Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?” 1 Samuel 15:19 (NIV)
When the people of Israel demanded a king, God granted their request. Saul, a tall and handsome warrior, became the first king of Israel.
Before Samuel anointed Saul as king he told Saul that God was going to do some special things in order to prepare him to serve as the leader of Israel. All of the things Samuel told him came to pass. In 1 Samuel 10:9 it’s recorded that God changed Saul’s heart.
But even with all of these advantages, Saul gradually drifted away from following the Lord wholeheartedly. There were signs along the way. In the beginning, Saul seemed humble. As the years rolled by, and Saul led Israel to many military victories, his heart succumbed to pride. Little things happened at first, but eventually he disobeyed God’s direct order to destroy Agag and the Amalekites. He capped this off by lying to Samuel, the prophet.
Character remains critical for any leader. Saul failed the test and lost his position.
The content of this Devotional comes from “Daily Strength for the Battle (You, God’s Word, 5 Minutes): Volume 6 Developing the Leader in You” (2020) and is copyrighted by Scott and Judy McChrystal. Used with permission.
