In Acts 13, Paul takes an opportunity to recount for the leaders and the people in a synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia the story of how God brought about Jesus as the savior. In recounting that history he makes a brief statement that some today may not fully understand if they have not carefully read the history to which he is making reference. Paul tells the people that God gave their ancestors, the ancient Israelites, a king named Saul because they had asked for one. He then reminds them how at some point later that God removed Saul and installed David, a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:16-23). If you just read Paul’s statement to that congregation, you might think that God simply removed Saul because he was a bad King, and installed David because he was a good King. But that’s an over-simplification that doesn’t capture the full weight of the evil that Saul represented, or the glory represented by David.
So let's briefly consider the weight of Saul’s evil from an angle other than his own flaws and disobedience. Evil is the absence of goodness, and the highest possible goodness is God himself. When the people asked for a King, they did so because they did not want God to rule over them (1 Samuel 8:4-9). In other words, they wanted to be ruled by something other than God. In fact, they wanted to be just like the nations around them who were ruled by mighty and ruthless kings. This displeased God and he granted that request. What they got was a King who did not follow God, and who eventually became arrogant, jealous, and disobedient. But the truth is that Saul was simply a reflection of the people and their desire to reject goodness. Because God loved Israel, and because he is serious about his name, his representation, and his own glory, God removed Saul who died a horrible and embarrassing death.
God then replaced Saul with David, a flawed man for sure, but one whose heart was focused and directed toward God. David united Israel and largely glorified God in the process. God chose to bring a savior to the world through David.
There are many lessons in this story, so go read it for yourself. But ponder one particular lesson right now. Your desires and choices shape your path and your future. They also shape your community and its culture. Consider them well. Ask yourself if your desires and choices are a reflection of God’s desires and choices, or if they are a reflection of worldly and worthless desires. Are they rooted in the highest possible good, or are they rooted in a selfish desire to be like the corrupt culture of the world?
If your heart is after the world, you will lose God and whatever goodness there is in the world. If your heart is truly after God, you will get the highest possible good, and you will also bring good to others, even when you’re flawed.
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