Beloved: grace and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I welcome you to the last week of the month of February 2024. My prayer is that God will keep you and all that is yours safe and sound all through it and also keep you from doing anything that will make you lose the place He has chosen for you to another, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
As we see in the bible, King Saul, the first king of the nation of Israel, was not the choice of the people or the choice of the man of God that was leading the country at the time, Samuel. Rather, he was God’s choice. It was God Himself that personally sought him out and chose him to be king over His people. Yet, at some point, God rejected him as king and looked for a replacement for him. (Cf. 1Sam 9-16)
What is that telling us? It is that the fact that God has chosen someone for a position or task does not mean that He cannot reject the person and then replace them with someone else. He can. That, however, does not mean that God will reject the person as one of His own people. If we do not reject God as our God, He also will not reject us as His people. But He can reject us as unfit or unsuitable for a position or task He once chose us for.
For instance, even though God rejected Saul as king and also replaced him someone else, He did not reject him as one of His own people. But when Saul rejected him as God and turned to a witch for help, God too rejected him as one of His own people. So, regardless of what problems we may be faced with in life, even if they are problems we have brought on ourselves, we should never reject God or turn away from Him. Otherwise, He too will have not choice but to disown us. (Cf. 1Samuel 28; 2Tim 2:12)
But then, why was Saul rejected and replaced? Look at what the following Scriptures say about that:
“”You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.”” (1Sam 13:13-14NIV)
“But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!”” (1Sam 15:26NIV)
Did you see that the problem with Saul was that of not taking God’s word seriously? But it was God that made him king; he did not make himself king. Not only that, God, who chose him to be king, also wanted to establish his kingdom for all time. But because, at some point, he began to think that he was wiser than God and could revise God’s command at will and also despise His prophet, God changed His mind about him, rejected him and chose a boy to replace him.
So, if you have cultivated the attitude of choosing your own understanding above God’s instructions for your life, you are in danger of being rejected and replaced by God for certain great positions or good works in this life, even though you have been originally chosen for them. Of course, you may have your reasons for wanting your own will to prevail over God’s will or for having no serious respect for the leaders He has appointed over you. But when all has been said and done, you will see that those reasons are nothing but flimsy excuses that God can never accept.
Saul also had his reasons for despising God’s word and His prophet. The desperation to keep his throne was one. The fear of his soldiers was another. Nevertheless, God rejected and replaced him. And there was nothing else he did to secure the throne for his descendants that worked. There is nothing we too can do to secure for ourselves a position or task God has taken away from us. So, we should watch ourselves and not allow unbelief, stubbornness, fear, desperation, greed, lust, bitterness, pride, jealousy or anything else for Him to reject and replace us. My prayer is that we will always be filled with adequate wisdom and strength to be mindful of this, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Have a splendid week.
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