Saul was a complicated character. And his story is one marked by complicated circumstances.
A look into first Samuel 10 gives us hope. At least it did me when I read verse 9, “As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart...”
A new heart! That’s great news! But an honest look into his life as a king and we will likely be confused by this language. A new heart?
Saul, indeed, gave evidence of possessing the gifts of kingship...wisdom, power, strength... but no confirmation existed that he possessed the grace of holy living. While he could command armies and address political issues, he cared little for keeping a conscious void of offense, and insisted on maintaining a spirit of fear and provocation.
When the Word tells us that God gave him a new heart, it’s proof of kingly character, but not of a virtuous and righteous condition. Making him right in power didn’t make him right in fellowship with God or prepare him for the spiritual holiness that was so much more a part of his kingly responsibilities than physical competence or mental aptitude.
God always gives us choices. And with every empowerment is an invitation to cultivate our calling and germinate our giftedness. By giving appropriate attention to our union with the Father, we naturally advance our affections and enhance our effectiveness.
My commentary says, “How earnest and how particular men ought to be in examining themselves whether their serious impressions are the effect of a true change of nature, or whether they are not mere temporary exercises, the casual result of external circumstances.”
It’s a heart issue. And we must work at managing well what we have so graciously been given!
Sunlight may shine brightly on the external frame while darkness lingers within the internal fragments.
Transformation is so much different than mere inspiration!
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