How much evidence do you need before you believe in something? You have probably heard some wild stories over the years, & if you’ve ever heard a hunting or fishing story more than once, you learn that the fish magically grew from 18” to 28” to 36” between hearing each rendition… The buck that your buddy missed was this huge 10 point buck, when in reality it was a little basket 6 point… we embellish, misremember stories often, but eventually, after enough doubt of hearing a fishing/hunting story, you would believe them if the fish or deer was mounted on their wall, right? What about in sports? You heard about a play, but there is no way that is what actually happened, right? Eventually you see the replay and realize you missed one heck of a play! Or, you have a very gifted storyteller for a friend…. In our world now, EVERYTHING is caught on camera, but even that can be edited/adjusted, corrupted to help someone. So how many is too many? What about our faith? When do we see enough evidence that there is a Creator who loves us & has a plan for us?
Sometimes we think that those in the Bible who walked with Jesus were fools because they witnessed the miracles firsthand & still doubted. I have wrestled with this in my spirit, what would they do back then to have the Bible the way we have it? The access we have to the written Word should never be taken for granted! The more I study scripture, the more I understand it, & the more I see a loving Father & a living Word. Ok, maybe we believe in Him, I actually think most people believe in something/someone bigger out there, but do we live for Him? How many signs do we need before we actually start to live our lives the way He would want us to & live our lives according to His Word? Not according to Old Testament law that doesn’t apply to us, don’t misread what I’m saying, but how many signs do we need before we believe in Him & live for Him, according to His Word?
I want to look at 1 Samuel chapter 10 today. At this point in their history, Israel is a nation that has demanded a King. The Lord has sent His propeht Samuel to tell the people that God will allow them to have a King, but Samuel gives 5 stern warnings about what will happen if they get a King. The people shrug off what Samuel says, as they have already made up their mind, they’re getting a King…. why? Because all the other nations have one….. Think about that…. They had God as their leader, but they demanded a flawed, human King to lead them instead… Oy!
Samuel anoints a man named Saul to be the first King of Israel. Saul we are told is a very handsome man, that there is no one in the land more handsome than Saul, nor is there one in the land taller than Saul. (1 Samuel 9:2) In chapter 10, Samuel anoints Saul as the first king of Israel, but Saul is nervous…. Understandably so, chapter 9 lays out that Saul & his servant had been sent to find some missing donkeys that belong to Saul’s father. Saul will return home without the donkeys (they were found by someone else & returned), & Saul is now the King of Israel?! Pretty memorable trip! So Samuel gives Saul 3 signs to help affirm for him that he is the King for the nation of Israel. These 3 signs are incredibly specific & all of them come true exactly as Samuel said they would.
Saul is told he will meet 2 men by Rachel’s tomb, who will inform him that the donekys he was looking for have been safely returned & that Saul’s father is anxiously worried about Saul as he & the servant didn’t return the day prior from searching for the donkeys. The 2nd sign given to Saul is that he will meet 3 men further on the journey. Samuel says they’ll be carrying goats, bread & wine. (I think I would want to be the guy carrying bread if I am one of those 3…..). Samuel tells Saul that they will give him 2 loaves of bread as they meet him at the Oak of Tabor. Further, in the journey, Saul wil meet a group of prophets & the spirit of the Lord will rush upon Saul when he meets these prophets & Saul will leave these prophets a changed man. Now those are 3 super specific signs that Samuel gives Saul! If that were me, would that be enough? What about you? Would you trust that you are now the anointed King of Israel?
Fast forward to verse 17 in 1 Samuel 10 & we see that Samuel has called the nation together to reveal to them who their King will be. Saul has been anointed by Samuel, called by God & had 3 specific signs happen to him, so he MUST be ready to accept the throne, right? Samuel calls the entire nation together & reveals that their 1st King will be coming from the tribe of Benjamin. The tribe of Benjamin steps forward & Samuel then reveals that Israel’s 1st King will be coming from the clan of the Matrites. The clan of Matrites steps forward & Samuel then reveals that Israel’s 1st King will be Saul, son of Kish! What an exciting moment for Israel! I can only imagine the applause & excitement that happens…. However, they clap, they look around, looking for “tall Saul” (nicknamed by me) to step forward & claim his crown…. nothing…. Saul is nowhere to be found….
Well what in the world? Saul must have known what was going on, right? So where could he be? Was he off protecting the borders? Was he settling disputes among his people? He was doing neither of those things. 1 Samuel 10:22 tells us that the people essentially ask God, “Do you know what you’re doing? Have you got this right? Where is he?” God’s response? “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage”…. Imagine that, God had to be the one to tell the people that their cherished, good looking, tall, highly sought after King was hiding at coat check…. Remember, Saul is a tall man, scripture says there was nobody taller than Saul in all the land of Israel, & he is hiding, cowering among the baggage…. Not a great start to his reign, & what a silly sight to see. This tall man hiding among the bags!
Saul was given so many signs to affirm that he was Israel’s King, but when it came to be, he cowered, hiding, afraid to accept his new role. Now, I hope today’s writing has encouraged you to go read in 1 Samuel the rest of the story. Saul starts out as a good king, but quickly drifts away. If you study the life of King Saul, you find that Saul does great, when he listens to Samuel & trusts in God, but when he does things on his own, he epically fails…. There’s a whole thing there for us to recognize. If we walk with God, life goes according to His plan, but when we put ourselves in the drivers seat, it will always end with disaster.
So what’s holding you back? What signs do you continue to ignore that God has a plan for you? There is a whole book on the life of Jonah that reminds us what happens when we disobey God, don’t be that guy/girl. Open God’s Word daily, spend time with Him, listen to the right music that will shift your perspective to God. Find a Bible preaching church & study His word. The Word of God is living & active! Reading & studying it will change your life! I would be glad to answer any question you may have as you study God’s Word. It is a BIG book that can be daunting, & at times very hard to understand, but it is God’s Word. Everything in there is inspired by Him & there for teaching, reproof, & correction. Start by opening it! Read it with a pen & notebook handy! Then see what God will do from there! As always, pursue Him, honor Him, glorify Him, in ALL you do! Be blessed!
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