Read: 1 Samuel 11
Saul had just been anointed King of Israel - appointed by the prophet, Samuel, and chosen by the Most High God. Most cheered at his coronation, shouts of "Long live the King!" erupting from the streets. They had asked for a king and God had provided. How could they not rejoice?
Samuel says of him, "Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people (1 Samuel 10:24).” Tall, handsome, and strong - Saul looks in all ways the perfect candidate.
And yet...there are those who despise him.
Verse 27 of chapter ten tell us, "But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace." In the original language of Hebrew, the word "despise" means to "regard them with contempt, to disesteem, and to disdain." It comes from a root word meaning to "trample with feet." When these men looked upon Saul - they did not see a king or even king material. They saw in him very little. They looked down upon him and regarded him as one beneath them not above them. Yet, verse 27 tells us that Saul "held his peace."
If you continue to read into chapter 11, you find God in action, empowering Saul through His Holy Spirit to lead the people well and prove God's choice was the right one.
This story reminds me of Paul's words to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12. Timothy was not only young for leadership, he was also the leader of the largest church at the time (Ephesus) - pastoring great men and women of God that many believe included Mary, the mother of Jesus. Paul writes to Timothy, "Let no man despise your youth, but set an example..."
The reality is this: There will always be those who cannot see what God sees in us. Did you hear me? There will always be those who cannot see what God sees in us. But that doesn't change a thing. Those He calls, He equips. Those He chooses, He sustains. Those He puts in place, He puts in place on purpose. He doesn't make mistakes. So, it doesn't matter what others see. What matters is what God said. If he chose you to be a "king" - than that is who you are to be.
Like Saul, one of my heroes, Gladys Aylward, was viewed by everyone around her as incapable of what God had called her to do. Hearing the call to be a missionary in China during a special evangelism meeting, she made plans to leave her home and step out in obedience. The missionary organization that she had hoped to sponsor her refused because of how poorly she had fared in school and the dangers of the trip. Yet still, she stepped out in faith purchasing a ticket with money earned as a maid.
The trip would take her through Russia and bring her face to face with soldiers, hunger, and the devastations of war. It was unheard of for a woman to travel alone in the 1930s through such dangerous territory. No one wanted her to go. Yet, she did. No matter what people said. No matter how "unqualified" they felt she was. And because of her, the traditional practice of "binding" women's feet began to change in the mountain villages of China, reform came to the prison, she led a large group of orphans out of occupied China saving their lives, and orphanages were set up in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Many came to know Jesus because of her obedience to do what God had called her to do no matter what others said.
My friends, whose voice are you listening to? Are you moved by what others see in you? Or do you act upon what God sees in you? Which voice do you believe? Which voice do you build your identity upon?
So often I have allowed the voices of others and their view of me to stop me from being obedient to the call of God. Yet, Saul and Gladys and Timothy prove that others may never see what God sees in us - BUT THAT DOESN'T CHANGE A THING.
We are who GOD says we are.
Comments