Plucking the Eagle's Wings

Plucking the Eagle's Wings

materialistic pleasures to fill the void in their spirits.

Saul's arrogance led to his abuse of power. King Saul and the prophet Samuel each had specific God-given realms of authority. One was never to infringe upon the other's Divine influence. For example, according to the Law, only Levite priests were to offer animal sacrifices. But more than once, Saul broke the Law and performed the sacred rite of offering burnt sacrifices (I Samuel 13:9-14). In doing so, he performed righteous acts in an unrighteous manner. His abuse of power caused God to take the kingdom from him and place it into the hands of young David, son of Jesse. Saul's disregard for the Law also manifested in a brutal personality change. This honorable king from the tribe of Benjamin became a ruthless tyrant. He had eighty Hebrew priests killed, and he attempted to murder David twenty-one times. Saul's jealousy raged over David's anointing from the Lord as he realized that his kingdom would crumble as the hand of God moved from him to David. We can see a ruthless disregard for God's Law today in America as babies are killed and abortion is justified as a God-given freedom, and fighting to protect babies' lives is labeled radical activism. Those who stand for righteousness are called religious fanatics as their character is assassinated because they define good and evil in terms of God's will. Those in power (the Sauls) fear that those who stand for righteousness (the Davids) will rise to power and replace old policies with new policies, based on the word of God. Because Saul could not hear from the Lord, he sought guidance from the witch of Endor, who had a familiar spirit. This angered God and caused Saul's demise. During a battle on Mount Gilboah, Saul and his sons were slain (2 Samuel 16:10-16). Thus the people's choice eventually failed miserably. The Condition of the Average American Some of Saul's leaders slowly began to defy Saul and shift their loyalties toward David. These discerning men knew that Saul was still the king, but that God's anointing upon him had lifted. Before David became king, more than six hundred chief men aligned with him. David respected Saul's position and never resisted his authority. The condition of the Hebrews is similar to that of Americans today who trusted in the will of man and not the will of God. We read

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