Gospel Reflections #909: Pride and it Folly

1 Samuel 13:3 "Meanwhile, Saul blew the trumpet throughout the land and proclaimed, 'Hear me, all you Hebrews!'"

This is a crucial passage that became the spark igniting full-scale war between Israel and their arch-enemy, the Philistines.

At this time, the Philistines essentially dominated Israel, so this act constituted rebellion by Israel against the Philistines.

Saul's son Jonathan attacked a Philistine garrison stationed within Israelite territory. 

Considering the overwhelming disparity in military strength at the time (the Philistines with iron weapons vs. Israel without), this was an extremely bold declaration of war.

All the Israelites heard that Saul had struck down the commander of the Philistine garrison, and that Israel had incurred the Philistines' wrath.

Thus the people gathered to Saul at Gilgal.

This victory temporarily stirred up Israel, but simultaneously invited fierce retaliation from the Philistine army.

After Saul was recognized as king by the people of Israel, he may have begun to think he possessed power in his own right.

No matter how naturally gifted a person may be, when given high position and authority like Saul, they are weak creatures prone to pride.

Without humility before God, pride inevitably follows.

When doing God's work, the most important thing is our connection with God.

Even as king, Saul himself had a King above him.

Even when we rule over others, we ourselves are ruled by God.

Forgetting this leads us to think we can do as we please with what is ours, causing us to become proud like Saul.

By constantly looking up to God, let us learn humility and be trained daily in our lives to submit to Him.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.