The life of King Saul is a tragic story of a humble man’s descent into pride and the lust for power. What makes his story so disheartening is that one incident of failure became the catalyst for him to lose his kingdom, his family and his relationship with God.
When we are first introduced to Saul, he is a humble man. He is very considerate of his responsibilities and his relationships. He went to great lengths to find his father’s lost possessions (1 Sam. 9:1-5). When he was chosen as Israel’s king, he wasn’t up front waiting to receive glory but was found hiding (1 Sam. 10:21-23). When he took command of God’s army, he led his people to victory and showed mercy instead of dealing revenge (1 Sam. 11:12-13). By all accounts, Saul was a man of great character.
However, Saul made a mistake. Instead of waiting on the priest, Samuel, to come and offer supplication to God, he broke the Law of Moses and offered it himself (1 Sam. 13:8-12). As punishment for this sin, God told him that the kingdom would not continue in Saul’s lineage.
This event devastated Saul. Rather than learning from his mistakes, he had a change of heart and left his humility behind him. He no longer led his men in battle but sent them to do his bidding. Soon after, he would even disobey God’s direct command to wipe out the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15). So, God told Saul that he would lose his throne (v. 22-23).
After this decree, Saul’s decline only steepened. He grew in anger, jealousy and paranoia over his replacement, David. Though David only ever showed him love and honor, Saul began terrorizing him and sent him into hiding. In his mad campaign to find David, he became a murderer of innocent priests, women and children (1 Sam. 22:17-19).
In the end, Saul’s sins caught up with him. He lost everything. He lost his sons, his army, his life and most importantly, his relationship with God (1 Sam. 31:3-6).
Sin can cause the humblest and strongest of men to crumble. Saul’s greatest crime wasn’t a single mistake but that he refused to learn from it. Instead, his pride led him to fear and murder.
How do we handle our mistakes? Instead of accepting God’s forgiveness and making an effort to repent, many of us will allow a single sin to grow and become a way of life. Sin becomes an identity. We cannot let our failures define us. We must let Christ define us. He paid the debt of our sin and gives us the opportunity to repent and live a life in His likeness. Don’t let your life spiral out of control over a single sin, but let the Lord renew your spirit according to His words.