This is a huge moment in the life of the people of Israel. They have turned from having God as their king and opted for a human king. God has Samuel remind the people of all that God has done for them, but that's old news to the people. They're looking around at present circumstances, and the God who delivered them out of the bonds of slavery hasn't done anything dramatic enough recently, so they're looking to move along to something more secure. It's wild to think about it -- the God who can carve a mountain with his mere words wasn't enough for the people, so they wanted a human instead to give them comfort.
So God grants them their wish, and then when it's time for Saul to be presented as king, where is Saul?
He's hiding among the baggage. The people have to go ask God where he is, and then they dig him out. When Samuel says that there is no one else like Saul, perhaps there is a bit of irony in his voice, but the people don't see it as a warning -- they merely shout, 'Long live the king.' And so the madness of crowds continues...
When you look to measure success in the world, how do you count it? How do you take stock of your life, of what you have done, and what you have still to do?
There's countless ways to do this, and we all tend to measure ourselves against others.
When the people chose Saul, they opted to define success by having a leader who gave the people the appearance of having everything held together.
May we not judge so superficially, and may we strive for something deeper. May we opt for a life well-lived before God, a life that seeks to glorify God and serve others, and may we define success by how well we pursue God and love one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment