I am reading through the Bible chronologically again this year and as I've recently read the story of Saul's reign and downfall throughout the book of 1 Samuel, it seemed for the first time that I could pinpoint his problem.
He was wise in his own eyes.
Consistently, he demonstrated impatience over patience, taking matters into his own hands over waiting on God's timing and walking in the wisdom of Saul, rather than the wisdom of God.
Scary.place.to.be.
He didn't wait for Samuel to sacrifice to God, he chose to go to a witch for wisdom, he wasted time and energy pursuing David to satisfy his own ego and ultimately decided to write the end of his own story when he takes his own life.
God had great things planned for Saul- not only was he king, his sons and their sons after them were supposed to be king. But Saul threw that opportunity in the trash with his very own hands.
It's easy to judge Saul from our armchairs, but how often do we ourselves default to walking in the wisdom of self? Far too often would be my guess. I know I'm guilty of it!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones."
Proverbs 3:5-8 (NIV)
Friends, let us learn from Saul's mistakes and choose to walk in God's wisdom and wait on his timing. We won't be disappointed.
