Oh the Irony

A key verse to this whole passage is the irony when the woman tells Saul, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?” It shows just how far Saul has fallen, from condemning evil practices to resorting to them himself. As we’ve seen, at the outset there was a lot going for Saul, and he did fairly well. So what’s the difference between David and Saul? Why is one celebrated and one rejected?

Saul never got to a place where his heart was set upon God. If you look at all the points at which Saul is rebuked, each time he has been trying to take control to serve himself rather than to serve the Lord. At the start of his reign he would never have gone so low as to consult a medium, and yet he’s put so much distance between himself and the Lord that he has no other choice.

Unfortunately, today we see the same situation happen time and again with great Christian leaders. Even when we start out from a good place, it is all too easy to allow our lives to turn back to serving ourselves, our own glory, and our own desires. Saul is a reminder to all of us to be people after God’s heart. We see this ultimately perfected in Jesus still submitting to the Father’s will on the night he was betrayed. It is His Spirit that we need in order to live according to His will.

Thought Point

Are your biggest stresses and anxieties about things that please God or please yourself?

Prayer Point

Ask God to help you see things as He sees them, to break your heart for what breaks His.