Israel had messed up in a huge way. Huge. “Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations,” they had said to Samuel (1 Sam 8:5). This displeased Samuel. It displeased the Lord even more. God said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (1Sam 8:7).
God warned them what it would be like to have a king, but they wanted one anyway. So God chose for them a king, seemingly according to outward appearance. Saul's best quality, mentioned repeatedly, was that he was the tallest and most handsome of all the men in Israel. In a sense, God was judging Israel by giving them what they wanted - a king after their own heart. Saul was anything but a gift to the people. This man looked great, but had a timid heart.
The scene of his installation was filled with tragic irony:
17 Now Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah.
18 And he said to the people of Israel, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.'
19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, 'Set a king over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands."
20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.
21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found.
22 So they inquired again of the LORD, "Is there a man still to come?" and the LORD said, "Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” (1 Sam. 10:17-22)
This is what happens when God gives us what we want - it is a let down. This savior whom the people believed would fight their battles for them was too timid to even show his face at his own coronation.
But the people eventually were led to see their error and they were crushed by it. In 12:19, they said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.” They messed up and they knew it.
That’s a terrible feeling. You may be able to relate. How many of us haven’t sinned in huge ways, perhaps life-altering ways? It’s a horrible realization. And it is frequently followed by a temptation to despair, thinking, “I’m ruined. This can never be redeemed. My life is off the tracks now. I had my chance.”
But listen to Samuel’s exhortation to the people: "Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the LORD will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself.…Only fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you” (1 Sam. 12:20-24).
Samuel's words are a great plan for anyone in the aftermath of a huge, self-inflicted mess:
(1) Do not be afraid.
(2) Do not turn aside from following and serving the Lord.
(3) Do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver.
(4) Remember the character of God - He is faithful.
The worst thing we can do when we’ve sinned greatly is give up, thinking that we’ve altered things irreparably. It is part of God’s character to remain faithful to His own in spite of their unfaithfulness to Him. To expect Him to drop us when we fail Him is to confess we don’t really know what He’s like.
We all know what happened later in this biblical narrative. God was gracious and faithful. He replaced Saul with a king after His own heart. That God brought David to the people even after they rejected God Himself as their king is a wonderful picture of grace. We must be reminded that His character has not changed.
Christ is in the business of making all things new (Rev 21:5). The gospel is about all that God has done in Jesus to reverse the effects of the Fall. This is what He does. There are consequences to sin, but He brings beauty out of the carnage. He is gracious. So when we sin grievously, we must respond rightly. That is, we must acknowledge that we have sinned grievously, repent, seek forgiveness, and then continue to love and serve Him. And trust Him to be who He says He is…faithful.
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