Kings and a Kingdom

Everyone who knew him previously and saw him prophesy with the prophets asked each other, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” -- 1 Samuel 10:11

After Samuel had delivered Israel from the Philistines, the Israelites began to demand a king to be like the other nations. This was contrary to God’s will, perhaps – at least Samuel thought so. When he took the matter to the Lord, he was advised that God would select a king for the nation and that He would use those leaders for His own purpose. Samuel did not need to worry about the matter as an affront to his leadership, but rather it was up to God to be offended by the rejection; He had other plans.

We are told how God chose Saul, an obscure, and apparently humble, young man from the small tribe of Benjamin to be the anointed king. Through an almost whimsical adventure in pursuit of lost donkeys, Saul meets Samuel. The prophet is told by the Lord that this is the new king, and Samuel anoints the man. He tells Saul that as he returns home he will encounter a troop of prophets and signs of his transformation will follow. All of Samuel’s words are proven true as the Spirit falls upon the chosen one. Saul begins to prophesy. This possibly involved glossolalia, but it is clear that, whatever phenomenon was exhibited, observers thought Saul the son of Kish was no longer “himself”.

The process is begun, but it isn’t finished. Saul has to be revealed to the entire nation as their new king. His reluctance is again evident as he hides among the baggage knowing his name is about to be called. While this show of humility is promising, there is something about “God taking control” of him, as Samuel said, that Saul cannot handle. Saul is very much like my old natural self. Self is unsure about the whole God thing. It will reluctantly agree to go along with the program, perhaps, but it holds back. Self tries to hedge its bets. It is unwilling to wait on God; it tries to manipulate God or handle things on its own, and so, in the end, self is rejected and condemned.

I have experienced this same false humility. It is a danger signal, and we should recognize it for what it is: a refusal to fully surrender to the Spirit and His work in our lives.

I’ve mentioned before the book A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards (Of Arugula and Kings, which includes evidence of my failed prognostications) wherein we read about Saul, David, and Absalom. If Saul represents self, David represents our spirit. David, the spirit man, knows getting rid of self is not his job. Allegorically, spirit is brought into the service of self which becomes, in turn, enraged by the spirit man’s victories. The natural man both fears and loathes the spirit man while recognizing, in self’s better moments, that the spirit man is the rightful successor and ruler. Eventually, God does away with the self and places our spirit on the throne just as we see pictured through the life of David.

David became of a victim of his own success. Though “a man after God’s own heart”, he chose to do things that were not necessarily wise. He gave birth to beauty that became wrapped up in its own arrogance and jealousy. Once we are “spiritual”, our sins have more far-reaching consequences because we are operating in a different realm. Disobedience is the seed – destruction is the weed. Something of beauty and innocence, peace and power is going to be lost to us. David’s son, Absalom, should have been “the father of peace” as his name implies. Instead he becomes enamored of his own gifts, embittered at his father’s sins and apparent indifference toward injustice. He murders – some would say justifiably – his brother and flees into exile. His return does not bring peace but manipulation and rebellion leading to his own destruction.

I like reading through First and Second Samuel in a modern translation or even a paraphrase. This epic, sweeping story of the founding of the kingdom contains much that is historical fact, no doubt, but even more that is psychological and spiritual truth -- true myth. If we find those truths sometimes discouraging – I think I’ve made every possible mistake at least once – we can recall that Christ comes to the throne of David and the tabernacle of David, to renew, restore, and make right.