1 Samuel 10:17-27 – Complex People
Coronations are normally joyous events. In 1953 at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, medals, stamps, and medallions were issued. And alongside all the fireworks and street parties a new chicken dish was invented (Coronation Chicken). Canada really celebrated: they had a national holiday, in Newfoundland 90,000 boxes of sweets were given out, some dropped to remote locations by the Royal Air Force, and shells used in the Korean War were filled with red, white and blue smoke. This was a time of celebration! These verses today may or may not be Saul’s coronation. It may be now, or it may be later in 11:15. If it’s not his coronation it is at least his public announcement or selection as king. In chapter 9 he was privately anointed; now he is publicly presented, the answer to the people’s request – this should be a time of joy.
But that’s not quite the sense we get as we read it. Sure, there are joyous moments (v24 “Long live the king!”). But there are also tense moments – it is nearly spoiled by some rotten apples at the end (v27). There are bizarre moments – what on earth is Saul doing among the baggage (v22)? There are stern words (Samuel’s speech in v17-19) and there are kind words (v24 – “There is none like him”). This is hard to get a handle on – it’s complex.
Some events and people in the Bible are like that – complex. They are not easily categorised as goodies or baddies. Their motives are mixed and things are not black and white. The Bible is not as simplistic as: ‘heroes to emulate and villains to repudiate’. There is, of course, good and bad, right and wrong. That is simple. But people and their actions are not simple. We are messy and complex. We want to know if Saul is a goodie or a baddie, but the picture is more nuanced than that. That should be comforting as we look at our own hearts. There we see both good and bad motives in the same action. We see both the admirable and the repulsive – hearts of gold purified by grace, and feet of clay.
Questions
- What do you see in your heart, by God’s grace, that is admirable and good?
- What do you see, because of our own sin, that is ugly and repulsive?
Prayer Points
- Pray that in our lives the God-like would grow, and that the sin-spoiled would die.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.