They again inquired of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?” The Lord replied, “There he is, hidden among the supplies.” (1 Samuel 10:22)
The Bible is very clear that we can’t work to earn our salvation (Eph. 2:8-9) and we are only saved by our faith in Christ’s sacrifice for us. But what does that faith look like? In this chapter we see Israel’s demands answered and the anointing, identification, and inauguration of their king. There were three consecutive miracles (prophecy fulfilled in 10:9-11) to affirm that Saul was chosen.
In the third confirmation Saul joined a procession of spiritual men and started to prophesy himself! People were so shocked to hear an uneducated and untrained man proclaiming truths about God that it became a saying, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” (10:12). There was then a series of random events where by the luck of the draw, Saul was identified out of the entire nation to be their king (10:20-21). To top it all, Saul was a physically impressive man literally “head and shoulders” above the rest. The people rejoiced in seeing God’s handiwork (10:24)!
When Saul was asked by his uncle what the prophet had told him, Saul did not boldly proclaim Samuel’s prophecy and that God selected him to be king. When the people saw God’s providence in selecting him out of all the tribes and all the sons, Saul went hiding. What does this say about Saul’s faith and heart for God? If God worked a miracle (or multiple, consecutive miracles!) and you had full faith in what was said, would you stand up for Him? Would you be silent and stand on the sideline?
In this Christmas season, where we are reminded of the miracle of Jesus’ birth and the life He lived for us, let’s act on our faith and show our heart and passion for Jesus in telling people about the good news: God sent His Son for us that we might have life! Let our love for Him and faith in His promises be seen in inviting people to Harbor, telling them about Jesus, and loving others as Christ loved and sacrificed for us.