Saul Received The Red Card!
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 forever. 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. 1 Sam 13:13-14 KJV
Samuel had reproved the children of Israel for rejecting God’s rule over them by demanding a human king like other nations. The new king Saul now finds himself in a war situation and was expected to obey the Lord according to the words of Samuel. In preparation for the battle, Samuel instructed Saul to wait seven days at Gilgal until he would come and offer the prescribed sacrifice and the way forward. This directive, which was given after Saul had reigned for two years over Israel, was similar to what was given before his coronation (1Samuel 13:8; 10:8). The instruction was very clear: Saul should wait for seven days at Gilgal until Samuel came to offer sacrifices. While Samuel delayed to come, he became desperate because the few people with him had begun to leave. Therefore, he ‘forced’ himself and offered the sacrifices which were not pertained to him to offer. As soon as he finished, Samuel arrived.
Samuel the prophet rebuked Saul for his rashness and disobedience. He told him, “Thou has done foolishly”. His excuse that men were scattering from him was a lame one. But his greatest folly was his belief that he could actually obtain God’s favour through a sacrifice offered in disobedience. If Saul had obeyed God, his kingdom would have continued and been established, but he committed a major foul that put a full stop to his reign. He ended forfeiting his kingship.
The almighty God usually has specific purpose for calling people into His service. His servants are His battle axe to fight and fulfill His purpose on earth. No one called by God should therefore pursue a personal agenda or fashion out a job description different from what God prescribed (Isaiah 10:15).
In another account in first Samuel chapter 15, God gave king Saul a definite command to destroy Amalek. “Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass” (1 Samuel 15:3). Unfortunately for Saul, in carrying out God’s command concerning Amalek, he allowed common sense and the desire to please the people derail him from obeying the Lord implicitly. “But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly” (1 Samuel 15:9).
In spite of the clarity of God’s instruction, Saul actually disobey God by infusing his own preferences into the assignment. He saw things that were good in what God had already condemned. He spared the king of Amalek for no apparent reason other than the excitement or perhaps the vainglory of bringing home a captive king. He confidently but falsely asserted to Samuel. “…I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” Rather than acknowledging his failures, he quickly resorted to blame-shifting and excuse-making, claiming that it was people he led who spared “the best of the sheep and of the oxen”to sacrifice to God. Saul elevated sacrifice above obedience, covering his sin with a veneer of worship. By his own confession, he feared men above God. This action of Saul sealed his strings of disobedience and further confirmed the end of play on the field of leadership.
It is very easy to blame Saul, but the errors that he fell into are with us today. Many so-called Christians disobey God in clear violation of His revealed will concerning covetousness, marriage, association with the world, faithfulness
in service, and easily besetting sins. It is very easy to fall into the danger of self-will, over-familiarity with God and presumptuous sins. These are evils which soldiers of the cross may fall into when their service is corrupted by the insidious stains of self-will and covetousness. Therefore, we should carefully take to heart the great lessons of Saul’s misadventure in divine service and pray like the Psalmist: “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:13,14).
in service, and easily besetting sins. It is very easy to fall into the danger of self-will, over-familiarity with God and presumptuous sins. These are evils which soldiers of the cross may fall into when their service is corrupted by the insidious stains of self-will and covetousness. Therefore, we should carefully take to heart the great lessons of Saul’s misadventure in divine service and pray like the Psalmist: “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:13,14).
To escape this great danger, believers and servants of god must remain humble and teachable whatever the length of years they have put into the service of the Lord; pray greater attention to details when handling divine instructions; eschew self-interest, self-praise and self-management; do nothing out of pride, vainglory or desire for praise; disallow sense of duty from crowding out personal devotion and study of God’s word for personal edification. Moreover, when anything lower than the expected standard is discovered, repentance and restitution should be embarked upon immediately.
The pronouncement of God’s judgment on Saul showed clearly he was no longer “little” in his own eyes; he was no longer humble as he was when God chose him to lead Israel. Secondly, he did not obey the voice of the Lord but rather his own will and that of the people. Thirdly, he “flew upon the spoil”, that is, he sought personal material advantage which God did not permit on this occasion. However, the event also gave the Lord opportunity to teach us that obedience is better than sacrifice. “To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice” (Proverbs 21:3). God considers disobedience and stubbornness as evil as witchcraft and idolatry.
The initial intention of God for Saul was to establish his kingdom forever like that of David. But he obtained the Red Card of God which put a STOP to his reign and brought about a replacement in David. King Saul seemed not to accept God’s verdict that terminated his dynasty. Much later, he tried to kill David to pave way for Jonathan his son to succeed him, but this plot failed. In effect, Saul fought against the divine sentence. But alas! No one appeals against the Red Card of God! May you not receive it!
The Scriptures contain the list of others who were shown the Red Card of the Almighty. The young prophet who disregarded the word of the Lord was slain by a lion. He died in the prime of his years. Concerning Belshazzar the king of Babylon went out the declaration: “…God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it…Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting…Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” And that was his end of play. His kingdom did not continue! “In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.” Friend, Red Card is not friendly; it puts an irreversible stop to a man’s life and purpose. Therefore, beware! Judas was not left out in the list of the recipients of God’s Red Card, though he was numbered among the twelve Disciples of Christ, and had obtained a part of the ministry, yet he did not live to fulfil the ministry. Unto him went out the Red Card declaration: “…Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.” He obtained the promise of the Pentecost together with the rest of the Apostles of Christ, but did not continue to experience the day of Pentecost! Covetousness and betrayal put a stop to his life the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. God’s Red Card could come in forms of death or withdrawal of His divine mandate… May the Lord have mercy on my life!
The Red Card continues in the next episode…
The Red Card continues in the next episode…
