Facing The Wrong Direction
A perceptive man once said that if you want to teach people how to be successful, always start by sharing your failures. That counsel seems counterintuitive, but upon closer inspection is quite wise. Part of the logic driving that recommendation is that almost everyone who has experienced lasting success has had to face, overcome and learn from failure. As Thomas Edison put it, “I have not failed. I just discovered 10,000 ways that did not work.”
This may also be the logic that explains why there are just as many examples of failure depicted in the scriptures as there are examples of success. The Bible not only encourages us what to do; it also warns us what not to do. The Bible not only showcases great wisdom; it also showcases great folly. The Bible not only presents us those who ascended to the heights; it also presents us those who plummeted to the depths. And there is no character is all of scripture who fell so deeply as Saul did.
Saul was the first King of Israel. And his fall was particularly tragic because his beginnings were so bright. Saul stepped onto the stage of history with almost every conceivable advantage. He was born into a family of wealth, anointed by the legendary Samuel, and was blessed with an impressive physical bearing. The scripture informs us that Saul was “head and shoulders above everyone else.” Unfortunately, his exterior attributes were more impressive than his interior ones. Eventually, Saul would make a series of horrific decisions that would culminate in him losing both his kingdom and the favor of God.
The last decision that Saul made would prove to be his worst. He was instructed by Samuel to fight a battle in a city called Amalek. The instructions were specific and clear. Saul was to completely destroy the city, holus bolus. Nothing was to be spared: no people and property. But Saul disobeyed. He decided to spare some of the animals, and then later attempted to justify his decision by arguing that he spared the animals so he could make a sacrifice to God. When confronted by Samuel with his disobedience deception, and denial, Saul finally confessed the truth. In 1 Samuel 14:25-25, the scriptures tell us that:
Saul gave in and confessed, “I’ve sinned. I’ve trampled roughshod over God’s Word and your instructions. I cared more about pleasing the people.
Saul was a people pleaser. And people pleasers never please anyone. Saul turned his back on God. Then God turned his back on Saul. Tragic!
We all have to decide if we are going to please God or please people. Pleasing people leads to disappointment, defeat, and despair. Pleasing God leads to peace, provision, and promotion. Warning: you will have to disappoint some people in order to please God.
As Islwyn Jenkins once said, “whoever wants to lead the orchestra must turn their back on the crowd.” If you’re facing the crowd, trying to please the crowd, or worried about the crowd, you’re facing the wrong direction.
Don’t turn your back on God.
You definitely don’t want God to turn his back on you.