Bible Passage:  1 Samuel 9

The Right Person for the Job

“Long live the king!” Saul was picked to be king in front of all the people, the first king of Israel. He was the son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin. He was tall and handsome (1 Sam 9:1-2, 21). There was certainly a lot of commotion and cause for celebration. He would have been the perfect king in any fairytale.

Actually, God was sad that the people wanted someone else to lead them. The simple fact was that God chose Saul because he was the right person for the job at that time.

When God allowed Saul to be king, it suited the requests of the Israelites. He satisfied their requirements. Saul was neither better nor worse than other kings, he only happened to meet the demand of the Israelites, i.e. to be like other nations ruled by kings. When Saul first appeared before the people, he was well-liked. He was young, good-looking, robust, hardworking, magnanimous, honest and humble.

However, he was not spiritually renewed. The Israelites who desired him to be king only saw his outward appearance and not what was within his heart; therefore, having Saul as king was the best choice for them.

For the Lord does not see as man sees:

“…for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1Sam 16:7)

If we are not spiritually renewed then jealousy and mistrust may rule over our hearts causing us to make many errors in judgment. If we forget that God chose us to fulfil His plan, we may fail to trust God altogether and we may even disobey God’s commands resulting in being rejected by the Lord (1 Sam 16:7).

Saul became a king as a result of circumstantial factors. He did not expect to be chosen as king. Nevertheless, God revealed signs to Samuel enabling him to identify Saul as the one to be anointed.

May the Lord help us to remember His grace and mercy for choosing us to be His vessels for good works.