Message from the Monthly Flyer May 2017

The Test Of Pressure (Part 3)

Psalm 139: 23-24 CEV Look deep into my heart and find out everything I am thinking. Don't let me follow evil ways, but lead me in the way that time has proven true.

When king Saul started cleaning the land from all its mediums, his servants soldiers and the whole nation could have been proud of their king because he was now pursuing a noble purpose. Maybe he gained more honor and respect from his servants by showing such a determination to do the right thing. And the more they praised him, the more he was zealous about his enterprise.

Some while ago, king Saul had taken three thousand soldiers with him to kill a single man, David. But this attempt failed, and Saul had to go back home with three thousand soldiers who were definitely upset about this useless journey because it was a lost of time, energy and resources. They surely had better things to do, families to care for and personal issues to attend to, than to wander aimlessly in the desert. It was a failed attempt against David the "enemy", and Abner, the commandant of Saul's army and the other soldiers must have thought that their king cannot meet certain challenges and is a looser. So it was about time for king Saul to save the face and do something that would give him more consideration from his people. He urgently needed to regain the trust and confidence of his troops. We already know that king Saul had the tendency to please men more than to please God.

With this in mind, it is not impossible that his decision to wipe out all the mediums of the land was an attempt to gain back the consideration and the respect of his people. But the course of events shows that his purpose was not genuine, since he went back looking desperately for a medium to give him the answer to his dilemma. Saul's attitude revealed that his convictions, his standards and his values were not stable.

This story tells us that we should remain unshaken and true to ourselves and to God in the midst of adversity. The test of pressure will always reveal our level of faith and commitment to God. mt