Saul fell full
length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words. His strength
was gone (1 Samuel 28:20).
This is a tragic
scene in which, I think, we see Saul acting more kingly than at any other time.
Unfortunately, it is too little too late. Yes, Saul had a long history of
disobedience, and yes, God has IM’ed him through Samuel’s ghost (? – that’s a
whole ‘nother discussion) that his death is near.
What would you do if
you were at war, responsible for leading your troops against a superior enemy,
had been told that not only was God not supporting you in the battle,
but that you would lose the battle and be killed in the process? I think I
might resign, or at least RUN AWAY!
But Saul didn’t do
that. Can you empathize with how he felt in the hours leading up to the
conflict? I cannot imagine a more forlorn feeling than being responsible to
lead my troops into battle, knowing the cause was hopeless and that I would
meet my doom. And yet Saul manned up, ran to the fight (so to speak), and did
what he had to do. This is where, in spite of his failings, Saul earns my
profound respect and my heartfelt compassion.
Reminds me of the Chronicles
of Narnia, where in The
Horse and His Boy King Lune advises
Shasta that a king must be “first in every desperate attack and last in every
desperate retreat” [4]. Maybe being king isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.
Would you want the
job?
TODAY’S MEDITATION
There are leaders in your
life (spiritual, professional, political, etc.) that need your prayer support.
Pray for them today.
Makes me wonder how different our current world would look if all the leaders (king, president, etc) of every country had to lead whatever battles are fought today... It might mean fewer and shorter battles or wars, but also a lot of change in a country's leadership if the leader was killed.
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