Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”
And The Lord regretted… What an interesting statement? It opens a myriad of theories and doctrines, which will probably take eternity to unveil. When the people demanded to have a king like the their neighbours (the same neighbours they were not meant to imitate), God warned them before hand of the problems they were likely to face through the prophet Samuel. In other words, He knew Saul was going to fail. So, why then is He in regret for making Saul King?
Good morning friends. A few passages of scriptures comes to mind as I grapple with this conundrum. In keeping in line with the spirit of these thoughts (brevity), we will consider three pieces of scriptures. The first is taken from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy;
And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
This verse shows a God that observes our thoughts, actions and reactions. Perhaps not dissimilar to a scientist monitoring a situation, with a view to draw up conclusions and theories; in this case, to understand our proclivities and capabilities. This question might prop up, who’s doing the testing then? God or the devil? Angels or demon? Our innate sin nature through sin or the devil?
The second from one of Solomon’s life observations, as recorded in the book of Ecclesiastes;
I returned and saw under the sun that—
The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and chance happen to them all.
This view leaves it to Time and Chance. In other words, life provides us with opportunities in our time. So, for instance some say there would not have been a Barak Obama without a George Bush Jnr.
Finally, the doctrine of Divine Providence. Divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things. It is drawn from the following key scriptures:
– birth and destiny, Galatians 1:15
– protection of His people, Psalm 4:8
– the universe, Psalm 103:19
– the physical world, Matthew 5:45
– the nations, Psalm 66:7,
– human endeavours, Luke 1:52
Regardless of which camp you sit on this topic, one thing is sure dear friends;
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him
God is watching even now.
~ Sabali
Healingsprings fellowship 