Be Careful What You Ask For

1 Samuel 10:24

“Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.”

Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

If you don’t know it yet, you might as well get used to it that with God all things are possible. (Matt 19:26)  History would reveal leaders from all over the world.  Some of the more common ones we hear about are George Washington, the founding fathers, Sam Houston, and many others that the history books teach of.  The first king of Israel is also one of those iconic people in history.  You don’t have to go to Sunday school for too long until you hear about Saul. 

The Bible says two times that he was a head taller than anyone in Israel.  He also was very handsome and being taller than everyone you can imagine he turned some heads in the market place.  Samuel anoints him king over Israel while Saul and his servant are out looking for donkeys.  God changed Saul’s heart and he was found to be prophesying with the other prophets of the day. So the phrase “Is Saul also among the prophets?” is coined.  You would think Saul was on top of the world, feeling 10 feet tall and bullet proof after all that.  He goes to the high place and his uncle wants to talk to him about all that happened. However, he did not mention that he was anointed to be king. 

Later, when Samuel is before all the tribes for the purpose of announcing the new king to the people, Saul is nowhere to be found.  Verse 22 chimes in and the Lord tells Samuel where he is, hiding among the supplies!  Two verses later in verse 24 Samuel brings Saul from among the supplies and says “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” The people shouted “Long live the king! 

Have you ever wanted something really bad and you got it and it was not what you were expecting?  You were disappointed and you felt like the hype around this toy, clothes, boyfriend, or girlfriend was not all what you thought it was.  At that point you remember all the excitement and anxiety over getting this but when you got it, well, it fell short of the bar you set.  The people would soon realize that Saul was just what they wanted and the Lord gave him to them to teach them a lesson.  The next king that was to be anointed is a nobody and the least of the members of that family, David. 

Reflect upon what you want today.  God can surely bless it, but in the end sometimes it is nowhere near what He has for you.  Pray that the Lord reveals His plans for you today and not your own.  Saul will forever stand as an anointed king who was hiding in the supplies who looked the part but fell short.  What are you striving for today?  Is it someone or something that the culture puts on pedestal?  Your homework is to meditate on Matt 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”