Mistakes - lessons from the life of Saul
1 Chron 10:13-14 So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the LORD. Therefore the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.
Whenever we think of Saul, the typical perception of him acting foolishly usually undergirds our description of his character. For the most part, we are right, but it is important to also study about the slippery slope from failure to destruction so that we do not repeat the same mistake.
Everybody makes mistakes and it is our attitude in dealing with them that can either make or break us.
Some choose to ignore the mistake and bury it under the sands of time, hoping that it will go away and get forgotten. Unfortunately, mistakes cannot be resolved by ignoring them. They have to be addressed and learnt from in order to overcome them.
Some choose to have it their way and insist that they are correct when it is obvious that they are in the wrong. They put the blame on others and never assume responsibility for the error. There is a piece of news from the US about a robber who made it down the roof of a house and fell and broke his leg. The robber sued the owner for not ensuring the safety of the roof and won the case. Sounds ridiculous? I’m sure it is, but yet this is a reality for many, and sadly, even Christians who have been soaked in the culture of the blame game.
There is something about repentance that unlocks the channel to renewal and growth but a less-trodden path because it can be difficult to admit that you are indeed in the wrong.
Mistakes motivated by fear
Such was the path that Saul chose to ignore. His first mistake was the sacrifice at Gilgal. It seemed religious and felt “right” that he should conduct the sacrifice in his position as the leader of the Israelite army, but no matter what he thought should be the case, this was not up for discussion. It was a directive from the prophet Samuel that Samuel was to be the one to carry out the sacrifice.
There was no response from Saul on the matter after judgment was passed by Samuel that Saul’s kingdom would be given to someone else. But silence from Saul did not mean that he was willing to accept what was meted out for his error. Nor was there any indication that he learnt from the matter.
Mistakes motivated by pride
The second mistake was on another battle occasion where he was supposed to annihilate an entire Amalakite colony. Instead of doing so, he kept the enemy king Agag as a trophy and the best flock for himself. When Samuel confront him on the issue, the “reason” that he gave was that he was keeping the best for a sacrifice to God but Agag’s presence gave him away - that he was doing it to show his prowess as their leader.
The classic “obedience is better than sacrifice” reply from Samuel is more than just a stern rebuke to Saul, it is a principle which should undergird our decision-making framework to help steer us aright. With the flesh desiring its own way, it makes perfect sense that mechanisms like this are established.
The problem with Saul was that instead of repentance, he tried to save his kingdom and forgot that God was more interested in his character than the position. In his bid to stall Samuel from walking away from him, Saul tore Samuel’s robe and Samuel told him symbolically that his kingdom was torn from him that very day.
The first mistake cost Saul his position and the second one confirmed that God had indeed relieved Saul of his position. It is also after the second mistake that we read that the spirit of God left Saul.
1 Sam 16:14-15 Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.
The Clarke’s commentary considers Saul’s malady to be “more than a natural disease”, recognising the health-related issues that arise out of spiritual implications. The Matthew Henry’s commentary wrote that “the devil, by the Divine permission, troubled and terrified Saul, by the corrupt humours of his body, and passions of his mind. He grew fretful, peevish, and discontented, and at times a madman”, which speak of the effects of sin in granting the forces of darkness access into one’s life to bring about sicknesses, diseases, and basically, torment.
But nothing was like Saul’s third mistake that cost him his life.
Mistakes motivated by a breach of faith
“So Saul died for his breach of faith…” (1 Chron 10:13)
The original word used for “breach of faith” was translated as transgression in the King James language but the Hebrew word “ma’al” (which meant “treachery”) came from the root word “elevate”. In other words, to breach faith is simply to elevate something else into the position of superseding God and putting one’s faith into that thing instead of God.
Such was Saul’s folly - it was a slippery slope from being rejected by the Lord to losing his position and finally to losing his life; one thing leading to another. Instead of realising his shortcomings, Saul just kept slipping further and further as he was driven by fear and held onto his pride. Eventually, both of these led him to turn completely from God and breach his faith.
Application
Reflect on your life in the light of the life of Saul. Are there any areas which God has been trying to arrest your attention in? God dealt with Saul privately and eventually took the entire matter public when Saul repeatedly and stubbornly decided on his own way. The saddest judgment came when Saul was humiliated in his death when the Philistines cut his head off, stripped him of his armour and hung both items in the temple of their idol Dagon.
While his forefathers were buried with their entire body intact, Saul was not buried completely in his death and incidentally, the treatment of his corpse was the same as that of Goliath - while David took Goliath’s head and hung it as a trophy, Saul’s head became a trophy. Goliath’s head became a symbolic reminder to the Philistines that the God that the Israelites served was greater but sadly, Saul became the object of reproach of the name of God when they did the same to him.
It is never too late to walk up the slope and stop yourself from slipping further. God will grant you the strength to overcome if you would once again put your faith and trust in Him.
Jason
