Read 1 Samuel 15:10-31
“So Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.”—1 Samuel 15:28
Samuel gave Saul very clear guidance from God: Destroy everyone and everything in Amalek as punish for their treatment of Israel during the flight from Egypt (1 Samuel 15:2-3). Yet, Saul brought the Amalekite king back alive, and allowed the people to bring back the best of the livestock. It was Saul’s second time disobeying God; in 1 Samuel 13:8-12, Saul made a sacrifice to God, solely the responsibility of the priests.
If his disobedience wasn’t bad enough, Saul’s response when confronted with his failures was an indication of his leadership or rather, lack of leadership: “…When I saw the people were scattered from me…”(1 Samuel 13:11) / “But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen…”(1 Samuel 15:21)). Saul blamed his disobedience on the people under his charge, instead of recognizing his role and responsibility as the leader. By his own words, Saul is indicted as a king who had no influence with his people.
Saul’s repeated disobedience, inability to exercise command of his kingdom and unwillingness to accept responsibility for his actions, rendered him ineffective as king. God had to remove him as king because Saul failed to live by godly standards before his people. The leader who can’t be trusted to obey, can’t be trusted to inspire their people to be obedient either.
Obedience is important to God; so is godly, effective and accountable leadership. Whether it’s a family or a nation, leaders have the power to accomplish great things when they demonstrate the tenacity to do the right thing, the willingness to accept responsibility when things go wrong, and inspire others to meet noble, godly standards.
What kind of leader am I? Do I inspire others by my example? Why would others follow me and more importantly, am I the kind of person God could entrust to lead His people?
Lesson to Remember: We have the power to lead others best when we follow God first.
“For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me.”—Psalm 31:3
