The Phil Dooley 5 Day Men's Growth ChallengeSample

Saul

Our next guy is actually an anti-hero. In other words, he lacks the usual heroic qualities. Saul’s biggest failing is that he doesn’t align himself with God. Google the word ‘alignment’ and the following definition will come up: ‘arrangement in a straight line or in correct relative positions; a position of agreement or alliance.’

Think of a car wheel that is out of alignment. The whole car pulls to one side, and you have to constantly overcompensate to keep going in the right direction. The same thing happens when your heart and mind aren’t aligned with God’s – you get pulled off course and it becomes a struggle to stay on track.

Firstly, Saul’s view of himself doesn’t align with what God says about him and his future. God appoints Saul to rule over Israel, but Saul refuses to believe that he can really do it. Later, when the assembled tribes are waiting for Saul to be presented as king, no one can find him anywhere because he’s hiding amongst the baggage.

When God calls us to something great, it’s not because we’re so great already. God ‘calls those things which do not exist as though they did’ (Romans 4:17, NKJV), and then He accomplishes them in us and through us. God told Abraham that He’d made him the father of many nations when Abraham was childless and Sarah well beyond childbearing age. The difference between Abraham and Saul is that Abraham ‘was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises.’ (Romans 4:21, NLT).

Sometimes we mistake insecurity for humility. However, "True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less." (Which is a quote by Rick Warren, often misattributed to CS Lewis.) Saul’s insecurity is entirely self-centred. He’s always thinking about himself, even when he’s thinking less of himself!

Secondly, Saul’s actions don’t align with God’s plans and purposes. Saul either disobeys God or only partially obeys Him (which is the same thing). A prime example is when God specifically instructs him to destroy the entire Amalekite nation—all the people—their animals and possessions. But Saul and his men spare King Agag’s life and keep everything that appeals to them including all the best sheep, goats, and cattle. Then Saul travels to Carmel to set up a monument to himself. 

Basically, Saul wants God’s help without doing things God’s way.

While Saul celebrates victory, God sees him as a failed king because of his stubbornness and rebellion. The Lord even says to Samuel, "I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to Me and has refused to obey My command.’" (1 Samuel 15:10–11, NLT).

Saul never course-corrects. When Samuel confronts him about not wiping out the Amalekite nation, Saul blames his troops and then claims that he was planning to sacrifice the plunder to the Lord (see 1 Samuel 15:20–21). Because he never fixes his alignment, Saul keeps going further and further off-track.

We usually conclude by imagining what our hero would tell us, if he were here today. But this time, let’s finish with something God tells Samuel when he goes to anoint Saul’s successor, David: ‘The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’ (1 Samuel 16:7, NIV).