Have you ever met someone who felt they always had to same something? Or a person who tried to defend every decision they have made? You’ve probably heard the saying, “you can’t see the forest for the trees.” This saying accurately describes the person we were talking about. It is in this case that we can learn something from Israel’s first king.
Israel had rejected God as their king, and they demanded from Samuel, the prophet that a king be put in charge of the nation. Our text today is the end of the coronation of Israel’s first king. His name is Saul. While Saul isn’t going to remain a good king, he at least started off strong. While many in the nation were excited to have a king over them, there were those who were not thrilled that Saul had been the chosen one. 1 Samuel 10:27 says, “But some rebels said, ‘How can this man save us?’ So they despised him and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.”
No bringing the new king a present would have been a major faux pas. It would have been seen as a slap in the face by Saul and those around him. I guess the closest we can get in today’s terms is the group that doesn’t like the current President, and therefore they came up with the saying #NotMyPresident. Regardless of what you think of a leader, regardless of whether you voted for them or not, there are a few things that we should all understand. First, it is God who has appointed them as leader. In His sovereignty, God appoints leaders, both good and bad, to accomplish His purpose. Second, Paul reminds us in Romans 13 that to rebel against His ordained leaders is to rebel against God Himself. Finally, you can say what you want, but the bottom line is, they are still in leadership. Saul would have been within societal norms in his day to have these rebels killed for their revolt. However, Saul does something unexpected, but very important. Saul said nothing. He could have lashed out and gotten revenge, but he didn’t. I believe that Saul’s reaction here shows us three important things we need to learn to do when we experience opposition.
First, keep your mouth closed. A saying that I heard in a sermon years ago is this, don’t attend every fight you are invited to. That is wise, biblical advice. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up strife.” Sometimes, in trying to defend ourselves or justify ourselves, we just end up making things worse. The second lesson is to pray for them. We don’t know why they are opposing us. Maybe they have good reasons, maybe they don’t. At the end of the day, just like those who are claiming “#NotMyPresident, it doesn’t change anything because he is still the President, and the people are still opposed to you for some reason. Maybe there is something going on in their life that is causing them to lash out in hurt that is masquerading as anger. Regardless of why they are opposing you, it is very possible that something isn’t right in their heart, and that is a spiritual matter. Spiritual matters can only be solved by God. Therefore, we need to pray for them. Along those same lines, we need to pray for ourselves and wisdom in the situation. Maybe they are opposing us, because we are wrong. After all, every leader, every person is fallible. When you pray for yourself, ask the Lord where you or your attitude might be wrong about this situation. It’s easier to blame other people, but we need to remember that it takes two to tango. Instead of being prideful and blaming the other person; let’s walk in humility and ask the Lord to reveal where we might be wrong. The third and final lesson is to keep our eyes on God. If we have prayed, sought God in the Scriptures, and sought biblical wisdom before making a decision, we have to trust that God will lead us to do the right thing. It may not be the popular thing, but it will be the right thing. At the end of our life, we will not stand before others and give an account for our live; we will stand before God and give an account. Therefore, if we are going to try to please anyone, it should be God. It’s important to know that seldom if ever will 100% of the people agree with your decision. Part of not attending every fight you are invited to is learning to trust that God will defend you when you need to be defended, and He will convict you when you are wrong. Keep your mouth closed, pray for them and yourself, and keep your eyes on Jesus. Those are three principles that we can live by to keep us in favor with God and with man.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin