Think about that – not how we should live, but how in fact we do live. It puts a whole new light on these stories, doesn’t it? As we take the time to look into the lives of Bible characters, we see ourselves too, as if we were looking into a mirror.

More than once God says His word is like a mirror for us. When He gave instructions about how to build His wilderness house, God told Moses to have his craftsmen fabricate a large basin using ladies’ mirrors and place it at the entrance. Water in the basin was then used is ceremonious washing. It’s not hard to see in the image that those who would meet with God must first find Him in His word. It has the ability to reflect our true image, and it also holds the water that is necessary for cleansing. (Ex 37:8, Eph 5:26)

Let’s look at some of the events captured in this short biography of Saul

1. In the press of business, Saul took sacred matters into his own hands.

5And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven. 6When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, 7and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 8 He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. 11Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” 13And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” 15And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal. The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin.

Saul pleaded his case with Samuel – “I felt compelled!” Notwithstanding the clear instruction to wait for Samuel, Saul was overcome by emotions and desires, and he chose an alternate approach - to do Samuel’s job for him.

At the beginning of his reign, Samuel charged Saul and the people, don’t turn aside from following the Lord, and don’t turn aside after empty things that cannot profit. But Saul turned sacrifice and worship into an empty thing, by going about it in his own way, rather than in the way that honored God.

Saul knew exactly what the limits of his power were. Even this unusual 7 day charge from Samuel was familiar to him – Samuel had given him the exact instruction centered on the exact location at least once before (10:8).

I know you gave clear instructions on this, but I simply couldn’t wait any longer. Is there ever a time when this attitude characterizes us? It would cost Saul his kingdom.

2. In executing the daily business of running his kingdom, Saul failed to take care of routine things, like properly outfitting his army.

19Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.” 20But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle, 21and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads. 22So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them.

On the day of battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people. I’m not sure what was consuming all of Saul’s time and energy – but it seems stupid for a military leader to send his troops into battle against so formidable an army without so much as a sword or spear. Why else would the writer have captured this anecdote? What would you infer from it?

The next few events in the story of Saul are not much better than the first, and it became obvious that Saul was bent on going his own way. By the end of this next vignette in Saul’s life of Saul, his attitude and life choices cost him the best friend he ever had – Samuel.

3. Saul’s true character came through in both failure and in success.

Saul had been instructed to totally annihilate the nation of Amalek, taking no one captive and nothing as the spoils of war. He mustered a huge army and descended on the enemy as instructed. But what happens next is the beginning of the end for him.