a. Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul: Reluctantly, Samuel (who anointed Saul as king years before) now came to discipline the disobedient king.
b. He set up a monument for himself: Saul wasn’t grieved over his sin. Saul was quite pleased with himself! There was not the slightest bit of shame or guilt in Saul, even though he directly disobeyed the LORD.
i. In coming chapters, God will raise up another man to replace Saul as king. David, in contrast to Saul, was known as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Even though David would also disobey God, the difference between him and Saul was great. David felt the guilt and shame one should feel when they sin. Saul didn’t feel it. His conscience was dead to shame, and his heart was dead to God. Saul’s heart was so dead he could directly disobey God and still set up a monument for himself on the occasion.
c. He set up a monument for himself: This also shows that Saul was not the same man who once had a humble opinion of himself (1 Samuel 9:21) and who hid among the equipment out of shyness (1 Samuel 10:22). The years, the military victories, and prestige of the throne of Israel all revealed the pride in Saul’s heart.
i. “But the truth is, he was zealous for his own honour and interest, but lukewarm where God only was concerned.” (Poole)
d. Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD”: Saul can come to the prophet of God with such boldness, boasting of his obedience because of his pride. Saul is self-deceived. He probably really believed what he told Samuel. He probably believed, “I have performed the commandment of the LORD.” Pride always leads us into self-deception.
i. Maclaren has an insightful comment on Saul’s statement, “I have performed the commandment of the LORD”: “That is more than true obedience is quick to say. If Saul had done it, he would have been slower to boast of it.” (Guzik)
Zealous For His Own Honor!
The Bible verse says, “he set up a monument for himself”.
Being boastful is an easy trap to become ensnared in! Especially when another person tries to give us the credit when it belongs to the Lord!
A few years ago I saw a ministry that appeared to be stagnant as the leader was involved in several different ministries. I prayed about it and felt led to approach him and offer my assistance. We met over lunch and discussed his goals for the ministry. Upon leaving something he said has always stuck with me.
He said he wasn’t ready to release “his” ministry to someone he hardly knew. 😳
And there was the crux of the problem, “his”.
When we serve in a ministry, no matter what position we hold we need to remember, it’s the Lord’s ministry and we are His servant.
This particular ministry eventually faded away.
”Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God“ Romans 1:1 NKJV
Are you a bondservant of Jesus Christ?
Blessings
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