King Saul was undoubtedly the first human king that Israel ever had. His rise to power was brought about by the Israelites' nagging on Samuel and God, who consented with a sad heart. After all, God is to be King over all their lives.
Still, despite the falls and sad ending that King Saul faced in his lifetime, his rise to power teaches us various things about God's leadership – things that are best learned and applied in our lives.
Here are some things that King Saul can teach us about God's leadership.
1. God's Will Isn't Synonymous to Public Opinion
Contrary to how some people understood Romans 13 which says God is the one putting every leader in place, we need to understand that public opinion can be very different from God's opinion. Thus, we need to realise that the elected leaders need not be the persons who God really wants.
Consider what God told Samuel in their conversation, as read in 1 Samuel 8:4-8:
"Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also."
2. God Wants Us to Be Responsible for Our Choices
God isn't some person who will turn a blind eye towards our wrongdoing, and certainly is not someone who will clean up our mess. God wants us to be a people who exercise discernment, and take responsibility for whatever decision we make. Think: our decision, our responsibility.
This is exactly what God wanted Israel to do: Be wise and take responsibility. Sure, God allowed Israel to have its own king, but He warned them of the possible consequences of their choices. In the same way, God wants us to exercise discernment in choosing our leaders, and to take responsibility for our support of the people we put in leadership.
Consider What God Instructed Samuel Afterwards, in 1 Samuel 8:9.
"Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.""
3. God Wants to Be Our King – The King Who Reigns Over Everything
Let's jump forward to the time when King Saul kept disobeying God. We read that Saul did exploit, but he didn't fully obey God in all that he did. This, of course, displeased the Lord so much.
God Himself wants us to put Him as King and Lord over everything in our lives, including our thoughts, decisions, dreams, plans, and desires. His desire is that our leaders would love Him and put Him first, thus effectively carrying out what God wants to do for the people.
This is very evident in His choosing of the next, and most loved, king of Israel, David. Consider what Samuel told Saul in 1 Samuel 13:14:
"But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you."
