"There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites--a head taller than any of the others." 1 Samuel 9:1-2 NIV
Have you ever listened to someone read something to you and just go, 'Huh, never thought of that before.'? That happened to me this week. Sitting at my desk for work, I decided to listen to audio bible on one of my favorite websites, http://www.biblegateway.com/. There, I can listen to the wonderful voice of Max McLean reading the bible to me.
I truly enjoy hearing/reading about the life of Samuel, so naturally I went to the two books, 1 and 2 Samuel. Listening while working is an art in itself. Some people at work listen to music, others listen to tv shows, and some listen to audio books. So, I'm in good company. Until I began listening to how Saul became king and how he ceased being king in the eyes of God.
Hearing and reading that whole scenario, I thought I had heard it all. (I know nobody understands what I'm talking about there, huh?) That was my thought until I got to this passage:
When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:6-7
*Note that section regarding what Samuel thought, because I'll come back to that.
A bit of background here, however. Samuel was a judge over Israel (aka leader, seer, prophet). He was getting older and had appointed his sons to be judges over Israel too, with the intention that they would take his place. However, his sons were what I call, 'really, bad dudes'. They did some downright awful things. They might fit in well today if that's telling you anything. Nevertheless, well-respected Samuel was their father so they were made judges. They were NOTHING like their dad. Nothing.
As a result, Israel didn't want his sons in charge of them after he died so they got together and had a "board meeting" with Samuel. The gist of the meeting was: 'We like you but not your sons. The people don't want your sons in charge. The only way to rectify this situation and please US, is by giving us a king.' (my paraphrasing of course). Samuel prayed to the Lord, and the Lord, in His wisdom, said 'They have rejected me again, so give them what they ask for but with a warning about what the future holds.', (my paraphrasing again, of course).
And so, they got a king. King Saul to be exact. As 1 Samuel 9:1-2 says, he was a 'man of standing' and 'a head taller than any of the others'.So, we understand that he was tall (a respected attribute in those days), but some commentaries indicate that he was handsome, athletic, all in all a good-looking in-shape kind of guy. What's not to like right? God couldn't have chosen a better king eh Israel?
Alas, it wasn't meant to be. King Saul, while looking good on the outside, did not obey and follow God's precepts on the inside, or in his heart. In his disobedience, he had the 'kingship' taken away from him. Oh, he stayed in the kingly position but in the eyes of the Lord, no siree. He was done.
And that leads us back to 1 Samuel 16: 6-7. While King Saul remained king in name only, Samuel was sent to Bethlehem by the Lord to find the new king He had chosen for Himself. Keep in mind though what Saul's appearance was: tall, handsome, athletic. That's the description of the very first king that the Lord had chosen right? THAT was the only frame of reference Samuel had for what the Lord might have in mind for the next king.
Upon seeing Jesse's first son, Eliab, what does the bible say Samuel's first thought was: Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord.". He saw the Lord do one thing in a situation so he thought the Lord would do the exact same thing in the same situation, right?
Think about that for a minute. It was like a light bulb to me!!!! How many times have I expected God to do the same thing He did before? Do I expect God to do something for my situation the exact same way he did it before? And if he doesn't do it the way "I" expected, how do I respond? Am I disappointed? Am I confused? Discouraged? Disheartened? He's God. He knows better than me what's right for my situation.
What about you? Have you seen/heard God do something for either you or, perhaps someone else, and then expect Him to do it the exact same way? And if He doesn't, how do you respond?
That was my lightbulb moment for the week. If Samuel, who 'knew' the Lord better than most, expected God to do things a certain way and God didn't, I fairly certain, today we are apt to do the exact same thing. Some would call it putting God in a box. If it can happen to Samuel, it can happen to any of us.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9
Until next time,
RSPSSunny
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