Where is our security?
by Charles Bertelsmeier
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The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel?’ (1 Samuel 16:1)
Read 1 Samuel 16:1–13
We are introduced to Saul in the ninth chapter of the book of 1 Samuel. He is described as ‘as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else’. God selected him to be the first king of Israel.
In chapter 13, we read of Saul’s first recorded disobedience to God’s command: to wait seven days for the prophet Samuel to come to where he was and perform sacrifices to God for his blessing on their imminent battle with the Philistines. Saul got impatient and insecure about God’s promise that Samuel would arrive, and he went ahead and performed the sacrifices himself.
In chapter 15, we read of Saul’s second recorded disobedience to God’s command: to destroy the Amalekites and everything they owned. The Amalekites were a vicious, warlike group of people who had tried to destroy the Israelites during the exodus from Egypt. Unfortunately, during this battle against the Amalekites, Saul let his soldiers keep some of the animals and the king of the Amalekites, and he didn’t reprimand them for disobeying God’s directive. Saul was more concerned about looking good to his soldiers than obeying God’s directive.
God decides that Saul is no longer suitable to be king and sends Samuel to anoint David as the next king of Israel. David is regarded in the Bible as Israel’s greatest king; he is even mentioned in Jesus’ title as the Son of David. However, he has committed what we would consider worse crimes than Saul: adultery and murder.
The difference between the two men lies in their relationship with God. Saul was insecure in his relationship with God, so he disobeyed God when God’s will and purpose for Saul didn’t align with Saul’s own will and purpose. And he only repented and asked forgiveness to escape the punishment for his rebellion, not because his rebellion was a sign of his broken relationship with God. On the other hand, David clearly saw that his rebellion against God’s will for him was a sign of a break in his relationship with God. Therefore, he repented so that his relationship with God would be restored.
The good news for us is that our loving Heavenly Father is committed to our relationship with him. When we mess up (and we will), he wants us to be secure in our relationship with him, so that we can come back to him in repentance for healing and renewal.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your amazing love, grace and mercy to us. Thank you for the gift of our relationship, which is completely free and given by you. Please help us to be so secure in your love for us that we won’t be afraid to come back to you when we realise we have gone our own way and ignored your will and purpose for us. Amen.
Charles is a retired engineer who has worked on communications projects for the air force, army and navy. He lives in a retirement village in the outer north-western suburbs of Sydney with his wife, Diane. Together, they have four children and eight grandchildren, all of whom they love spending time with. Charles keeps busy caring for their pot plants and a community vegetable garden, researching his family history and volunteering in the community and at LifeWay Lutheran Church.
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