingdom. The second sign was a meeting with three men on their way to Bethel, God's house. These men gave him food and drink, which must have been most welcome since Saul's own provisions were exhausted. But more, this sign reminded Saul and every other person called to the kingdom -- that God provides strength for those who obey His call. The third sign was a promise of enduement of power by the Spirit. This was a fellowship matter, precipitated by yet one more encounter, this time with a company of praising prophets.


We must not confuse this experience of Saul's with New Testament conversion. Although such phrases are used as: "thou shalt be turned into another man" and "God gave him another heart", this did not mean to him then what it means to every believer today. All through the Old Testament we read of the Spirit coming upon men at special times and for specific purposes. This seems to have been one such occasion, and there can be no question but that Saul had a mighty enduement and a miraculous experience of sharing in Spirit-given praises of God. It soon had an end (10:13), but it left its authentic mark of the Holy Spirit, namely a spirit of beautiful humility. He had nothing boastful to say to his uncle (v.16); he hid himself from publicity (v.22); and he did not harbour any rancour towards those who had insulted him (v.27). God had been very gracious to Saul. He had fulfilled His threefold promise right to the hilt, and with it all had enabled him to keep truly humble. Finally the moment arrived when Samuel could present him to the people as the chosen of the Lord.




Chapter 11


We now pass to the next chapter which tells of the confirmation of his kingly calling. It all began so well. Saul (like David afterwards and, indeed, like Jesus of Nazareth at twelve years of age) made no attempt to assert himself or to claim any office, but returned to work on the family farm (v.5). Then he was moved to action in compassion for his oppressed brethren, and had a new experience of the Spirit for this new challenge. We trace the Spirit's working in giving him concern for his fellows, then empowering him for immediate action and making him the agent of true unity among God's people. The Spirit gave him wisdom to deal with the situation and made him the leader in a great victory. Then once again the same Spirit made him gracious as well as grateful: he would praise God but he would avoid any bad feeling against his earlier critics (v.13). So the whole incident was headed up by Samuel into a renewal and confirmation of the kingdom. The chapter ends with what must have been a peak moment, as the triumphant king and his rejoicing people were led by Samuel in holy thanksgiving to God. Who can deny that God was really moving among His people in those days of deliverance? Up to this point Saul does not seem to have put a foot wrong.


Chapter 12


The next chapter is strange but most instructive. Samuel may have been old and grey-headed, but he had spiritual vigour as well as discernment, and he evidently feared that God's patience and goodness may have been wrongly taken by the Israelites to imply that their original demand for a king had been a good thing after all. This he would [97/98] never allow. God had blessed them and wished to continue to do so, but Samuel was not prepared to let them make a virtue of their failures. No, they must never delude themselves by wrongly imagining that God's blessing excused their blunders, nor act as though His kind helpfulness meant that He was forgetful of their impatience or indulgent in His attitude to it. God is neither forgetful nor carelessly indulgent. It often happens that after we have made some rash decision we cannot go back on our tracks, nor unsay or undo what has already transpired. But we can and must recognise and confess our mistakes and we must certainly not assume that all is well just because God continues to bless us and answer prayer for us.


This was the lesson which Israel had to learn when, after an impassioned denunciation, Samuel called for the calamity of thunder and rain at the time of wheat harvest. This unexpected disaster aroused their consciences. The result was healthy in that they turned from their irresponsible cheerfulness to holy dismay, crying: "Pray for thy servants that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil to ask us a king" (v.19). 'It was wrong then and it has not been made right by God's evident goodness and help. So we recognise our sinfulness and throw ourselves upon God's mercy. Please pray for us.' This attitude made possible a new beginning, and it brought them that most Scriptural of encouragements: "Fear not ...". It also opened the way for Samuel to speak some words of encouragement. He assured the people that God may have been offended but He does not sulk. If He has loved, He goes on loving. He will still bless if His people return to Him in humble dependence. And, as a true servant of such a God of grace, Samuel assured them that for his part he would never quit praying for them. But he went on to speak very frankly to them in the Lord's name. So the chapter ends differently from the previous one, but still with hope, though not without warning to king and people that they must never take the Lord for granted. Grace does not give license for carelessness and self-will; it demands humility and obedience.

Chapter 13


The previous chapter left Israel with an uncomfortable feeling that although they had got their own way and even been blessed by the Lord as they had done so, all was not well. How right they were. There was yet to come the sad harvest of their wilful sowing. This chapter seems to suggest that the happy period lasted for two years. In some ways that was a startlingly short time, but in others it was significantly long. For two years after they had flouted God's wishes and insisted on having their own way, all seemed to prosper. It is often like this, with an individual or with a fellowship. The flesh has rashly forced God's hand, events have been precipitated before His time, those concerned have an uneasy awareness that they have made a false move; but they enjoy the blessing and they know that they are prayed for, so that they begin to think that it is all right after all. True, they let their own impatient reasoning rush them into premature action, but they do not expect God to hold this against them. In this they are right. If they will keep truly humble, He will not be against them. Indeed in this case Samuel informed Saul that, given obedience on his part, God would have established his kingdom upon Israel for ever (v.13). The sad fact is that Saul had failed to learn this lesson. As a consequence he was called but not chosen; he was blessed but he proved himself unfit for the kingdom.


Once again, may I say that we must not try to equate his experiences with those of a born-again Christian. There is no question of such a one being rejected or having the Spirit of adoption taken from him. Let us simply consider the story and learn the spiritual lessons without trying to extract theological considerations from it. And the first lesson which leaps out from this chapter is a solemn warning against impatience. In our last study we accused Israel of this very fault; now we will find its quintessence in their first king.


Israel, as was so often the case, found themselves faced by a vast horde of enemies, and had no help but the Lord. Now this might well have proved a further decisive Eben-ezer, but to make that possible Saul needed faith to wait for Samuel to intercede for them on the basis of the lamb. It seems that the king had standing orders always to wait seven days for Samuel to come, or it may be that on this occasion he had a specific promise that Samuel would come at the end of that period (v.8). He did not come. Shall we say that God's servant delayed? Shall we not rather say that God did what He so often does, made the people wait beyond what they judged to be the limit of time? He made Saul wait. He does not do such a thing to tease His [98/99] people but to train them; not to weaken faith but to strengthen it. This, then was the simple test applied to Saul. Would he wait God's time or would he -- to use his own word -- force the issue? The sad answer is that he could not wait. To him it all seemed so logical. The people were first trembling, then scattering; Samuel would apparently not implement his promise to come in time; so the king took the matter into his own hands and "forced himself" (v.12), a thing that the man of the Spirit never does. It was not that he failed to acknowledge God. Far from it! He made a burnt offering. But -- as David later confessed -- God has no pleasure in burnt offerings; His sacrifices are a broken spirit (Psalm 51:16-17).


The significant point is that when he was thus making his carnal effort at a sacrifice, Samuel was only just round the corner. He was not really too late. God never is. He was punctual to the minute. It is just this punctuality of God that the flesh in all of us finds so irksome. He will not hurry. He is never late, but equally He is never too early. That is why so often we are exhorted to wait for Him. Saul could not do that. Even while he was intruding into the priestly office and concluding the sacrifices which God never called for, Samuel appeared on the scene. The Scripture marks the matter with its usual exclamation of 'Behold'. "And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came ..." (v.10).


Saul's rash impetuosity cost him the kingdom. It may seem to us to have been a heavy penalty, but the Lord was looking for a man after His own heart to be His appointed king, and Saul's high-handed impatience had made it quite evident that he was not such a man. "Thou hast done foolishly," said Samuel to him, sweeping aside the logical reasoning which Saul put forward as an excuse. Carnal reasoning is foolishness. Unbelief is foolishness. Impatience with God is folly indeed, for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.


So the man who had so much help from God and who had enjoyed so many unexpected and undeserved blessings was found unfit for the kingdom. He was not immediately removed. That is not God's way. But Saul's subsequent behaviour confirmed the rightness of the divine verdict, as our next chapter will show us.


Chapter 14


What an attractive type was Saul's son, Jonathan! The first sixteen verses of this chapter describe his fine character and also his simple faith in God. He and his devoted armour-bearer risked their lives in a personal attack on the enemy garrison, being convinced that God could as easily save by means of few as He could by many, and they obtained a notable victory. Jonathan planned that they would only move forward if they had received a sign that the Lord had delivered them into their hands (vv.9-10). How different this was from his hasty father! God delights in such faith and intervened with such a very great trembling that the Philistines were precipitated into headlong flight and everything was set for a sweeping victory. Once again, however, Saul's conceited impetuosity brought a check to what might have been total triumph, leaving Israel with a prolonged struggle on her hands. Saul had been engaged in futile religious conversation while Jonathan and his helper had been risking their lives for God, and probably Saul was much too jealous to be able to have no credit for what had taken place. For him it was not a question of the Lord's enemies, or even Israel's, but he had to draw attention to himself by calling them his enemies (v.24) What was worse he pronounced a disastrous and wholly unnecessary curse on anyone who tasted food. Even the loyal Jonathan could not refrain from condemning this rash vow which distressed the people, relieved their enemies and later led to mass contravention of the law of Moses by the people.


What was more, Jonathan had ignorantly contravened that foolish ban of his father's and had tasted the wild honey which so providentially dripped from a tree in the woods. His stupid father was ready to have him killed in a crazy attempt to justify his own oath and try to get heaven's help back again. Happily the people would not tolerate this, and turned a deaf ear to Saul's invocation of God in the matter. They brought God in, and with so much more justification for, as they said of Jonathan: "He hath wrought with God this day" (v.45).


So the chapter and this present study end with a painful disclosure of Saul as a father unworthy of his son, a ruler despised and rebuked by his people and a general doomed to struggle on in never-ending wars. Sure enough, as Samuel had vainly warned the people, Saul began to conscript [99/100] their sons and fathers for his army and service. The next article will be occupied with the out-working of this tragedy, and will attempt to apply its spiritual lessons to us. Meanwhile, we close with a further reminder that the beginning of Saul's downfall was his inability to wait for God. If we feel, as surely we must, that we fail the Lord in this very matter, how gladly can we seek forgiveness and recovery by the grace of Christ. This Scripture is both a disclosure of our own carnal tendencies and a reminder that God was so right in providing for our 'old man' to be crucified in the cross of Christ. We must not miss the lesson of Saul's story though, but do well to heed the Scriptural exhortation: "Be not highminded, but fear" (Romans 11:20).


(To be continued)

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