There’s a radio station here in the Dallas area that has a gaggle of funny personalities on the air. Each program throughout the day is hosted by several people and they have several funny bits they all offer up. Think of it as a mash up of sports talk, comedy, and funny takes on life. As people call in to the station to comment or play along with the bits, they jokingly name their leader. That is, who their favorite on-air personality is. It’s kinda like a vote even through no official tally is ever kept. But even as silly as this comparison sounds, it really does resemble a spiritual choice that we all will make today, this year and for our entire lives. We will all choose and name a leader in this life.
Humans were built to follow, it’s just in our nature, it’s how God built us. Sure, some people are better leaders than others, but generally, we all follow. Why do you think that Jesus continually compared us to sheep that simply follow a shepherd everywhere? As a result, did you know that sheep are the most mentioned animal in the entire Bible? (over 500 times!) The point being, sheep need a leader (a shepherd) and since Jesus says we are sheep, we therefore are creatures that instinctively follow a leader. Now of course Jesus is one choice of leader in your life. But there are oh so many other choices too. You see, no matter what choice you make as a leader in your life, there is a given that is as certain as the sun rising tomorrow. You will choose a leader for your life.
Today in 1 Samuel 9, we see God starting the wheels turning for the selection of Israel’s first king. If you caught yesterday’s 5MC, you saw that the people rejected God as their future king and demanded that the prophet Samuel give them a king like the surrounding cities. God relented and said that he would indeed give the people a king. He would give them the king their hearts deserved. And today we are introduced to that king. Saul, the son of Kish. Saul, the Benjamite. Saul, the future king of Israel.
I have a question for you. What does a leader look like? What does a king look like? What does a president, prime minister, or chancellor of a nation look like? Before you even answer, do you know that you have a preconceived idea about just this? Do you realize that God pre-loaded you with an idea of what leaders should look like? Whether you like it or not, it’s there, inside you. And to satisfy this physical profile of what people think a leader should look like, God delivers Saul onto the scene.
One of my commentaries today described Saul as “the king from central casting.” If we were filming a big budget screen adaptation of 1 Samuel chapter 9, the actor that plays Saul would be Hollywood’s top man. In fact, it’s almost comical the physical details that God gives us. Let’s look at these details God gives us about Saul and ultimately, what we perceive as a leader.
1) He was rich. “Kish…was a man of wealth. And he had a son named Saul…” (1 Sam 9:1-2a) Or better defined, Saul’s dad was rich. I mean don’t we expect for our leaders today to be rich? In fact, this is something that has always baffled me about our politicians, they all seem to be selected directly from this criterion. They first have to be wealthy in order to hold office. Just take a quick gander through the Senate or House of Representatives, all rich. Take a look through the executive, legislative or judicial branches, all wealthy. Look through the rolls of governors and even mayors of large cities, all loaded. It’s kinda like the chicken and the egg, which came first? Do you have to be rich to get into office or do sticky fingers allow you to become wealthy after you get into office? Probably a little of both, but in the days of Saul and even today, a factor of choosing our leaders depends on what they have in their bank account.
2) He was tall. “from his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people” (1 Sam 9:2b) Do you know that being taller increases your income? Do you know that the taller you are, the better your chances to be promoted? Do you know that the average CEO of a fortune 500 company is taller than the US average? Did you know that of our 45 US presidents, 39 have been above average height? It seems rather silly and arcane that this still continues in 2020, but folks, I told you earlier, it’s the way God built us. We see tall people as leaders. And Saul fit the bill.
3) He was really good looking. “he was…a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he.” (1 Sam 9:2) Folks, this guy was a great looking guy. I mean movie star good looking. Thick, dark, wavy hair. Tanned, glowing complexion. Beautifully straight, white teeth. Muscled physique. A chiseled jawline that was only upstaged by his twin dimples that magically appeared as he smiled. And as he did smile, his eyes twinkled and emitted a little bell sound. Of course, I jest, but come one, this dude was the best looking guy in all of Israel. And God’s Word is pure truth. We love our leaders to be really good looking, don’t we? Do you know that there is a website named hottest heads of state.com? Yep, a website that ranks leaders by how good looking they are. Folks, you can’t make stuff like this up. We all like to think that we have some type of deep reasoning process to select our leaders, but we really just instinctually size them up by their looks to determine their merit, worth and value to us. The more attractive the better the leader, right?
But in a verse from chapter 16 of this very book, we see a verse that has God selecting the next king of Israel. And it is here we see yet another of the countless major differences between us and God. You see God doesn’t see a person’s height. The Lord doesn’t see or care how much money or possessions a person has. Almighty God doesn’t look at how attractive a person’s features might be. In a verse that should both encourage and frighten us, God looks past the superficial traits that we deem so important, and He stares straight down into the depths of our very souls.
“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Sam 16:7
Today, the world will offer you many options in leaders. You can let tall, good looking, rich men or women lead you, and they will all fail you and disappoint you. You can let a political party lead you, but they are operated by flawed, sinful men and women, and they too will only disappoint. You can be led by alcohol or drugs, and they will lead you to places you don’t want to go. You can be led by pornography; it will lead you to dark places indeed. You can easily be led by money, and it will lead you to a place of extreme dissatisfaction fueled by greed. You can be led by man-made religion, rituals that are hollow and meaningless to God. You can be led by pride, putting yourself at the center of every single decision made in your life, it will lead you to a very lonely place where you stand alone. Folks, someone or something will lead you today, what will it be?
There is but one leader for us, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The lover of our soul, the perfect sacrifice for our sins, the only way to God the Father. I pray today that you can clearly see your need for a leader that will never lie to you. A leader that will never sell you cheap promises. A leader that will never forsake you to get rich. A leader that values you no matter what you look like, how tall you are or how much you have. A leader that will simply look at your heart and see how much you love Him. Choose the perfect leader today. Choose Jesus.
God bless you, if you are reading this, you are being prayed for.
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