20240316

his sovereignty prevails

1 Samuel 11:12-15 (JDV)

1 Samuel 11:12 Afterward, the people said to Samuel, “Who said that Saul should not reign over us? Give us those men so we can kill them!”
1 Samuel 11:13 But Saul ordered, “No one will be executed this day, for today Yahveh has provided deliverance in Israel.”
1 Samuel 11:14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let’s go to Gilgal, so we can renew the kingship there.”
1 Samuel 11:15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there in Yahveh’s presence they made Saul king. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings in Yahveh’s presence, and Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

The people had learned that God can use Saul to lead them to victory, so they are suddenly for him, and against those who doubted his leadership. In fact, they are so against the doubters that they want to kill them. At this point, Saul appropriately deals with this situation by telling them not to take vengeance on the doubters because “today Yahveh has provided deliverance in Israel.” He diverts the honor from himself by attributing his success to God. As such, his choice provides an example for those in leadership. We should be careful about claiming all the responsibility when things go well. If we succeed, we should be ready to let God get the glory for that success. There will be times when we fail in leadership, and the same people who rashly want to kill our enemies will just as easily turn their anger on us.

If we succeed, it is God who is exalting us. If we fail, it is God who is humbling us. Either way, his sovereignty prevails.