Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship. – 1 Samuel 10:16

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 2, 2012): 1 Samuel 10

Just after Nelda and I got married, we were staying in a town just a few miles up the road from where Nelda’s parents lived. And we had made arrangements with her Dad that we would return to his house on the Sunday evening to open up the wedding gifts. Our families gathered for a supper that evening, the house was full of people celebrating, but only one person knew that at some point after supper our car was going to pull up in front of the house and that we were going to come in and spend some time with the important people in our lives. Nelda’s Dad had decided that he was going to keep the secret, but if you talk to anyone that was there that night, everyone knew that something special was going to happen. The unspoken secret was pouring out of Dad through his actions.

Saul had one of the biggest secrets of his life (what bigger secret could there be than the realization that he was going to be king.) And yet, it was a secret, and needed to stay that way. So when he comes into contact with his uncle – someone who knew him well – his uncle seemed to realize that there was something that Saul was not telling him.

There are a few reasons why Saul would have been instructed to keep the coming coronation a secret. The first was humility. The coronation really was not about Saul. Saul had not accomplished anything yet. The secret was a reminder that Saul was going to have to grow into his new role. While he would be king, at this moment he was still just Saul. But it was also the logical thing to do. There was no telling who might oppose the move of God – which person might feel that they had a better claim to the throne than Saul did. The smart thing was to wait and let God’s plan unfold. And through the secret Saul was able to prove that he knew how to keep a confidence, an ability that he would need if he was going to govern a nation. The secret also betrayed a dependence on God. God would do what God would do – the name that he gave to Moses was I am that I am or I will be what I will be – and what God would do, God would do on his timetable. There was nothing that Saul could do to make it happen faster. But Saul knew that there were things that could disqualify him from service. If Saul could have reigned with the same humility, prudence and dependence that he displayed in beginning, his reign would have been a success. But pride would eventually disrupt the good start and lead to destruction.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Once again we have the privilege to begin our journey toward the birth of the King of kings – a king that was born in humility, prudently lived his life, and displayed an incredible dependence on his God. Come, let us worship the King!   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 11