Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends on this Thursday,
As you have watched leadership transitions in the past, I wonder how long it normally takes you to draw some conclusions regarding the similarity and differences between new leaders and the previous leaders they replaced. More importantly, what do you watch for as some of the ways new leaders demonstrate their effectiveness or ineffectiveness in fulfilling the leadership responsibility entrusted to them?
Over the past several weeks in our “Walking with Jesus” journey we’ve been tracing the Biblical account of the prophet Samuel and the failed leadership of Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas which brought great darkness upon Israel during Samuel’s boyhood years. Then we watched as Samuel gave good leadership to Israel and God restored a time of peace and prosperity. Now in recent days, we’ve been witness to a major leadership transition in Israel as the people demanded a king, as Samuel grew old, and Saul was installed as Israel’s first human king.
Yesterday we witnessed Samuel’s final challenge and farewell to the people as recorded in 1 Samuel 12. While we don’t know exactly how much time passed before the events of 1 Samuel 13 & 14 took place, a reading of those chapters shows us that Saul quite quickly moved into an aggressive, self-reliant mode attacking Philistine outposts and rallying an Israelite army ready for battle.
Perhaps Saul was motivated by the victory God had given him in defending the village of Jabesh Gilead against the terrorist attack as we saw in 1 Samuel 11. Maybe it was some of the ‘valiant men’ who surrounded Saul as he began his kingship who then urged Saul to build a military and begin some military activities. What we do know is within a short period of time Saul found himself in a precarious situation that shows me there was already considerable difference between Saul’s kingly leadership and Samuel’s Spirit anointed leadership.
Chapter 15 of 1 Samuel is another watershed event in Israel’s history under King Saul’s leadership. God’s old prophet Samuel remained actively available to God as His spokesman to Israel and specifically King Saul and Samuel came to Saul with specific instructions from God. “Samuel said to Saul, ‘I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over His people Israel’; so, listen now to the message from the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them…” (1 Samuel 15:1-3)
Now I wonder if that disturbs you, my friends? Could it be possible that Almighty, Holy, Loving, Merciful, God is instructing Saul to destroy an entire people group? WHY? From the days of Abraham God had made this promise for all time: “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2,3)
The blessings of God upon the nation of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all other peoples who have been helpful to Israel, have been abundant throughout history. This message from Samuel is one of the examples of the curse of God upon a people who intentionally try to destroy the people of Israel.
Back in Exodus 17, as the nearly 1 million Hebrew slaves, who were delivered by God from slavery in Egypt, arrived at a place in the desert where there was no water, God miraculously provided them water from a large rock. (Ex. 17:1-7) Suddenly, as the defenseless Israelites were camped in this place awaiting the movement of the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night to guide them in their journey, (Ex. 13:21,22) they were attacked by the vicious Amalekites! Exodus 17:8-13 is the account of how Moses and Joshua partnered together, under God’s guidance, to defend the huge Israelite camp. They were slaves, not warriors, yet God protected His people and defeated these Amalekite terrorists who had attacked them.
The record says: “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven… The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.” (Exodus 17:14,15) My friends, it’s important that we remember that TIME to God is not nearly the same as TIME to you and me. God is eternal, He does not age.
Almost exactly 400 years of time elapsed from the time of that attack by the Amalekites on the Israelites at Rephidim and now Samuel’s instructions to King Saul. Only God knows WHY the early kingship of Saul is the time when He chose to complete the fulfillment of what He spoke to Moses at Rephidim, but during that entire time the Amalekites were known as vicious, often barbaric warriors terrorizing the peoples around them, especially the Israelites. With recent events in Israel, it should not be difficult for us to envision such terrorist attacks the Amalekites were famous for.
1 Samuel 15:4-9 describes Saul rallying the Israelite men and their battle with the Amalekites. But there was a problem, a significant leadership problem. God’s instructions had been clear, but Saul’s men spared Agag the king of the Amalekites and the best of their flocks and herds and everything that seemed of value to them! The record says: “Then the words of the LORD came to Samuel, ‘I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.’ Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night.” (1 Samuel 15:10,11) What does that tell us about Samuel’s tender heart?
What does it tell us about how God’s heart is grieved when those whom God has anointed by His Spirit turn away from Him and disobey God turning to their own plans and desires? Remember the Holy Spirit of God had come upon Saul at least twice thus far in his kingship to give Saul God’s guidance, courage and effectiveness in leadership, but here Saul had turned away, to his own advancement and developed his own plan contrary to God’s directives. God cannot bless pride or rebellion and Samuel knew this would create a leadership crisis once again in Israel, so very early in Saul’s kingship.
Let’s pause here friends as we contemplate the problem which Saul and his men have created and I wonder what options you can foresee which God might pursue to rectify this situation while honoring His holy name, His holy character and His covenant promise to Israel?
I’ll meet you back here tomorrow as we discover God’s amazing and history shaping solution to this leadership crisis. For today, may I ask one simple question… are you and I trustworthy to be faithful to God, doing what HE has guided us to do for His glory, or does God find us unreliable? If so, what are God’s options with us? Here’s a worship song to help us focus on God’s trustworthiness, HIS reliability!
Today’s Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:1-11.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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