“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” ( Isaiah 40:31).

The Bible has a rich cast of characters, some tragic. Like Saul a once heroic figure who fell to disgrace ultimately taking his own life. His story begins with the Israelites yearning to have a king. “But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king over us.” ( I Samuel 10:19). Tasked prophet Samuel searched out and finally landed on him, spotting certain physical qualities. “They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen?” ( vv 23-24).

For his 42 year reign Saul started out well, but at a certain point he lost way and lost the favor of the Lord. “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time” ( I Samuel 13:13). Saul gradually left the Lord eventually going as far as seeking mediums for protection. “He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her” ( I Samuel 28:6-7).

All this was to his folly. Ultimately Saul would perish on his own sword after loosing a battle that took also his sons. “So Saul took his own sword and …fell on his own sword…Saul and his three sons died together that same day. The man who carried his armor also died with them that day. So did all of Saul’s men” ( 1 Samuel 31:4-6).

The tragic fall of Saul is a lesson of one who starts out favored by God then looses way. Equally, any one of us may start out shining on a big stage but perhaps pride takes the better part of us and instead of seeking the Lord’s hand we turn elsewhere. Saul’s fate can be a good warning not to take the Lord’s favour upon our lives for granted.

Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray to stay ever focused and faithful to you who has gotten me here, all this I pray in Jesus’s name.