I Samuel 11:6 And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.
It Takes Wisdom and Strength
What is it that most defines the legacy of a leader? Is it the actions that person takes, or is it the actions that person does not take? The truth is that a leader’s legacy consists of both action and inaction, and if Saul had lived to end his rule the way he began it, he would have been much better off.
In I Samuel 11, Saul exhibits wisdom and strength both to take action and to refrain from taking action. Some of God’s people had been threatened by the Ammonites, and when messengers came to tell the people to surrender, the people seemed to have very little fight in them. When the messengers reached Gibeah, where Saul was, “the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.”
Saul was willing to take action when others were willing to surrender. This was perhaps the first action as a leader that Saul took. He acted decisively and united God’s people against a common enemy over whom God gave them victory.
The victory was so pronounced that the people said to Samuel afterwards, “Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring the men, that we may put them to death.” These men were so taken by Saul’s victory and leadership that they were ready to kill those who had questioned Saul as king.
Saul does something in verse 13 that took as much strength as going against his enemies had. Saul did not go against those who questioned his leadership. Verse 13 says, “And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day: for to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel.”
The bottom line is that it takes both wisdom and strength to lead and to serve. What good is strength if you do not have the wisdom to use it correctly? It takes both wisdom and strength to act when others would surrender and to refrain when others would take revenge.
For this brief period, Saul seems to have exercised good leadership over God’s people because he had the strength to control himself, and he realized that the power was from God. Verse 6 says, “The Spirit of God came upon Saul.” He also gave credit where it was due. In verse 13 he said, “The LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel.”
Starting well does not mean you are going to end well, but you can’t end well if you don’t start at some point. While Saul is usually an example that we want to avoid, this is a case of following an example that will do us good. The courage, strength, and wisdom that Saul exhibited here are characteristics that come from trusting God and not from focusing on self.