1/15/21 - HOW CAN SOMETHING GOOD END SO BADLY?

“NOW THE Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before [them] and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. And the Philistines pursued Saul and his sons, and slew Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, Saul's sons. The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers severely wounded him. Saul said to his armor-bearer, Draw your sword and thrust me through, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse and mock me. But his armor-bearer would not, for he was terrified. So Saul took a sword and fell upon it. When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword and died with him. So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died that day together. And when the men of Israel on the other side of the valley and beyond the Jordan saw that the Israelites had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. They cut off Saul's head and stripped off his armor and sent them round about the land of the Philistines to publish it in the house of their idols and among the people. And they put Saul's armor in the house of the Ashtaroth [the idols representing the female deities Ashtoreth and Asherah], and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. When the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, All the valiant men arose and went all night, and they took the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan and came to Jabesh and cremated them there. And they took their bones and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.”

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭31:1-13‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

As I pondered the events of the past few months and days, I asked the Holy Spirit the question above. He brought me to the story of king Saul and David. Saul was so angered by David’s imminent ascension to his throne that he spent his final years as king hunting David as though he were a criminal. David did not ask or wanted to be king. He was doing what he was good at, tending his father’s few sheep and being the errand boy to his older more on the surface qualified to be king brothers.

God saw what no one else saw, and I do believe Jonathan did as well. Saul knew it from the day he ripped Samuel’s robe that his days were numbered. There was no public announcement that David had been made king to replace him, but when God gave the word to Samuel to pour the oil on David there was no hiding who had been chosen. To be clear, there is no correlation between what is happening now and what happened then, but it could be. The truth of the matter is, when you are reluctant to accept that you have been replaced, it can only end badly. Leaders with narcissistic tendencies and mindsets can only see what’s in front of them, they think in the moment. That was Saul, and countless others like him.

I am no prophet, but I do know that the world is on God’s timetable. There are sequences of events that must take place to move the plans of God forward. Certain leaders are put in place at different times to coincide with God’s sovereignty over world affairs. Just as God allowed Israel to choose a king, He allows us to elect leaders, leaders will either walk in godly wisdom in which case God will lead as they trust Him,(Isaiah 45 and Ezra 6 comes to mind) as Saul did in the beginning, or they can do their own thing as Saul did in the end, and fall into the trap of their own making. Spiritual blindness in any nation, divisiveness in any nation will cause it to fall. When we bite and devour one another we will fall. Matthew 12:22-28; Galatians 5:15

Every leader that’s elected throughout the world is there for a reason. The heart of the nation is exposed through whom the people chooses as its leadership. From a young adult in Jamaica to my life in America, to observing the leaders that are elected in other nations, I’ve seen the effect of the choices we make as people. I recall when I helped organize an election to vote for union representation for the management group. My biggest challenge was resisting selfishness. I had to constantly remind the team that this wasn’t about our individual needs, but it was about every member. That the things we requested had to take into consideration future members and their needs. I fought that battle until I retired. Selfishness has no place in leadership. We don’t want God’s will, we wanted our own. So why should God answer us? There’s nothing new under the sun, so wrote the wisest man. Just take some time to read your Bible, you’ll discover that what I’ve written is true. Start with the book of Judges.

The Lord tried to warn Israel but to no avail. In most cases the people already had some skepticism, but as long as their desires were addressed, then they were willing to live with their decision or so they thought. So He gave them what they wanted. What the people didn’t realize was that once they went down the road of rejecting God’s directive, to choosing who they wanted, that they could not go back. God though He is, with the power to overrule all decisions, will never override the human will. The die had been cast. But as long as Israel remained a nation, they would always have a king ruling over them. Today they don’t have a king but they have Prime Ministers. It didn’t matter if the leader feared God or not, they would always have what they asked for. The following was God’s requirement for a king, long before they even asked for one. Keep in mind that God is all knowing.

“When you come to the land which the Lord your God gives you and you possess it and live there, and then say, We will set a king over us like all the nations that are about us, You shall surely set as king over you him whom the Lord your God will choose.

Deuteronomy 17:14-15

So long before Samuel, Saul and David were born, God told Moses to let them know they were going to ask for a king, but He God had a preset resume for the requirements and qualifications of such a king. Whenever we stray from God’s Word we will always set a pattern for generations that is difficult to undo. Remember Israel is our pattern. The passage above is a recipe for success. Anything done with God in mind will succeed. Anything done for selfish ambition will end badly. You don’t need to be a Christian to apply godly principles to your leadership. God knows they will work for anyone who’ll adhere to them.

We all know from reading the Word that knowing and adherence are not the same thing. Things ended badly for king Saul because he turned from following God’s ways to doing what he wanted to do. When God chose to remove him, he did everything in his power to destroy his replacement. Saul wasn’t remembered for any of the good things he accomplished, but for his unwillingness to accept responsibility for his actions, and his mad pursuit of David. You can go read about it on your own time in the book of 1 Samuel. His sin caused innocent sons and others their lives. You’ve heard me say whenever you lie to yourself that you’re not hurting anyone but yourself , when living in willful disobedience, it’s not so. Everyone connected to you suffers in some way, directly or indirectly.

If these past months have taught me anything, it’s shown me that no one is irreplaceable, popularity doesn’t mean acceptance, people will say one thing and do another. Accept defeat gracefully, keep your heart right, things aren’t always as they seem, we’re not in control, we don’t have all the answers, don’t abuse your power it’s limited, agree to disagree, respect others point of view, you’re not always right, life is short, tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, don’t be prideful, wealth is fleeting, positions are temporary, there’s no such thing as job security, relationships are fragile, government isn’t the answer.

I’ve also learned these time tested truths.

God is not the author of confusion, He’s holy, He’s just, God is faithful, He never changes, He knows all things, He’s still in control, He has all power, He owns everything because He created all things, He knows the length of our days, He sets up and takes down, He still heals, He still saves, He still delivers, He still comforts, He still performs miracles, He never sleeps, He’s still peace, He’s still wonderful, He’s omniscient and omnipotent, He doesn’t lie, He still keeps promises, He’s never surprised, His grace is sufficient, His love endures, He still forgives, He still answers prayers, He’s always good and He’s still wonderful. So no matter how badly things may appear, He knows exactly how it will all fit into His plans.

David was going to be king no matter what Saul did. The plans of man will never interfere with God’s plan. We may not like the outcome, but from the foundation of the world, the set times of God were laid out. God is infinite we are finite. Every leader has a purpose, how they choose to use the power they have been given will determine how history will remember or treat them. Power should be a humbling responsibility, to whom much is given, much is required. Those who view it as such will be honored by God, those who do not will one day be humbled by Him as well. David was chosen and loved by God. But he paid dearly for his coverup and disobedience. 2 Samuel 24; 2 Samuel 12; and Saul paid for his. We will too if we choose our will over God’s best for us.

Leaders who abuse their power will not end well-Even if on the surface it looks like they are. The Righteous Judge of the universe knows all secrets of every heart. The Bible says nothing is hidden from Him. Hebrews 4:13. I pray we’ve all learned and are learning some valuable lessons in this season of change. May we humbly seek the Lord while He may be found, and call on Him while He’s near. Isaiah 55.

The Church has missed and squandered its finest hour. We have not represented our Father well. We have generated more questions than answers. May the Lord who allows for u-turns, grant us grace and mercy to turn around and be who we are called to be. His love, light, hands, feet and voice to a lost and dying world. Our fight is not against flesh and blood (each other) but against spiritual wickedness. Ephesians 6:12. Some have prophesied lies in His Name, seeking fame or recognition. God will not be mocked. May the Lord forgive us. May we truly repent so the Lord will forgive and heal our nation. 2 chronicles 7:14

Father forgive us for the stench we’ve become in your nostrils, forgive us for the confusion we have caused in our nation, forgive us for misrepresenting Christ to the world, forgive us for parading flesh as spiritual. Intervene and take your Church back from those who have abused their leadership. Forgive us for mixing the profane with the holy. Let Your truth prevail above the noise and let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus Name I pray. 🙏

Psalm 33:12; Psalm 5; Proverbs 16:18

Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. Abraham Lincoln

Written by permission of the Holy Spirit

W. Tennant