What Would Be Said?

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 9:1-2, There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. 2 And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.

Here we have our first encounter with the king that Israel asked for. As a matter of fact, Saul means “asked of God”. Saul was a king that was asked of God by Israel. When we take a closer look at how Saul is introduced, there are some very interesting things said about him, but what is even more interesting is what is not said about him. Saul came from an influential background. His family had wealth and Saul himself was tall, handsome, and had the look of a king. The Scriptures tell us that there was no one more good looking than Saul. That is quite the resume. Yet, in all that is said to describe Saul, one thing is not said about him that would overshadow all of this, had it been said about him. Not once do we see his relationship with God mentioned. There is no indication that he was a follower or seeker of God, and God makes no mention of whether or not Saul was a man who sought to be a righteous man. God was about to give Israel a king after their own desire, a king who looked good on the outside, but was far from God on the inside. Sadly, many of us Christians spend so much time trying to gain wealth and status in the world, that we are willing to sacrifice our righteousness to obtain it. There are Christians who are known for their wealth and status in society, yet little is known of their relationship with the Lord. What would be said about us if someone were to write a short bio on who we are? Would the way we live for the Lord be a focal point or would it be wasted on what we have and what importance we have in this world? Would we be described as someone who is godly and lives an honest life, or would we be known for our wealth and prestige? Psalm 37:16 says, “A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked.” Proverbs 16:8 also says, “Better is a little with righteousness, than vast revenues without justice.” So often we encounter people who say they are followers of Christ, but they take more pride in showing off, and giving more priority to, the house they live in, the car they drive, the “important” job they have, and how much wealth they have. All the while, there is no evidence that they are living by faith or even serving the Lord. Their life is all about them and what they can gain from this world. 1 Timothy 6:6-10 warns, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Saul may have had the background of, and looked like, a king, and may have had all the characteristics that would impress the world, but in the end, we will see that his heart was far from God, and because of that he suffered great loss. When all is said and done, we should rather desire that if someone were going to write something about who we are, or were, that they would put more emphasis on who we were in Christ, and what impact we had for His sake, than how much wealth we had or how “important” we were by this world’s standards.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).