Overflowing

I have had so many things on my mind. So many. I very commonly do this mind stuff in mental writing. I'm usually thinking as I would write, and sure that I will write here. It does not happen that way most of the time. So many, many times my thoughts fold into others and are filed in cranial recesses too far from reach to produce again. I am overflowing with things I want to say, so I decided to just begin. I may (probably) not say them all, but if I do not begin, I will say nothing, much like these last few sentences =)

(One of the big faults I have when writing is inconsistent use of verb tense. I started to go through and correct that, but decided it wasn't all that important to me tonight. Please overlook it.)

I've been studying 1 Samuel. There has been so much for reflection there that I had a hard time falling asleep Saturday night. One of the gems has recurred in my mind, and I have found myself almost haunted by it. Israel begged for a king so they could be like their "peers." Poor, poor God. All He wanted was to be their King, reigning in their civil affairs and especially their hearts. I admire Samuel for coming to His defense. Far more, I admire God for soothing Samuel when He, Himself, was being discarded. Our God has always been a God of composure and purpose. I marvel at the brilliant way that God gave the people exactly what they asked for, setting in motion consequences for the abandonment of Him while still extending great mercy. The fact that He bestowed Himself mightily upon Saul, knowing that Saul was not a spiritually invigorating king, but a worldly one, is far beyond ourselves. We would not be so kind. We might just thrust the thing that was wrongly asked for into the proverbial face and hope heartily, eagerly even, for the "victim" to get what was rightfully coming. In God's plan the people got what was rightfully needed, but not without the simultaneous envelopment of God's love and desire for them.

While not a new thought, it is a vital one, that Saul has the spirit of God come upon him mightily (1 Samuel 10:6, 10 11:6) and leave him as well (1 Samuel 16:14, 18:12). Sandwiched in the middle is Saul's disobedience. It is his undoing. Tragic. I have posted here somewhat recently about the importance of obeying God. It has been the subject of my meditation. It is vital in the purest definition of that word. Our own disobedience should disturb us and move us to mournful repentance. We should hang our heads in shame as we think of the pride that leads us to think we can better God's plan, His will. In Saul's Great Disobedience we read,
Samuel said, "Is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed you king over Israel, and the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.' Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD?" Then Saul said to Samuel, I did obey the voice of the Lord, and went on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
Saul went into his kingship thinking little of himself and begins his way out of it by calling his tweaking of God's instruction obedience. Both things drip with pride. "In [his] own eyes" he was little. Don't we think so highly of ourselves when we think this way? The problem is that his focus was self. Being about the business of thinking little of ourselves or thinking grandly about ourselves is thinking about ourselves. We need to be emptied of ourselves and filled with God.

God knows the way we should take. He knows the end thereof: Himself. The way we should take according to God leads to eternal service to Him. Any discarding of His way or tweaking of it, is the wrong way, and does not lead to eternity with Him. Beautifully, touchingly, God's motive in His perfect instruction is love and utmost concern for our well being.

All this reflection about Saul's disobedience causes me to think of others who didn't go their own way, but God's. Please do not hold your breath, but I hope to continue this another time and specifically mention some of those who walked faithfully with and for God, sometimes with great personal sacrifice so that they might be completely obedient.