SAUL
I just want to take a moment to hail Saul.
Without him, we may not have had David, much celebrated as he is today, an ancestor of our Lord Jesus Christ according to his genealogy in the flesh.
Crazy right?
Not really so crazy when you read the verse beneath and think on it a bit.
1Sam :33-38
"And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
Do you know what happened here?
The King of Israel, took a chance on a shepherd boy with zero military training, never wielded a sword in his life, couldn't walk properly with an armor (ended up not using it)....and placed the fate of the entire nation in his hands. He gave the ruddy chap a chance! Unbelievable!
The odds were high, the risk was higher!! The consequences of defeat would have been catastrophic!!! An entire nation could have been thrown in slavery!!!!
But....he gave the Shepherd boy a chance anyway.
This singular act (in the physical realm) announced David on the National Stage and subsequently made him a household name...and eventually led to his ascension as King of Israel.
It's important to note that at the end of the spiritual 'underG' that took place earlier on in the narrative which involved Samuel anointing David as King of Israel in his father's house. For all that to come to pass, a MAN, an EARTHLING by the name of Saul had to give the boy a chance against all odds.
Today I hail the man that Saul was (before he lost touch with God)