PIVOT WITH THE PUNCHES

DAILY WORD

5/15/23

14. Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us all go to Gilgal to renew the kingdom.”

15. So they all went to Gilgal, and in a solemn ceremony before the LORD they made Saul king. Then they offered peace offerings to the LORD, and Saul and all the Israelites were filled with joy.

1 Samuel 11: 14–15 NLT

Today’s Passage concludes the Eleventh Chapter of The Story of Samuel with the coronation of King Saul before all of Israel. And though nothing of consequence happens besides that, this Passage is noteworthy for what it tells us about Christian Leadership Today.

Before we get to that, let’s explore for a moment exactly what we are looking at here in Today’s Passage. The Final Verse says that they “made Saul King” at Gilgal after their victory over the Ammonites, but technically, Saul was already coronated King in Verse Ten, potentially months or even years after his initial anointing.

But two things frame Verse Fifteen’s “second inauguration.” The first is how, in Verse 27 of Chapter Ten, Saul was well aware of the detractors to his position. Apparently, plenty of people did not support the new King or his status among them. They did not sponsor Saul’s leadership or validate his authority. That would have been a difficult place from which to lead.

That premise is supported by where we find Saul upon discovering the threat against the residents of Jabesh-Gilead. Despite being the newly anointed Sovereign of the entire realm of Jews, he was still tending his father’s livestock when the appeal for assistance came in.

But Saul’s next move cements my viewpoint. Instead of sending out a petition for assistance, Saul threatened the men of Israel to force them to fight for their fellow citizens, if not their King. He’d never have had to do such a thing had the people supported him fully.

Saul understood his position and adjusted his methods to adapt to his situation. And that brings us to Today’s Lesson. Sometimes as men and women Called to do God’s Work, we will face very real opposition even from those who should support our efforts.

When that occurs, adjusting our expectations to the current conditions is paramount. If Saul had simply ignored his true position or assumed the people would support him the way they should have, he’d have never gathered a force strong enough to repel the Ammonites because not enough capable fighters would have responded.

Saul had to alter his expectations to garner the assistance he required to complete the job successfully. The same applies to us as God’s Leaders Today. We can’t expect every group to give us the respect we think we’re due before we perform our expected duty before them. No one wise trusts an unknown commodity.

Even in Work for The Lord, we have to establish the baseline of our accountability before anyone trusts our work ethic. No one takes God’s Word for our dependability. We must display our fidelity and ability to garner confidence and conviction before people will follow our lead.

Sometimes that means altering our approach. We may have to be harsher, like Saul, or more often than not, we might have to be far meeker and more diplomatic than we’d prefer. But this is not about us! Saul understood that just because he was Crowned King didn’t necessarily mean he’d be immediately embraced. In fact, the opposite was the case.

But Saul didn’t let that stop him. He knew there was an essential task to complete, and he amended his approach to ensure its achievement. And once it was done, what he did next proved his Insight. After his triumph, King Saul United the Kingdom under his authority! Hence, when we are faced with a situation like Saul’s, we must pivot the way he did, never allowing our circumstances to define our attitudes.

To do God’s Work is to accept haters. That’s just the way it is. When God sanctions an effort, there will always be those in opposition. But God needs resilient, reliable, and robust individuals to do His Will. God doesn’t Call the weak and feeble. He Calls the irrepressible and spirited those who can Pivot with the Punches. Otherwise, when the detractors came and stood against them, they’d falter, never getting the Work done.

Be that Strong Leader God is Looking for to do His Will and be willing to stand against the haters. Sometimes that may require sacrifice and swift thinking, but God has equipped us all to do what He’s Called us to do. Trust Him and prepare for War because you can be sure it is coming if you are Called to His Work!

Have a Marvelous Monday, And Remember, Just Because God Calls Us, Doesn’t Mean The Road Is Going To Be Easy; We Must Be Willing To Adjust!

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