Man of the people

While reading through the books of Samuel, I can't help but notice the differences between King David and King Saul. When being introduced to them, they are both described in much the same way: godly men with strong characters. Most importantly though, both David and Saul were anointed by God himself to rule over Israel as King. With such similiar begginnings, we have to ask ourselves why there was such drastic differences in their reigns. To answer this question effectively, we need to go back and look at the choice made by Saul that ultimately destroyed his Kingship; Israel's battle against the Amalekites.

Before the battle, God had commanded Saul to go up with the Israelite army and fight the Amalekites (a people that represented everything that God was against), destroying EVERYTHING in their land and leaving no one alive. Basically, God was telling Saul to purge the land of all that went against His commands in order to ensure holiness for the Israelites. Saul, instead of obeying the Lord's command, destroyed only some of the plunder (that which was weak or unsuitable) and left the rest.

When Saul was confronted by the prophet Samuel about this lack of regard for God's Word, Saul justified his actions by explaining: "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest." (1 Samuel 15:15).

Seemingly, Saul kept the plunder to offer to the Lord, a good reason in theory. But a sacrifice is not what the Lord asked of him, and we learn later that this was not even Saul's real reason for not destroying everything as commanded. In 1 Samuel 15:24, Saul admits: "I have sinned. I violated the LORD's command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them."

Why did Saul disobey God's command? Because his fear of the people was far greater than his fear of the Lord. Quite a dangerous trait for a leader.

Contrast Saul's actions with David's, and we see why David was ultimately successful as leader of Israel where Saul was not.

There are multiple instances in the early parts of his leadership, before David had become King, when he goes against the people and does what he thinks is right in the eyes of the Lord.

The most well-known account of this is David's encounter with Goliath, when David's anger at Goliath's blatant disrespect for the God of Israel was far greater than his fear of fighting the giant or dying in battle. Along with his battle against Goliath, there are many other instances when David did what the Lord wanted rather than what the people asked for. A few examples are:

*David refuses to kill Saul the multiple times he is given the chance (which would secure his own safety from death) because he refused to kill someone that God himself had anointed.
*David refuses to kill Abner despite warnings from his men that Abner was working for Saul. David had given Abner his word that there would be peace between them and that Abner was safe, and he would not go back on it (2 Samuel 3).
*David, after defeating the very Amalekites that Saul failed to destory earlier, goes against the majority of his army's wishes and allows the soldiers from his army who did not go and fight with them against the Amalekites to have their share of the plunder anyway. Why? To be fair and just.
Again and again, David listens to the word of the Lord instead of the words of his people. I imagine that as King, that must be an extremely challenging thing to do, but David did it. Why? Because his fear of the Lord was great. Much greater than his fear of the people. For that, David was blessed by God.

These stories make me wonder: In a time when tolerance reigns and going against someone or questioning another's beliefs is considered disrespectful and rude, who do I fear more, God or others? More often than not, I find myself recognizing a desire in myself to please those around me, sometimes allowing my obedience for God to falter and get rough around the edges. I want people to think I'm nice and accepting and not one of those "bible-thumping" Christians. Basically, I want the people to like me. But part of being a Christian is being different. Part of being a Christian is saying the hard things. Part of being a Christian is standing up for truth. And yes, we are called to do this with grace and love, but sometimes I think rather than grace and truth, we allow ourselves and our beliefs to be compromised instead. Why?

Fear.

Ask yourself today; are you a God-pleaser or a people-pleaser? Who/what do you fear, and how is that fear influencing the way you live on a daily basis?

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

¹² And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³ and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

Isaiah 2:22

²² "Stop trusting in man,
who has but a breath in his nostrils.
Of what account is he?"