So they inquired further of the LORD, “Has the man come here yet?” And the LORD said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.” – 1 Samuel 10:22

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 24, 2019): 1 Samuel 10

As a Protestant, it might be surprising that I do have a few “favorite Popes.” Historically, one of my favorite Popes is Gregory the Great who reigned over the Christian Church in the late seventh and early eighth century. One of Gregory’s claims to fame might be that he was the first to argue that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute, something that the Biblical record never actually states. But one of my favorite Gregory stories is about the Monk Gregory’s ascension to the papacy. Gregory had no aspirations to the seat of Peter. One of his first actions as Pope was to write a series of letters that disavowed any ambition that people might believe that he had to ascend to the throne of Peter. And rumor has it that when he was elected Pope, Gregory hid. A papal game of “hide and seek” ensued as the church physically had to search for their new leader.

Something is reassuring to me about people who reluctantly step into power. I am a little suspicious of people who campaign for leadership, especially church leadership. I often wonder if the people who campaign for leadership really understand what it is that waits for them on the other side. Gregory thought that the throne of Peter would interfere with the things that he thought were important about living as a Christian. Yes, Gregory would be in a position to influence the church for the coming generations, but the texts produced by Gregory early in his reign all reveal that Gregory felt that the burden of the office often interfered with the undisturbed prayer life that he had enjoyed and valued as a monk.

Charles Spurgeon preached a sermon he entitled “Hiding Among the Stuff” from this story in the life of Saul. He argued that, as Christians, we are often guilty of doing the same thing as Saul did in our Christian lives. We run and hide from our crowns, crowns that we have earned as Christians. But I am not sure that Spurgeon is right. It would have been interesting to be able to have a discussion with Spurgeon about the beginning of the reign of Gregory the Great, and whether the monk should have embraced his election rather than running from it. Here, Saul shows a healthy respect for the office of King as well as a strong humility as he looked into what the future held. He had no desire to live on center stage. And he was not sure that he was the right person for the job of King, maybe even questioning the trade of the theocracy for the monarchy that was about to be born.

The truth is simply this: If Saul had maintained the attitude that he had in the beginning days of his reign, he would likely have been a very good king. His fall happened when he lost this humility and the desire to hide among the stuff disappeared. And another reality is that most of the errors that Christians make would disappear if we could live out our spiritual lives with this kind of humility about our lives with Christ.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 11