The Old Testament is ultimately the story of Israel waiting for the arrival of the Messiah, the Savior who will destroy sin, eradicate the power of the devil, restore paradise and build a greater Eden that will never be lost again. This story is told in poetic forms through books like the Psalms and Proverbs. It’s told in prophetic form through the writings of Isaiah and Ezekiel, among others. And it’s also told in historical form. That is, God is weaving and telling this story through historical events that He guides and establishes. And we see that in our reading from 1 Samuel 10 this morning.
Everything starts off so well and beautifully for Saul. Saul is tall and powerful. Samuel anoints him as king. And right after, as Samuel said would happen, Saul meets a group of prophets and begins prophesying. Here you have a man who is both prophet and king. Here you have the mighty yet humble warrior through whom God is speaking. Surely this is the one we’ve been waiting for.
But, of course, Saul wasn’t. Saul will fall from the grace of God and fall hard. The once humble man will be corrupted by pride. He will trust in himself, refuse to submit to the Lord’s discipline and war against the new king the Lord has chosen, David. The one who seemed so worthy will fall into a pit of unworthiness, as will David after him, as will Solomon after David, and so on.
But, thanks be to God, we know the end of the story. Jesus Christ, the one who is prophet, priest, and king, arrived, and won your salvation. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus won the victory that was always outside the fingers of the men who prefigured His triumph. Once we saw promises stirring in Saul and so many others, promises they couldn’t keep but that Jesus now has. And because He has kept those promises, then you can live with Him in His kingdom forever. Now your sins are no more. Now death has no power over you. Now you can wait with joy for the glorious day when Jesus Christ sets before your eyes the new Eden that will never be lost, the kingdom of peace that will be your possession forever.
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