 In the last chapter of first Samuel, Saul’s kingship comes to an end.
In a battle with the enemy Saul is injured badly. Rather than dying with the enemy being able to say they defeated him, the king, in battle, Saul preferred to kill himself. So he did. First pride, then the crash — the bigger the ego, the harder the fall. Proverbs 16:18 MSG Let’s pray. Father, Thank You for the lessons from the life of Saul. As I walk out this day to day thing called life, on this side of Heaven, please help me remember it’s about serving You and achieving the purpose that You have designed just for me, for the kingdom. No matter what position or level of influence or title achieved, please remind me it is not about me. It is all about You. In Jesus Name, Amen. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM!
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 Still noodling on Saul’s reign this week.
Jealousy. Anger. Rage. Conceit. A list of some things Saul struggled with. And on any given day, me too ☺️ Now me, I tend to focus on my strengths and abilities because that’s where I shine. That’s where my skills and talents come through. That’s what I do well. Anybody?🙋🏽♀️ But what if whatever we accomplish on our own is only a hint of what God could do through us. Which brings me to my weaknesses. So, what if I changed my perspective on my failures and shortcomings? What if I started thinking my weaknesses were there to remind me of my need for God? What if I recognized my weaknesses can be used by God if I just acknowledge them and then leave them in God’s hands to do with as He sees fit? Just a little something to ponder ☺️ Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM!  Isn’t it interesting how the first man who was king over Israel, Saul, was presented to the people. He was tall, with a striking appearance. Head and shoulders above the rest. He was a warrior. Courageous. A man of action. Nice visual, huh?
But what wasn’t readily apparent were his weaknesses. A few, for example, were that Saul didn’t always follow God’s commands, and he liked to do his own thing, and he failed to understand the importance of obedience. To me, the biggest though, is it seems as though Saul believed he was capable of being king on his own. Saul failed to realize he absolutely needed God and not the other way around. As I thought about Saul and his rise and demise as the first king of Israel, it got me to thinking: we are chosen for a purpose by God but we must never fail to understand we are not capable of operating in the fullness of it on our own. We need God 😉 Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM!  Have you ever struggled with leadership? Oh, I have. As I walked through the life of Saul and his kingly reign I was reminded of it. Gosh, it’s been about twenty years but I remember the day my ego was severely bruised like it was yesterday. 🤕 The day my manager sat me down and said I would not make it too much further if I didn’t change.
As he continued to coach, I could feel the anger rising up in me. As I fought back the tears, I remember, at one point, looking at him and thinking “Change? I am one of your top performers!” I went home crying that day, pissed, muttering under my breath that this guy had no idea what he was talking about amongst other things 😱 But this guy saw something in me I couldn’t see and knew that I needed to stop managing and learn to lead or I would not succeed. It turned out it was the best advice I ever received in my executive career. In fact, in later years, once I got over myself, as part of the annual leadership meetings I began using my own personal story to illustrate my leadership journey. See, clearly there were facets of leadership I didn’t get. I knew how to get a job done but the aftermath — not pretty. See, like Saul, I had leadership gaps and that is putting it nicely. Like Saul, I didn’t get that leaders must promote teamwork and a winning culture. Leaders must surround themselves with great leaders. Leaders must possess emotional intelligence which is the ability to understand and manage their own emotions. Oh, and those of the people around them, too. So essential for success. My personal struggle with leadership took me from a proud managing controller to a “most of the time” humble enabler, influencer and motivator. My personal struggle taught me leadership takes continuous learning and growth. Leadership is a journey. John F. Kennedy said “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” Oh, I could not agree more! Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM!  But, what if, in the midst of the women singing (noted in 1 Samuel 18:6), Saul grabbed one of David’s arms and raised it up in a celebratory manner, you know hero fashion, as he and David and the rest of the Israelites marched home from defeating Goliath?
What if Saul gave a little speech on how Israel was delivered from bondage, and how once again God gave them victory, and how this time it was through David, and maybe comment on how this is how God’s people work together to benefit the Kingdom? What if he, on purpose, refused to let the negativity (jealousy, pride, etc) festering inside change how he operated as a godly leader? What if Saul realized he didn’t have to be the best but surrounding himself with great leaders would make him even more effective? What if he realized it wasn’t about his title or position but it was about his purpose overall as part of God’s Kingdom? So many what if’s with so much to ponder. ☺️ Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM!  Saul, and all his entourage, returns home from battle and apparently the women have already heard about the victory for women from every city of Israel came out to meet the king.
Now, that had to be a lot of women. So, probably hundreds if not thousands. And they are celebrating and singing about the victory with tambourines and musical instruments and songs of joy. But Saul didn’t like the song. “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” 1 Samuel 18:7b Saul perceived his position was being threatened. So, you have to wonder why, in the midst of this ticker tape parade, it never dawned on Saul that the Israelites won because he had a great warrior on his side. No, instead he could only focus on that fact that the women were attributing more victories to someone other than him and therefore he assumed David might want his kingdom. The funny thing is the kingdom was not Saul’s to keep or giveaway. See, Saul was just like David. He, too, was a servant in God’s Kingdom. Saul failed to realize he did not have the power of Supreme Administration 😀 That position was, and is, and will always be held by none other than God. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM!  Goliath, the giant adversary, who threatened the Israelites to battle, was noted as being over nine feet tall. His armor was said to weigh approximately one hundred twenty five pounds. His spear head alone came in at fifteen pounds.
Not only was this guy tall but obviously he was strong. He had strength. Are you battling a giant in your life? Something that threatens to take you out? Maybe something that challenges you or something that stares you in the face and threatens to hold you back? Perhaps, it’s a problem or dilemma that just feels overwhelming every now and again. When Goliath’s come up in my life, it helps me to remember to not focus on the size or strength of it. For we know we will encounter Goliath’s of all sorts, but let us remember the size and strength of it, that giant, that thing we are facing, is meaningless compared to our God 💜 Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for Me? Jeremiah 32:27 NIV  I defy the ranks of Israel. That’s what Goliath said in First Samuel 17:8-10.
Simply put, the adversary said he challenged the ranks of Israel. For him that meant from Saul on down. Goliath challenged the ranks of Israel because he believed there was no champion greater than he. There was no one that he felt he couldn’t defeat. Imagine if Saul said this back to Goliath. “Hey you! You with the big mouth. Yeah, you! My adversary who challenges us. You want to know what we have? We have the head of the ranks. Oh, you think it’s me. Well, you’re wrong buddy. You are so wrong.” Then imagine Saul looking up and saying, “LORD God, this enemy, this adversary, this giant, he is all Yours. I know You heard him. He has challenged the ranks. So, KING, Top Chief in Command, just tell me what You want me to do. Lead me. Guide me. I, Your servant, am here waiting on You. I acknowledge that You are in charge. Have Your way.” But when Goliath defied the ranks of Israel, Saul thought Goliath’s beef started with him as the head ranking official. It never even dawned on Saul, at this point in his kingly reign, that Israel was ultimately God’s Kingdom. So, inadvertently, Saul and Goliath had something in common. They both defied the ranks of Israel. Goliath verbally spoke it. Right up front. Saul, on the other hand, never said the words, but didn’t he convey it in his actions? When he didn’t consult or even acknowledge the LORD God as head of the ranks of Israel, did he not challenge the legality of the order? Did he not challenge who really was the king over Israel? Again, without even saying the words. And look at just one of the sentences David says when he confronts Goliath: Then said David to the Philistine, you come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, Whom you have defied. 1 Samuel 17:45 AMP David straight away acknowledges God as head to the giant and I can’t help but think that when God hears David acknowledge Him as head the battle is won long before it was ever fought and the forever forecast from Heaven: God reigns and the Son shines 🙌🏽 Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM!  In First Samuel 16:5, Samuel invites Jesse and Jesse’s sons to a sacrifice.
So, they have been given an invitation, out of the blue, to come to a sacrifice and meet with God. It’s not like this was a standing invitation for them. This was a special invitation. It got me to thinking, today, Jesus has provided us with the privilege and the honor of being able to have a standing invitation to meet with God. We don’t have to wait until Sunday. We don’t have to wait until there is an invitation for some sort of special service. If you know Jesus then you have a standing invitation to come before the throne of God and meet with Him. Any time. Any where. No special invitation is needed. But because Jesus lives forever, His priesthood last forever. Therefore He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through Him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. Hebrews 7: 24-25 NLT 🙌🏽 Father, Thank You. Thank You that You loved us enough to send Your Son to die for us. The ultimate sacrifice. So we can meet with You. Anytime. Anywhere. No special invitation needed. In Jesus Name, Amen. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM!  Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 1 Samuel 16:4 ESV
So, we talked about Samuel’s journey from his hometown to Bethlehem, and that Samuel had to go through Saul’s territory. Now, he arrives in Bethlehem and the elders come and greet him and they are visibly shaking and the first question out of their mouth is “Do you come in peace?” So, what was it that made them nervous enough to tremble at Samuel’s presence? I’m thinking, at this point, it is probably not a secret that Samuel and Saul have had a fallout. I am guessing the news had made it to the elders. Maybe Saul even sent word to the elders to have no communication with Samuel or else. Honestly, I really don’t know. But I do know, at that moment, Samuel had a decision to make. Would he allow their anxiety to take over or would he remain focused on the task at hand? Now, Samuel, he stayed on course. He didn’t let the elders get under his skin and unnerve him. He ignored the distractions. If Samuel could’ve tweeted a word of wisdom back then it just might be, “Don’t let anyone become a distractor to accomplishing your purpose.” 😉 Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz |
Hey There! I'm LizFounder of Ezra728 with a purpose of creating inspiring messages to strengthen and encourage primarily us gals across the globe. Guys, don't fret. You are definitely welcome, too. Archives
June 2020
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