(Recommendation: for a fuller understanding, read the previous post ‘There is True, then there is Truth.’)
There is this crazy story in the Bible, found in the last 3 chapters of Judges about a man who met with misfortune in a certain town called Gibeah. (It really is a horrifically tragic story; go read it in chapters 19-21) This town Gibeah was of the tribe of Benjamin. Because of what happened there, the remaining 11 tribes of Israel took up arms and nearly wiped out the entire tribe of Benjamin. Gibeah was ransacked and burned. Later, some of the remaining Benjaminite men rebuilt this town and settled therein.
Fast forward a few generations, and we have a tall, handsome young man called Saul who hailed from this town of Gibeah.
Now Saul was chosen by God to become Israel’s very first king. Wow. An unprecedented honor for anyone, but especially for Saul who was from the smallest tribe in Israel and of Gibeah! Not only was Benjamin the smallest tribe, but because of what had happened years before, there was a stigma attached to anyone who was a Benjaminite. A horrific story of shame and disgrace shadowed these people. Dishonor and humiliation were close companions of the Benjaminites.
Enter Saul, circa 1050 BC.
Saul refused the kingship at first, stating the obvious – his identity of shame and disgrace. I Samuel 9:21
He even ran away during the inauguration ceremony and hid! (I Sam. 10:20-23) But Saul did become the first King of Israel.
He started well enough, but soon began making some poor choices. Saul went ahead and offered a sacrifice to the Lord when Prophet Samuel had specifically told him to wait for his arrival. Saul was intimidated by the Philistine army and refused to initiate conflict. His son Jonathan was the one who started the battle on 2 different occasions. Saul only joined the revolt after the Philistines were on the run. Another time he bound his entire army with an oath: “No one is allowed to eat anything until evening when I have had my revenge upon the Philistines.” No surprise here, the entire army was exhausted and faint with hunger.
King Saul’s identity remained rooted in what was true about himself. “I am a Benjaminite from the town of Gibeah.” He never moved beyond that and into the Truth of who he actually was and could become.
Saul was king for 42 years. He had some really great people in his life who believed in him. Prophet Samuel for one: “Even though you are small in your own eyes, God has made you the King of Israel!”
As the years went by, Saul continued to make poor choices. He was once instructed to annihilate a certain people group and destroy every living thing. He did so except that he kept the best of all the flocks and herds (“for an offering to the Lord”, he told Samuel) and he allowed the king to live. Samuel, livid with rage denounced Saul as king that day.
Enter David. David is secretly anointed as the next King of Israel. Once Saul recognized that David was going to become his successor, Saul on 2 different occasions attempted to impale David with a spear. He tired various methods to get David killed by the Philistines. I’ll give it to Saul, he was creative!
This king has now become obsessed with murdering David. He is officially a mad king.
Once, he tried to kill his own son Jonathan because Jonathan verbally defended David. David just wouldn’t die, but eventually went into hiding. He is hounded by Saul and his men for years.
At the end of his career as king, Saul even solicited the services of a witch so that he could know his future. Weird, isn’t it? Soon after this, Saul is killed in battle. The next king isn’t from the royal family; it was David, who hailed from a different tribe.
Saul never moved from the True of who he was, to live in the Truth of who he was supposed to be. He lost his kingdom.
God cares more about your untapped potential than your sordid past.
Does the past matter? Of course!
But do we need to drag the past with us wherever we go and remain within its confines? Absolutely not!
There are things which are true about us that we must reckon with and own. But the truth of who we are in Jesus Christ and who we can become is limitless! The potential is beyond what you could imagine! Look at King Saul: he never moved beyond the truth about himself, who he was and where he came from. It cost him a Kingdom.
Are you willing to sacrifice your potential, because you won’t deal with your past?
Will your children and grandchildren suffer due to your inability to live in the Truth of who you are in Jesus?
What price will you pay for not moving beyond your personal True?
Live in Truth! You will change the world if you do.