Do you ever wake up in the morning with the urge to hide? It may be a cold, gloomy winter day, and you just aren’t feeling it. Or it may be a bright sunny day with birds chirping and a warm late spring breeze, and you just aren’t feeling it. We all go through moments when we want to hide. There are a million reasons this could be true. Sometimes, we hide from situations and experiences. There are times when we are overwhelmed with feelings of can’t.
Last week, we looked at David’s second anointing. He had three: one when Samuel showed up at his dad’s house, one when Judah made him their king, and one when all of Israel gathered and made him king. I focused on the second one last week as we looked at the fact that YOU ARE CALLED. I opted to begin with David, though Saul was Israel’s first king.
King Saul had two anointings. The first occurred when he looked for his dad’s (Kish) lost donkey. He seeks the help of the Prophet Samuel, who anoints him to be Israel’s first king—some time passed between that occurrence and the second, maybe days or weeks. We really don’t know.
Let me set the scene for you. By the way, you can read about this in 1 Samuel 10:17-27. Israel asked for a king. God directs Samuel to anoint young Saul. Samuel then brings Saul before the nation to crown him their king. After all, in this case, Israel desired to look like the other nations.
So, Samuel calls the whole nation to the city of Mizpah. Tribe by tribe and clan by clan, the nation parades before the prophet. They came to the tribe of Benjamin to the clan of Matrites and the family of Kish—cue climactic music. I prefer “Zadok the Priest” by Handel. I have included a link for your listening enjoyment: https://youtu.be/5xWhclVLQyI. The winner is SAUL SON OF KISH. The heavens open with a chorus of voices. The sun directs its beam to the spot of coronation…and no one can find him. You can almost hear the scene deflating. They had to inquire of the Lord to find him. “And the Lord replied, ‘He is hiding among the baggage.’”
King David was willing to step into his call while waiting on God’s timing. King Saul, most likely dealing with insecurity, nervousness, and questions of worthiness, could not see himself as king.
I want to point out that at the first anointing earlier in this chapter, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul, and he began to prophesy. Saul had not yet learned to trust the Spirit over his abilities. He had not yet learned that his worth and value were rooted in his God rather than his ability.
For a while, and we will come back to this many times this year, Saul looked like he would be a great and godly king. Saul never fully learned to surrender to the Spirit’s leading and never fully grasped who he was in God.
Before we are too hard on King Saul, remember that we are guilty of the same. I often hear people say things like this: I am unworthy. I can’t do that. Do you know my past? You don’t know what I have done. I want to make something obvious. If God says you are worthy, who are you, a mere mortal, to question His opinion? You have a choice. You can either hide behind the baggage of your life or step into the plan and calling God has for you.
I like the smell of leather as much as the next guy, but I don’t want to live among the baggage. I want to see where the Spirit leads stepping into my divine destiny. That’s my prayer for you. Know who you are in God and fulfill God’s plan. Who knows, you are likely called to reach someone no one else can reach! Stop hiding behind your baggage. Step out and live the life God has for you.
Through Time 