“Then Saul admitted to Samuel, ‘Yes, I have sinned, I have disobeyed your instructions
and the Lord’s command, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded.’”
1 Samuel 15:24
Self-focus filled Saul’s life with fear. Even before today’s scripture, Saul was found hiding among the baggage! (10:22) And on his first military campaign, Saul was afraid his troops would leave him. (13:8)
Fear drove Saul to disobey twice, and as a result he lost the kingdom. His fear-filled story is one of the saddest in the Bible…
16:14 - When the Spirit of the Lord left Saul, he became filled with depression and fear.
17:11 - When Goliath threatened the armies of Israel, Saul was terrified and deeply shaken.
18:12 – When David killed Goliath, “Saul was then afraid of David, for the Lord was with him.”
18:15, 29 – When David succeeded in everything he did, Saul “…became even more afraid.”
Imagining people were conspiring to kill him, Saul became desperate to protect himself. Facing the vast Philistine army, Saul became frantic with fear and consulted a medium. Hearing her message of doom, Saul became paralyzed with fright.
Self-focus and fear hang out like best friends. If I choose to focus on myself, then I will live in constant fear that someone could ruin my image or steal my possessions. So, I exhaust myself fighting to protect myself!
Why not simply my change my focus from me to the God who loves me?
