“And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.” (1Sa 11:6 AV)
Every time I read of Saul’s selection and coronation, I can’t get by the reaction Saul must have had. Samuel castigates the people of God for choosing a king over God. He expounds on the faults of a king. Then he defends his flawless ministry to the people. He presents Saul as the choice of a rebellious people. No wonder he was hiding among the stuff. Who would want to stand before the people as the answer from an upset God? God could have given them their king and then stepped back, allowing them to suffer human leadership not led by the Holy Spirit. He could have made Israel suffer the full brunt of their choice. Yet, He did not. Even in an imperfect situation, the LORD still involved Himself for the good of His people. He did not hold a grudge. He did not get envious or upset. The Spirit of God came upon Saul even though Saul was not God’s first choice. God, in His infinite mercy, decides to show grave by using what He was dealt by the choice of God’s people.
This is not to insinuate that just because God may use imperfect choices we should be allowed to make them. Not at all. But if we do, the LORD may use our choice nonetheless. Some think that if they make a major mistake in life, God cannot or will not use them. This is not so. The difference is repentance. When Samuel enumerated all that God had done for them from Moses until his service, and how God had overcome flawed men to successfully lead the people, they repented of their choice for a king. They begged Samuel to pray for them. They realized just how much of an error it was. Seeing the heart of God’s people, God decided to use their wrong choice and turn it around for His glory. There is hope for us yet!
Our lives are full of these moments. Times when we should not have made the choice we did. Or, we neglected to make a choice that we should have. There are some choices that regardless of our repentance, God will not use. He cannot. It would affect His holiness or character. Not all choices, however, are destined to remain unusable. There were times in my life when I thought I was making the right choice, but it turned out I was wrong. God used them anyway. At other times, I made a choice that I knew was wrong, and God forgave me for it and made the best of a bad situation. All we are trying to say is that even if we mess up big time, in His grace, God can and might use the results of our disobedience for our benefit and His glory. We are not sunk. We have a God bigger than our failures. AMEN!
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