The American Saul

The American Saul

5/26/20

Before we dive into this topic, stop and take a moment to reflect on the title of this article and try to understand where God will be coming from.  God placed this man into a leadership role due to the demands of a blessed yet rebellious nation.  Saul had the opportunity of a lifetime to shine to the entire world but selfishness grabbed his heart and it did not take too much time for his blessings to change.  Think about what his days composed of and how he operated through this emotional turmoil.  Furthermore, as his world was coming apart he had opportunities to truly repent to God but turned them down in favor of superficial gains and religious symbolism.  Once again, God asks us to think about our nation that He placed in charge of changing the world for His Glory, an eternal opportunity of a lifetime; however, just like Saul, we have chosen to disobey our command and commission from God to go on our own ways without any regard for the Truth being posed as our front.  Saul fulfilled his own prophecy one fateful day and unless we change our spiritual ways REAL quickly we shall experience the exact same fate as he.

1 Samuel 9:1-2

“Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.”

One may ask the question if Saul was set up to fail because he was the first king that was chosen for the people after they demanded a leadership change.  It would be easy to concur with this question and the answers that could be entertained but when all is said and done it is still up to the human being to make the choice of obedience and to which kingdom that obedience shall fall upon.  So, the true answer to this question is no way, for God, saw the heart of Saul and picked him to lead the nation, but through the ungodly and selfish decisions, Saul made consequently removed him from the favor of God.  Saul could have dignified the kingship and lived out his days without incident as his successor reached the anointed throne, but once again, Saul chose a different path, one in which did not follow God and ended up costing him his life just as the prophet foretold.

When we look at the stature of Saul he was probably the prime choice for one to be king, for he was strong, tall, muscular in build, and all-around a healthy individual.  There is no doubt that Israel saw the appearances of the other nations’ kings and they wanted someone similar in presentation, a pretty and physical specimen to stand up with all the other kings of the era to show that they had arrived on the equality scene.  Is this wrong to assume that God wanted such a king to rule over Israel?  I mean, they must have contended that their king was going to be the exact replica of those around them, and according to the Scripture passage above, who else could better fit this mold that they had ventured.  It is this belief that humans fall prey to our enemy and allow such breaches to flood our lands with sin and options that can only go against what God really wants for our lives.  How quickly do we lose track of what God has led us from without major consequential results just to turn around and make ridiculous new directional concepts that further test God’s patience with us?

Israel could not stand before God and deny that their lives and existence were made different than others for a reason but their eyes had been turned enough to ignore God’s rules and to choose otherwise.  However, God allowed their wishes to be granted just as He has allowed countless numbers of people before this passage and after its words of wisdom.  Israel had the concept that it was strong enough to physically take care of themselves in all areas of life, for if they did not then they would not have made such a demanding request from God.  How many times have we made similar statements concerning the flesh that was for a time granted then at some point everything fell apart due to the same conditions that got you at that position in the first place.  It has happened so many times in our modern-day human history and the reason it has is that we did not learn from our past history.  But God is a sovereign God and one that will allow His children to take part in issues that exist and will also allow the results of those chosen issues to take place as well.  Look at the comparisons between Saul and his nation, both follow parallel lines, so much so that it is a scary pattern and consequently both had similar deadlines to meet.

1 Samuel 9:17

“And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.”

1 Samuel 10:1

“Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?”

Even though God’s heart was torn concerning the children of Israel and their decision, we have the confirmation here that God wanted a specific person to reign over the people of Israel.  God also says to Samuel that the children of Israel is still His people which means even though they decided to choose an earthly king, God was still their Creator and saw them as His own.  For a considerable amount of time, Saul was chosen to be king over Israel, it was said and done according to God and Samuel anointed Saul according to the command of God as well as sealing the chosen leadership of Saul over God’s people.  Samuel also makes a statement in 10:1 that should have rung loud bells in Saul’s heart as to who exactly was in control of Israel and when Samuel said that God has placed Saul over His inheritance God was clearly stating His future was on the line through Saul; talk about an enormous responsibility to be given.  This is where it is easy for some of us to facepalm ourselves because when we read how Saul led Israel it seems like it would be obvious to Saul that God was not pleased with him due to the disobedient stance Saul took, and then lied about it to Samuel.  This was the manner Saul saw fit to rule and it was a manner that God could not have for His inheritance; can you imagine the laughter Satan would have had if God allowed Saul to continue to operate in this rebellion?

Just a small note here before proceeding, it is not a part of this article topic, but 1 Samuel 11; it states that God gave Saul another heart, one that was obedient and submissive to God.  This change of heart was so obvious that people who had known Saul all of his life questioned if this Saul was the same person as before.  Even here in the Old Testament, we find that when a person turns their heart over to God, He does not waste any time making sure the difference is noted publicly.  However, when self fights back and is allowed to take over the changed heart again, nothing pretty can come of this act.  It may be pretty too and for the cause of the world but in God’s eyes alignment with the world is strictly disobedience and cannot be tolerated by God.  It does not matter if you believe this act from God occurs or not, but I suggest you take a look at what history you are referring to and examine just how lives were changed when God was taken out of the front portion of their equation of existence.

1 Samuel 13:13-14

“And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.  But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.”

We have here a description of a setting in which a leader is being told that his services of rule are no longer needed by the overall Supreme Commander of the land.  What is so striking about this passage is that Samuel tells Saul something that he already knew but placed it on the level of the One who actually gave him the position in the first place.  God changed Saul’s heart in a manner to which his words and actions made people turn their heads and question if it was him or not.  But Saul chose to return to his selfish ways and try to “pull the wool over God’s eyes” with the antics of disobedience on the battlefield.  This may not seem important to everyone but when orders are disobeyed on the battlefield people do not return safely to the confines of their lines, and if leaders cannot follow their own instructions that is the highest form of treason possible.  If they are not held accountable for their actions the defiance shall only increase and become even more contagious within the lower ranks. 

Saul’s disobedient leadership eventually became visible and in this case audible which was the act that God said enough.  Saul found out the hard way that the focus upon his own truth embolden his eyes to fail to recognize why God gave the command He did.  Also, it was the selfishness that Saul ignored what was really ongoing and it turned out to be his own demise.  In this last passage, God makes mention of the disobedience of Saul and that his kingdom cannot stand any longer for it was one directed and led by disobedience.  God also states through Samuel that God constantly looks for people after His own heart to lead His people and that He has others prepared when those who have been called drop the ball.  God reinforces His Holy position and His choices of leaders through the countenance of obedience and once again states to those of disobedience that they can no longer hold their given positions.  It is this position of God that is relevant to us today and it is why God chose this title and topic for this article because America, we have become Saul.

It is evident that Saul had a wealth of information when it came to God and His Ways, for the passages for this article state that very fact.  Saul knew his position and was told exactly how to conduct operations not just once but many times during his reign.  God knew that Saul was not perfect, for he was a human being, but God took Saul’s heart and changed it and gave him the perfect opportunity to walk in His Ways and to conduct God’s business accordingly.  Yet, somewhere during this process, Saul laid waste to the patterns of God and chose to live his old lifestyle of physical friendships instead of following what God commanded.  Saul was free to make these decisions just we are today and when our personal freedoms override God and His Ways, there cannot be any other result occur than what occurred to Saul.  But like so many of us today, Saul chose another direction to take and his patterns changed and became worldly in nature, even though Israel continued to support him their fortunes changed as well just as God said they would back in the latter portions of 1 Samuel 8.  The question God has for us today is this: do we see the same pattern in this nation as it occurred in Saul way back so many millennia ago?

It is obvious that the leadership of this nation cares nothing about doing what is right in the eyes of God.  This is a true statement because what many of the leaders of this nation and many others deal with selfish prizes for one’s own self, who cares about what others think; all in the ideology that freedom of choice means that anything goes on any level of existence.  This ideology of Saul’s forces us to think about why America and its philosophy of freedom are nowhere found in the end times.  What is frightening for this nation concerning this parallel is that after God removed His anointing from Saul, He continued to allow Saul opportunities to truly repent. He (Saul) kept the religious placemats on display but nothing holy lived or even existed in his heart.  It was only at a later time and date that God removed Saul from this earth just as it had been predicted, in a battle no less.

Can’t we see that when God chooses leaders He expects them to follow His lead and do so through voluntary and willful obedience?  Saul became eventually engrossed with certain details around him that distracted him from completing the job that God commanded him to do; therefore, it was only a matter of time before he would take one too many steps against God, and then God would be forced to take action.  This nation is in the same predicament as Saul was and unfortunately we are following in his actions without regard for the Ways of God that established this nation.  However, just as God allowed Saul to go about the kingship in his own manner, so shall God allow us to choose our course of existence as well.  But we cannot forget that unless we stand with God and obey His Ways we shall be subject to the world and its ways and with the corresponding hardening of our hearts God will have to do His best to sway us back to Him.  With each passing day, it seems like a new turmoil or pain arises in our nation and with each new day our defiance to God and His perfect and unique manner of healing is ignored.  Recently, one of the governors of this nation declared that we were winning the battle over this current virus ourselves, with no help from God what-so-ever.  Can’t you just hear almost identical words coming from the mouth of Saul?  Remember, God provides everything that we encounter, EVERYTHING folks.  The statement from this governor comes from a person who considers himself to be Catholic, so he should know who provides what, when, and how.  He also should understand that ignorance to correct glory shall reap a whirlwind of destruction, also allowed by God.

Look at our nation and how we treat God and His Ways, and it is easy for one to see that we want no part of God, so what is God waiting for?  Who is responsible for such a prevalent attitude in this nation?  It would be easy to just blame our enemy and that “blame” would be correct, but it is not solely his doing.  See, God in the Old Testament and God in the New Testament gave His people the authority to destroy the works of the devil and when that authority is taken and put into motion there cannot be any advancement of Satan’s kingdom.  It is evident Church, that we have forgotten who the loser is in this spiritual fight and we definitely have totally forgotten how to fight this battle.  Oh yes, we are in the midst of a huge eternal battle and we are the ones losing it.

I do not know how much time we have left as the nation we have known and for that matter the Church as well.  This is another detail that we have allowed Satan to hide from us, for just as this nation’s personalities believe that The United States of America shall always stand in its present form so does the Church.  Both entities are eternally dead wrong and it looks like we shall see such Truth prophecies occur in a short period of time.  How bad or how quickly they will arrive?  I have no idea, but the most important thing we must do is get right with God and to tell as many people as possible to be ready for when these prophecies arrive they shall catch us off guard and strike quickly without notice.  Saul died on the battlefield quickly and his life and existence were gone.  The troubles of Israel did not end there they only continued to grow and eventually led them to be nonexistent within the eyes of God and the world’s eyes.  Do we really want to see this aspect of God’s completeness?  We do not have to exist and be remembered as the American Saul, but the obedient children of God who flourished under Covenant that God provided instead.

DLB