2024_03_15 Insight Post- Tammy Anderson

Throughout history, we have seen people in leadership given everything needed to succeed only to end up falling into the trappings of power; squandering opportunities with unwise choices. As a result, their lives take a regrettable course. Saul was such a man.

In 1 Samuel 9-11, we see that early on, Saul was not seeking any power or prestige but that God sought Him out and gave him everything He needed to lead Israel as its first king. We see in the rest of 1 Samuel that after becoming king, Saul’s pride and stubbornness took a hold on him. He became impatient by taking matters into his own hands and made excuses for his mistakes. When confronted, I am not sure that we saw a truly repentant man, instead someone more interested in saving face. As a result, God removed Saul from his position of power, rejecting him as king.

Some things stood out to me from Saul’s story that applies to us as Christians today.

First, God gave Saul what he needed for this assignment to be a Godly leader, just as God gives us what we need to live a Godly life in Him (2 Peter 1:3). He is a patient, loving Father who wants to teach us His ways through His Word, prayer and other believers. Most importantly, as believers in Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit living in us to lead us, guide us, strengthen us, and provide wisdom for our journey.

Second, Saul repeatedly did things on his own terms, and as God’s anointed, He did not seek God’s wisdom. Imagine how differently things would have turned out for Saul had he humbly sought God’s wisdom and put aside his pride.

In the past few months, I have been seeking God’s wisdom as I navigate a new life stage, praying and searching scripture on this topic. What I have learned so far is that there is a strong connection between humility and wisdom:

Do not be impressed with your own wisdom. Proverbs 3:7a (NLT)

 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2 (NIV)

 Humility is important! We do not have to go the way of Saul. Instead, wisdom is ours for the asking, and God gives it generously. (James 1:5)

Lastly, unlike Saul, we can seek repentance and be restored.

From what we see in Saul’s story, not only was he removed as king, but it appears that he also lost fellowship with God. Instead of moving toward God, Saul became more prideful and vengeful.

Because of the price that Jesus paid for us, this does not have to be our story. The times we do fail, big or small, publicly or privately, with repentant, humble hearts, we can be reconciled with the Father. He welcomes us back with open arms (Luke 15:11-31).

From all this, we see that wherever God leads us, it is so important to seek Him and His wisdom, to humbly turn back to Him those times that we fail, and to love Him wholeheartedly. He is faithful to give us what we need!

Tammy Anderson
New Hope Small Group Leader