I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

1 Samuel 11. “Then Samuel said to the people, ‘Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.’ So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly” (Veres 14-15). Ever heard the saying pride comes before the fall? Here’s a less known saying, “Humilty comes before victory” (okay, fine I made that up). I must confess I cheated, I know what will happen from this point on in the story. The verses above have nothing to do with pride and everything to do with humility. and with putting God first and letting Him be our guide. The pre-story. The men of Jabesh Gilead, send word to Israel that Nahash the Ammonite wants to bring reproach upon the people of God by making them their slaves. God’s righteous justice over takes Saul and he declares that they will fight with God. Saul goes up against the Ammonites and destroys them. Israel rejoices at the victory and Saul is officially made king. They finally have a king, and he has brought them victory. Today Saul’s heart is humble before God. He knows where the victory came from. When the king’s heart is for God, the people rejoice. Contrast this moment of praise with the world we inhabit. Our world feels uncertain, we don’t feel the peace to rejoice the way Israel rejoiced, knowing where the king’s heart laid. Knowing who their leader put his trust in, made it easy for Israel to praise. The thing though, is that their trust should never had been in the king, it should have been in the KING of their king. Yes, our world is uncertain, but God is always STABLE, He NEVER changes. We must put our trust in Him.