Saul's Rise and Fall

In First Samuel Chapter 9, we see Saul take a servant and go out to find his father’s donkeys. He goes out to do this mundane task and comes back a king. Moses was tending to his father-in-law’s flock when he encountered God in the burning bush. The disciples were going about their daily tasks when Jesus calls them. Sometime we feel like we’re spinning our wheels. But we don’t need to seek greatness or try too hard to find our purpose, we only need to seek Him. And in the meantime, do what you know to do. God knows where you are when the time is right.

I Samuel 10: 14-23 reads like this:

14 And Saul’s uncle said unto him and to his servant, Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses: and when we saw that they were no where, we came to Samuel.

15 And Saul’s uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you.

16 And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not.

17 And Samuel called the people together unto the Lord to Mizpeh;

18 And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you:

19 And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes, and by your thousands.

20 And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.

21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.

22 Therefore they enquired of the Lord further, if the man should yet come thither. And the Lord answered, Behold he hath hid himself among the stuff.

23 And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.

He didn’t come back boasting about being king. He actually hid. So how did he go from this to the crazed king who lost God’s anointing? Sin… pride and disobedience. He was stubborn, lacked faith, jealous and didn’t do what he was supposed to do.

In I Samuel 10: 8, Samuel tells him he will come to him in Gilgal and offer sacrifices and tell him what to do. But he must wait 7 days. In chapter 13, we see that Saul did not do that.

8 And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.

9 And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.

10 And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.

11 And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash;

12 Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.

13 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.

14 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.

He got nervous when Samuel wasn’t there by the 7th day…. lack of faith. He stated that he noticed the people were leaving me…. too concerned with popularity/pride. But most of all… he disobeyed. Then he continued with rash behavior, almost killing his own son.

Finally, in chapter 15, God tells Saul to utterly destroy everything in Amalek. He again disobeys. Not only does he disobey, he tries not to take responsibility for his own actions. You can’t repent if you don’t really accept responsibility.

Samuel tells Saul in verse 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. And then Samuel departs from Saul forever.

What happens next? He is consumed with jealousy of David and one minute is trying to kill him and the next the only thing that soothes him is David’s music. He refuses to accept that he has lost God’s anointing as king. And he ends up actually consulting with a witch and committing suicide.

It should be a strong warning to us that someone God anointed ended up in such a state. . How could that happen? By struggling with things that many of us struggle with. Believe what God tells you, trust what God tells you, and OBEY what God tells you.