Not by Chance, But by Choice by Augustine Koshy
The sermon was about two contrasting biblical characters, ironically with the same name – Saul. Both men were chosen and appointed by God but with two distinctive testimonies.
King Saul started well – was obedient, wise, honoured servants of God, anointed and filled with the Holy Spirit. But towards his end, things changed. He said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David. For I will harm you no more, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Indeed, I have played the fool and erred exceedingly” 1 Sam 26:21.
There were three major lapses in his life apart from his desire to murder David. Firstly, he offered sacrifices though he was instructed to wait for Samuel’s arrival. Offering sacrifices on behalf of the nation was a Priest’s duty and Saul acted out of circumstantial pressure thus making the sacrifice nothing but a ritual.
Secondly, he spared Agag, king of Amalekites and the best of his oxen and sheep though there were clear instructions from the LORD to destroy them completely. Though Saul sacrificed the best of Agag’s flocks, it was only the aroma of his disobedience that reached the LORD. Saul chose to please people than the Living God in turn, He rejected him from being king.
Finally, Saul’s double-standards were revealed when he put on other clothes and went in disguise to consult a medium for immediate answers. He was not ready to repent or confess but rather looked out for short-cuts out of his desperation. And this desperation took his life later.
On the contrary, Saul (Apostle Paul), a learned Pharisee, started his career by persecuting new believers. But, his encounter with Jesus changes all…. his understanding about God, his purpose of life and his divine call to minister to the Gentiles.
Unlike, king Saul, Paul lived above his circumstances. Paul writes, “But I want you to know brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel” Phil 1:12. Though he was imprisoned, he stood above the circumstantial pressures.
Paul said “For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” Gal 1:10. He did not support circumcision of Gentiles though the majority of his Jewish counterparts did. He was not a people-pleaser like king Saul.
King Saul’s life was filled with anxiety but Paul’s with clarity. Though he knew “chains & tribulations” awaited at Jerusalem he was ready to go there as he said “none of these things move me; not do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24.
When God places His children in high places, the responsibilities are also high. Apostle Paul lived his life to fit in God’s standards but king Saul’s didn’t even fit in man’s standards. Is our life in obedience like the Apostle Paul or in rebellion like king Saul? Though we come from different backgrounds and testimonies, we are being raised together and made to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus by the grace of God. Will the end of our Christian lives be better that its beginning? (Ecc 7:8). And like how Paul said will we be able to declare “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” Phil 1:21.
Reflection by Reena Thomas