Day 85

Costly Mistakes

Read: 1 Samuel 12-14

Before he was king, Saul had been a very humble person. But now power it seems had gone to his head and he used his power foolishly. Lord Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” That is why the Constitution of the United States wisely provides for a balance of power. Those who have any power in the church or in business or in government should heed this lesson.

The first mistake Saul made was to act impatiently. Refusing to wait for Samuel, he took to himself power which was not rightly his; he offered sacrifices which ought only to be offered by a priest or by a representative of God like Samuel. Samuel warned Saul that this would cause him to be replaced.

The second mistake Saul made was to issue the foolish order that the soldiers should not pause to eat, and that anyone violating this order was to be killed. This led to two tragic results. One was this: the soldiers became so hungry that they ate meat not prepared according to the law of Moses. Also, Jonathan, Saul’s son, unwittingly disobeyed the order and would have been executed if the people had not intervened. It is the part of wisdom to carefully think through all of the implications and potential consequences before we make important or severe decisions.

God used Saul, in spite of his mistakes, to accomplish his purpose of delivering Israel from the nations.

PRAYER
Father, in all of our decisions, help us to be wise and patient. Use us in spite of our faults. In Christ. Amen.