The King and the Book

1 Samuel 10:25–27 (ESV) Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.

The problems with Saul's kingship begin early. Here we have what looks like a noble moment. The nation is provided a copy of the rights and duties of the kingship by Samuel. But the moment fails to live up to the Lord's Word concerning the kings of Israel. We have to go back to Deuteronomy to see how God stipulated the king's relationship to the book of the Lord.


Deuteronomy 17:18–20 (ESV) “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.

God, foreseeing Israel's rejection of His authority and their desire for a king like all the other nations laid down the right and duties of the king in Moses' time. The king was commanded to write for himself a copy of the law. The act of writing down what God has revealed to Moses, I can tell you, would have burned his mind with the Word so that he might properly lead God's people. Saul does not do this and the tragedy of his kingship will stem from this moment.

The problem with Saul is that he had a third-person relationship with God. And what is the cost? The cost is not having any trust in the Lord's will. Had he read the word of the Lord he would have known that the Lord was all he needed. For Deuteronomy 17 expresses mostly what the king of God's people must NOT do. Notice:

Deuteronomy 17:16–17 (ESV) Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ 17 And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

Israel's king must rely on the LORD and not horses, partnering nations or silver and gold. The king of the Lord's people must model for God's people that they will prosper NOT through the normal means of the other nations but through the provision and protection of the Lord their God. They will stand on His Word.

What we will soon see from Saul is a desperate attempt to win people's approval throughout his life. His fear of Samuel's delay (soon to come), his animosity over David, his offense toward his own son; all these episodes point to a man with misplaced trust. Too many people read through the life of Saul failing to see the root of his problem. He had not informed himself fully of what God wanted him to do. Therefore he would be a sitting duck for approval addiction. And there's a hint at Saul's forthcoming attempts to win the people's approval right after his inauguration.

1 Samuel 10:26–27 (ESV) Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.

This is why it's so important to have a direct relationship with God. Because everyone has people on both sides: those for them and those against them. Navigating through the polarizing audiences can only be done properly when one has a firm conviction in what they've been called to do by the Lord.

Bottom line, if you know what He's called you to do, you won't need anyone's approval for it. Jesus' modeled this so perfectly. To the worthless skeptics who doubted, He said:
John 5:41–43 (NLT) “Your approval means nothing to me, 42 because I know you don’t have God’s love within you. 43 For I have come to you in my Father’s name..."