And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel? 1 Samuel‬ ‭15:17‬ ‭

This was the beginning of King Saul, the first king of Israel. He began his life well; the aspect of humility being clearly seen in him. Even though God chose and anointed him king over Israel, yet king Saul was unable to maintain this character throughout his reign. He was on the throne for 38 long years but actually reigned for only 2 years.

LESSONS LEARNT FROM ISRAEL’S FIRST KING:

1. His implicit obedience - Saul is seen implicitly obeying his dad, Kish, to hunt for the donkeys that his dad had lost. 1 Samuel 9:3. Without questioning his father, like an obedient child Saul went in search of those lost donkeys. God desires this obedience in us as well because it was found in Jesus. Philippians 2:8. We have been called to become like Jesus.

2. His humility - Saul did not consider himself as a VIP even after becoming a king. Look at what he says, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me? 1 Samuel‬ ‭9:21‬. But the sad part was King Saul could not preserve himself in this character in the latter part of his reign. He became proud and disobedient.

3. His hidden life - When prophet Samuel came in search of Saul to anoint him as king over Israel, Saul was nowhere to be seen. Why? Because he had hidden himself behind the supplies. 1 Samuel 10:22. He was unwilling to reveal himself before others. Jesus also lived a hidden life while He was on earth. As believers, we need to live a life hidden in Christ, that is, dead to sin, world and lust.

4. He held his peace - In the beginning of Saul’s life, when people despised and made fun of him, he simply held his peace. Similarly, we must also hold onto our peace when we are mocked and revoked by others. 1 Samuel 10:27.

5. Did not take revenge against others - This was in the beginning of his career as a king. 1 Samuel 11:12,13Gradually, when he disobeyed God and doing his own will, King Saul was always after David; seeking revenge to kill him. As believers, our revenge should be against sin and all disobedience.

6. He had the nature of waiting - Saul was once a very patient man but lost this nature eventually because of his own foolishness. Before making him a king, Saul had to wait for 10 days till Prophet Samuel have the next command; which he did. But later on he lost his patient nature and his hasty decision of performing the priest’s job, cost him the kingdom.

7. He was made king in Gilgal. Gilgal was the place where the reproach of Israel rolled away. It is a place of healing, where we first meet Jesus. It was also in this place that Saul was anointed to be the king. 1 Samuel 11:14. But towards the later part of King Saul’s life, he lost his kingdom and the crown due to disobedience.

Therefore what does God desire in our lives? God desires us ... to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, Deuteronomy‬ ‭10:12‬

Be blessed 💕