The anointing of King Saul : By Emmanuel Quayson

 

1 Chronicles 10:4 Then Saul said to his armourbearer, draw thy sword and thrust me through therewith lest these uncircumcised Philistines come and abuse me: But the armourbearer would not for he was sore afraid. So Saul took a sword and fell upon it.

Saul the anointed King of Israel had killed himself by falling on his own sword. What killed Saul? It was his own disobedience to God. God asked him to kill all the Amalekites including their king and all their beast but he spared the king and took the fat animals which he wanted to sacrifice some to God. 

1Samuel 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

1Samuel 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all [that was] good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing [that was] vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

1Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams.

1Samuel 15:23 For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from [being] king.

God told him that obedience is better than sacrifice. It was then that David came into the picture who played music for him to calm him down anytime the evil spirits tormented him. Even with that he later wanted to kill David on several occasions but was warned by Jonathan his own son. 

The lesson here is the anointing upon your life cannot save you from death or the enemy's attack if you disobey the word of God. Saul was anointed King over Israel but he fell out with God because he chose his own ways disobeying God therefore God took the kingdom from him and gave it to David. 

He lost a battle against the Philistines as he was hit by an arrow and because he wanted to avoid torture from the enemy's hand, he committed suicide. What a tragic end to an anointed man of God. The same anointing that made him, a commoner, a King over Israel is the same anointing that killed him and promoted David to kingship. Anointing can kill you and it can promote you also depending on your walk with God.

Saul holds the record as the first King of Israel. He was a Benjamite which is one of the least esteemed tribe in Israel. We have not heard much about the exploits of Benjamin in the Bible. Benjamin was one of the sons of Jacob, Israel. Despite the least popularity of the Benjamites, God chose one of them as the first King of Israel which was King Saul. It doesn't matter your background or the odds that are against you, God can still choose you for something great in this world.

1Samuel 9:1 Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name [was] Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.

1Samuel 9:2 And he had a son, whose name [was] Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and [there was] not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward [he was] higher than any of the people.

Saul came into the picture when the children of Israel rejected Judges to rule over them. Israel requested for a king to lead them in battle like other nations because the sons of Samuel the prophet, Joel and Abiah did not walk in the ways of the Lord. They took bribes and perverted the ways of Justice so the elders of Israel requested for a King.

1Samuel 8:4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,

1Samuel 8:5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

1Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured [it] upon his head, and kissed him, and said, [Is it] not because the LORD hath anointed thee [to be] captain over his inheritance?

Saul also consulted with evil spirits when God had left him worsening his relationship further with God. Because of this God gave him up to the Philistines and he lost his last battle against them. Both he and his son Jonathan were killed and David lamented over them. The death of Saul and Jonathan pained David more than anything else because he loved them dearly and even wrote a Salma for them. 

The same anointing that made Saul King, later would torment him with demons and end up commiting suicide. Sometimes as a child of God you can be anointed by God but if you walk in disobedience, the same anointing can turn against you and even kill you. You can be anointed but tormented by evil spirits, this is what was happening to Saul. Many men of God are in this same situation today because they disobey God.

Resolve with yourself to obey God from today and don't think because of his anointing upon your life, you are immune fr destruction. God can take his hand of your life if you disobey his word and you will be walking without his protection. You will be living in past glory which cannot save your situation now. Let's take a cue from King Saul and correct our ways.

I remain Emmanuel Quayson, a servant of God. God bless you as you read.