God regarded His people because their cry for a king had come to Him. What they were asking for was against God’s will for them, and further, was a way of by-passing God. Instead of relying on God, appealing to Him in times of crisis, they would be appealing to the king, as is demonstrated in chapter 11. Instead of their seeing a time of prosperity as a blessing from God, they would see it as the result of a good king’s administration. This teaches us to be careful in our praying. Is our heart’s desire anything other than to know God? Then what if He gives us our heart’s desire, and it interferes with our knowing Him? We need to pray as Jesus taught us to pray, and not simply for the desires of our hearts. If we can’t pray for God’s will to be done, we can ask for Him to change our hearts so that we can.
The people committed great wickedness in asking for a king, yet Samuel told them, “do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart…. Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart.” They didn’t blow it by committing great wickedness! He didn’t mean that they should not be concerned about their wickedness in making this choice, but that they shouldn’t consider it the end of their relationship with God. They still had the opportunity to serve Him; their chances weren’t finished. They could still choose to serve Him if they would do so in truth and with all of their hearts! God gives the same message of hope to His New Testament people in I John 2:1. Do you need to take it to heart today, to find the resolve you need to make the choice to serve God in truth and with all of your heart? Do you need to share that message of hope with someone else who needs to hear it?
Note the characteristics of Saul that we see in these chapters, for they reveal why he was chosen by God to lead His people. What do you see? A good study habit is to list the characteristics you note.
God changed Saul’s heart in preparation for his being king. Think about that: God has the power to change a heart. It’s perhaps a truth we take for granted because we don’t contemplate it, but how profound it is. It has a couple implications:
- Have you noticed evidence of God’s transforming power in you? If not, ask God to show you the work He has done, for sometimes it happens so gradually and quietly that we may doubt whether it has happened at all. If He has no change to reveal to you, then you should be wondering whether you have His Spirit in you, which should be a fearsome prospect. Take your concerns to God for answers! If you have no such concerns, praise God for His transforming power, and witness to others about it. For He deserves the praise, not you.
- How does this truth affect your prayers for others?