Do you want to finish life well?
Perceive: For several chapters in this story we have seen the transition of leadership. King Saul has continued to spiral further and further downward ending here in this Scripture text while David continued to grow in seeking God first. During this final battle, Saul, his sons, and many of Israel’s troops die while the survivors abandon their towns and flee for safety. In his wounded state Saul decides to end his life. Some scholars think he was concerned that if captured they would mutilate him alive. They, in fact, do cut off his head, strip him of his weapons, and send them home as victory trophies. He was an unfit king and now serves as an example of an unfit ruler who was more concerned about self-reliance and self-sufficiency than trusting and turning to God.
Practice: Many examples in the Bible are for us to emulate, others are there for us to consider the outcomes of their lives and to avoid. Saul is one of the latter. He was tall in the eyes of men, but small in the eyes of God. He was handsome on the outside, but ugly as sin on the inside. He looked strong in his physique and actions, but his lack of true faith made him weak and impotent. He was financially wealthy but spiritually bankrupt. Saul was more concerned about the way he looked than the way he thought or lived his life as an obedient king. A strong godly character is much more valuable than a good-looking worldly attractiveness.
Pray: O Lord, may I always seek You first. Please help me to forge my character as a serving man of God.
This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com
Practice: Many examples in the Bible are for us to emulate, others are there for us to consider the outcomes of their lives and to avoid. Saul is one of the latter. He was tall in the eyes of men, but small in the eyes of God. He was handsome on the outside, but ugly as sin on the inside. He looked strong in his physique and actions, but his lack of true faith made him weak and impotent. He was financially wealthy but spiritually bankrupt. Saul was more concerned about the way he looked than the way he thought or lived his life as an obedient king. A strong godly character is much more valuable than a good-looking worldly attractiveness.
Pray: O Lord, may I always seek You first. Please help me to forge my character as a serving man of God.
This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com
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