King Saul, Impatience, and Pride

A recent sermon at my church could have been written for writers. It revolved around impatience and pride.

The subject of this lesson was King Saul, who seemed to have everything going for him: talent, good looks, and the anointing of a prophet.

There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. (1 Samuel 10:2 ESV )

Despite his physical attributes, Saul did not consider himself anything special. So when the prophet Samuel spoke to him in a mysterious, anointing way, Saul was shocked: “Am I not a Benjamite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?” (1 Samuel 9:21 ESV)

It was not long after that, Samuel took Saul aside, poured oil on his head, and prophesied that he was to be king. “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over His people? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies.” (1 Samuel 10:1 ESV)

Yet despite this promise, Saul continued to doubt his abilities. When it was time for Samuel to declare him king before all the tribes of Israel, the shy Saul hid rather than be presented to the masses.

Probably many writers can relate to this fear of being in front of others. The fear of being inadequate. The fear of speaking because we are not good enough. We feel so humble.

Yet that same Saul, after being a king who successfully defeated enemy nations to protect Israel, developed another quality as well. He became impatient.

He had tasted success. And in that spirit of accomplishment, pride crept in. Was there nothing he couldn’t do?

One day, while awaiting the arrival of the prebattle heavenly blessing, the prophet Samuel was running late. Samuel was supposed to offer the sacrifice to the Lord before the Israelites faced the enemy Philistines. The people waited and waited, then grew scared. They began to scatter out of fear.

Rather than rallying the Israelites as their leader, he succumbed to impatience. Saul knew the sacrifice was only to be offered by the prophet, Samuel, yet he ordered the people to “bring the burnt offering here to me.” They did so and Saul took it upon himself to offer the sacrifice.

“As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came.” (1 Samuel 13:10 ESV) As soon as he had finished. Had Saul waited just a few moments, everything would have been different. And the kingdom would not have been taken away from him. The kingdom went to David, and Saul went insane.

I don’t know about you, but I can relate to Saul with his insecurities and doubts. I can also relate to his impatience. Haven’t I waited long enough to get a contract? Why is this writing journey taking so long?

And sometimes, after having a measure of success in the publishing world with contracts and/or awards, we might pop a few buttons on our shirts and strut around a bit. Sometimes, a measure of success can be our downfall if we grow too big for our britches, as my mom used to say. The britches of pride.

Remember Saul. He had experienced the empowerment of the Spirit of God to bring him success as he listened to the voice of that Spirit. Yet ignoring that inner utterance from the Lord as Saul did, caused his downfall. It could destroy us as well.

I encourage you to beware, because humility can turn into pride in a mere moment.

Carry on.

Elaine Marie Cooper has two historical fiction books that recently released: War’s Respite (Prequel novella) and Love’s Kindling. Love’s Kindling is available in both e-book and paperback. They are the first two books in the Dawn of America Series set in Revolutionary War Connecticut. Cooper is the award-winning author of Fields of the Fatherless and Bethany’s Calendar. Her 2016 release (Saratoga Letters) was finalist in Historical Romance in both the Selah Awards and Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She penned the three-book Deer Run Saga and has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies. Scarred Vessels, a novel about black soldiers in the American Revolution, will release in 2020. You can visit her website/ blog at www.elainemariecooper.com