We’re going through 1 Samuel. A series of people – some did well with their lives, some didn’t. How? Why?
Last time we watched how David became the new star on the block. In killing Goliath he’s done what Saul couldn’t do, and Jonathan couldn’t do. Giant-killer, champion warrior, he’s now the man in the limelight. So how do Saul and Jonathan react? How do you react when someone turns up more gifted than you? It will happen (hopefully, if God’s work is what we care about) to all of us. Yet it’s not necessarily easy…
Look what happens in 18:6-9. After Goliath’s killed, all the girls come streaming down the road singing the new hit song about David. (Is there sexual jealousy inside Saul’s head?) It’s hero worship, like for a boy band. And Saul sees the hero worship and thinks, Not round here you don’t. And after that two plus two make four in his head very quickly, and David becomes a rival to eliminate. It’s a dire warning of how egoism leads step by step into ever greater evil; and that can happen to us too.
Saul’s had a problem with the demonic since chapter 16. (It’s strange to see this described as an `evil spirit from the Lord` (16:14, 18:10, 19:9). Strange, but encouraging – evidently what Satan does he can only do with the permission of our passionately loving God. It’s also strange to see the place of music; evidently music can somehow make room for spiritual power (16:23, cf 10:5, 2 Kings 3:15). What might music be making room for in my life?) But in 18:9-11 the demonic influence grows, presumably because of the moral foothold given to Satan by Saul’s egoistic reaction to David. By v17 Saul is consciously wishing David were dead; by vv21-25 he is actively planning David’s death. Saul is no longer a godly leader – neither fighting God’s battles nor fostering those who do. (Another lesson for us: Watch what you learn from the evil you fight. David later did to Uriah what Saul’s trying to do to him here.)
From here it’s an easy step to encouraging David’s murder (19:1); from there, to actually sending out killers (19:11); and from there to wanting to do the killing himself (19:15). It’s terrible when a leader goes to these lengths to protect his power. This can go no further? Yes, because evil becomes self-destructive in the end; in 20:33 he almost kills his own son because of his friendship with David. In chapter 22 Saul goes a stage further still, ordering the priests to be wiped out because one had helped David. By the close of the book he faces the ultimate horror of the silence of God, and turns catastrophically to the occult (ch28). Egoism blossoms easily into ever greater evil; and that can happen to us too. It’s with good reason that Paul urges us not to give even a foothold to the devil. Jealousy leads to malice; malice leads to hate; and in time this corrupts all our relationships. (Lord, please help me sense when it’s present in me…) Especially if, like Saul, we’ve sinned anyway.
Especially if we’ve sinned; Saul had, and he’d lost the kingship. What do you do if you’ve sinned? There’s always the possibility of repentance (see Psalm 38 or 51). Saul could have accepted and submitted to God’s judgment; he could have made room for David’s divine gifting. Leaders need to know when to hand over, move on to their next calling, phase out; like John the Baptist in John 3:30. And in this case that might actually have meant that Saul himself ruled longer. (Living God’s way is the way to fruitful living.) But in the last chapter of 1 Samuel Saul will die in battle, and his son too; and you surely wonder if that would have happened had David been present, with all his ability, still acting as Saul’s armour bearer (16:21), rather than the unfortunate guy we read about who took his place there (31:5). But Saul’s pride and egoism wouldn’t allow it, and finally he got what he wanted in ch27, as David was driven in exhaustion out of Israel. So the book closes in ch31 with the tragic death of this king who had started out so well; the tragic death at Gilboa of Saul, and all his sons, and the subjugation of Israel by the godless Philistines.….
Let’s apply this. We sin. Some of us sin seriously. There is always forgiveness. But sometimes there are consequences; and sometimes they are hard. Still we need to face reality, face our sin in repentance, start from where we are. God always has plans for us; as Ada Lum writes, `That’s why I like early mornings, and Mondays, and especially Easter Mondays: with God you can always start afresh!` Repentance and forgiveness lead into new power for a different life. But that’s not what Saul did; and the results were disastrous.
Contrast Jonathan. The brilliant commando of ch14, the model for courageous acts of extending God’s kingdom. But when it comes to Goliath he’s out of his depth, and it’s David who triumphs in the biggest challenge. What’s the reaction of a godly heart? David’s gifts mean he`s a possible rival, but instead Jonathan sees him as a teammate to work with, 18:1-4. And Jonathan comes to realise that he’s handed over the royal succession, 20:31, but he’s not hanging on to what could have been his. It’s the right reaction, because his heart is for God’s purposes and glory, not his own; and therefore instead of thinking about himself, he thinks team. There can be a cost to this: our natural gifts have to be brought to the cross, in submission and dedication to God’s purposes. Helen Roseveare tells of her struggles at finding herself doing her mission’s administration, which was hard for her as a creative person. It’s a choice of pursuing our own rights, and demanding scope for our own gifting in egoism, or renouncing our rights for the sake of God’s kingdom.
Egoism is such a basic issue, particularly if we’re leaders. Ambition and egoism can easily be linked. Ambition for God’s glory is good; but we need periodically to check if there’s egoism in this, and bring it to the cross. Are we ambitious for promotion & power in the world? That’s fine if we want by this to bring glory to God and be better placed to love our neighbour, by bringing goodness into their lives, or truth, seeing that people are better helped and God’s resources better used. (This is what we’re doing if we work in business or health or education, isn’t it, in the long run?) But it’s not the way to live if we’re driven by egoism, wanting more status for ourselves. Jesus didn’t demand glory for himself (Phil 2:5-10). But Saul’s egoism led to increasing evil and destructiveness, and in the end it ruined him.
So let’s listen to God’s Spirit in these chapters; and repent, confess our sins to Him, ask for His Spirit of selflessness to take us over, make our life work — in short (this is what matters) make us Christlike…
