Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

A Daily Devotional by Kenton Cheek

28 April 2024

Reading From I Chronicles 7-10

“So, Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together.

When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.”

–I Chronicles 10:6-7, 13-14

     The end of Saul was tragic.  He held so much promise at the beginning of his reign, but soon began to make compromises in how he obeyed the Lord. He was everything the people wanted in a king: strong, handsome, and courageous.  But God would tell him to wipe out the enemy and not take anything or anyone, but he would defeat them and then decide on his own to just take the very best things and then justify it by saying that he was taking them to give to Yahweh.  Following the Lord requires total obedience.  God calls the shots; we don’t.

     Will we perfectly follow Him?  Not this side of Heaven.  But we need to know that if we do not obey Him carefully when He gives a command, then we will have to deal with the fallout.  Fortunately for us, God is there to walk with us even through the mess we created for ourselves.  Our actions have domino effects.  Our lives are the sum of countless choices great and small.  For Saul, his unfaithfulness to the God who had anointed him king and his continual, stubborn neglect of inquiring of Him for wisdom led him to this tragic end. 

     God works with our own choices to weave histories together.  In this way, even though Saul had committed suicide, Scripture concludes that “the Lord put him to death.”  God, in His infinite and sovereign wisdom, has put into motion the principle of sowing and reaping.  Time and again He tried to use natural consequences to discipline Saul and bring him back on track.  Saul’s insistence on going his own way unfortunately led to his own destruction.  At any point along the way, if Saul had given in and gone to the Lord for forgiveness and a fresh start, God was waiting for him with open arms.  Saul never did. 

“Lord, I pray that I would be faithful to obey You in all things.  Forgive me when I falter.  Give me fortitude that I may carry out Your commands to the letter.  Lead me in Your ways.  Teach me Your truths.  Keep me on Your path for the sake of Your honor and glory.  Amen.”

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not resent his rebuke,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
    as a father the son he delights in. –Proverbs 3:11-12