Lesson One

THE LAST DAYS OF SAUL

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Memory Verse: Ecclesiastes 9:5
Further Study: 1 Samuel 25-30; Patriarchs and Prophets, 664-694; The Bible Story, vol. 4, pp. 41-60

I’ve worked for the corporate church for most of my career. Each day when I walk into the Seventh-day Adventist World Headquarters, I feel privileged to be there. It’s satisfying to work with people from around the world committed to sharing God’s message.

Yet working for the church comes with consequences. There are some who think that everyone in the building is perfect—one step away from heaven. Obviously this isn’t true. Church employees are human like everyone else, making them sinners too. Just because you’re tasked with accomplishing spiritual things doesn’t mean that all is good and bright. Sometimes it isn’t. 

Just because you’re tasked with accomplishing spiritual things doesn’t mean that all is good and bright. Sometimes it isn’t.

The chapters from 1 Samuel this week are about leadership—David’s compared to Saul’s. We discover David made all the right decisions, while Saul relentlessly pursued David. Eventually Saul chose to consult a spirit medium. But the central point of this narrative comes when David recognized it was not his task to remove Saul. He remembered whom he served.

Saul, God’s anointed, wasn’t acting like the king he was called to be. 

Saul, God’s anointed, wasn’t acting like the king he was called to be. It would come as no surprise then if when David was given the opportunity he would remove Saul from office. Likewise, when one works for the church, it often isn’t long before there is an encounter with someone who isn’t well-suited for the job. We certainly don’t think about killing them, but we might take the opportunity to use words in the same way. This isn’t restricted to corporate offices; it happens in churches too. Yet David offers a new perspective—it isn’t ours to touch the Lord’s anointed. They belong to God.

God is in charge—His timing, His plans, His way. 

God is in charge—His timing, His plans, His way. Saul certainly deserved to be dethroned. It would have solved David’s problem. But David was right. This wasn’t his task or God’s timing. Even when spiritual leaders seem unqualified, unsuited, incompetent, or overbearing—they belong to God. And it’s God’s timing that will preserve His church.

Are you currently in a situation with a pastor or spiritual leader who seems less than effective? Pray. Watch. Listen. Then pray some more. Be patient. Trust in God to show the way, and, like David, discover that the wait will be worth it. 

As we face a new year, discover ways to work with God, not against Him. 

As we face a new year, discover ways to work with God, not against Him. Make it your New Year’s resolution to partner with God and be renewed.

Digging Deeper 

One commentator suggests you can learn a lot about a person in how they react in a crisis.* What do they do? Where do they turn? Notice what we learn about David. And then Saul.

• David turned to his childhood experiences of God’s protection (1 Samuel 17:34-37)
• David turned to Samuel (while he was still alive) (19:18-24)
• David turned to Jonathan (20:1-42)
• David turned to Ahimelech, the priest at Nob (21:1-9)

We have no instance of Saul seeking out Samuel, a priest, or any other counsel, until the end when he turned, not to God, but to a spirit medium to seek counsel from a dead prophet.

*Bill T. Arnold, 1 and 2 Samuel, The NIV Application Commentary, p. 376

Making it Real

Take time to write a letter or email to your pastor this week. Send them words of encouragement. Offer to pray for them (or with them). Often when the pastor needs a place to turn, there are few options. Think of how you can be supportive of their ministry.

Note: If you are the pastor or the pastor is your spouse, how might you practice what to do when found in the midst of a crisis? Practice these so they become second nature. Find your encouragement in the Word of God because you may not be able to rely on your parishioners to do this for you.

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Merle Poirier writes from Silver Spring, Maryland, where she works as the operation manager for Adventist Review and Adventist World magazines as well as the designer for KidsView, a magazine for 8-12-year-olds. She enjoys spending time with her family including being the grandmother of two active little boys, who greatly enjoy Starting With Jesus.