By Van Yandell
Psalm 21:11-12 “For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them.”
It comes as no surprise the topic of evil is often discussed in our world. Considering the many examples (human trafficking, drug and alcohol abuse, scamming, murder rate), it appears we are attacked on many fronts with pure evil.
After being ruled by the Judges in Israel for about 400 years, the people decided they needed a king. The scripture tells us (1 Samuel 9:2) that Saul was selected as king. He was handsome and a head taller than anyone else.
This should be a lesson to us 3,000 years later that outward appearances do not make a suitable leader. At this point we must also consider the warnings in Romans.
Romans 13:1 “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” As upside-down as this may seem to many in our world today, it says what it says. God has a reason for placing those in power. God always has a plan and Saul was a part of a plan.
It appears in the study of the Old Testament, the Israelite people went through a four-stage cycle with God. First they would be obedient to Him. Second, the people entered a state of disobedience, and third came punishment. Finally, after a period of punishment, it was realized by them their sin of disobedience and the fourth of the cycle was reconciliation.
Is it possible our world is in the third stage now? With wars on many fronts, pestilences such as diseases and famines in parts of the world, to entertain such a possibility is not unreasonable.
Political and economic turmoil must be added to the lists of punishments. Could world leaders be placed by God to execute divine wrath on all of us?
Exodus 20:3 “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” This verse is no longer limited to those that build golden calves. Power, prestige, money, fame and entertainment have become our gods of the twenty-first century. We may not build idols of gold or gods of limestone, but we surely have them.
1 Samuel 15:11 “It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.” We prefer not to think of God as making mistakes but this verse clearly states of such an occurrence.
Some versions of the Bible actually use the word “regret” rather than repent in verse eleven. Perhaps with the mind of God and of Saul at the time of Saul’s appointment, it was not a mistake. We must at times accept God’s rationale that we may never understand.
First Samuel 13:8-14 gives us an example of Saul’s following his own mind rather than God’s will (furnished by the prophet Samuel). Like many in today’s world, Saul never learned he could not disobey God and escape His wrath forever.
Saul’s evil and willingness to go his own way (apart from God) was observed by God and He selected a new king for Israel. 1 Samuel 16:1. Samuel was sent to the tent of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 4:21).
After observing Jesse’s eight elder sons, Samuel asked “do you have any other sons?” Jesse replied, “Only the youngest, David; he is attending the flocks.” When David was brought before Samuel, he immediately recognized David to be the next King of Israel.
Saul’s evil became evident after the killing of the Philistine giant, Goliath by the (then) young shepherd boy, David. Saul’s jealously and hatred of David became more intense after the women of Jerusalem sang “Saul has killed his thousands and David has killed his tens of thousands (1 Samuel 18:7).”
Saul’s plotting and attempting to kill David intensified throughout the book of First Samuel. Had not Saul’s son, Jonathan, befriended David and protected him, Saul may have succeeded. It seems evident that David’s ultimate protection was by God who had selected him to be the next King of Israel.
A quote of Edmund Burke, an Irish statesman and philosopher that he made in the 18th century is, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
That statement was true when the Hebrews built the golden calf in the wilderness, when Christ Jesus was crucified and remains true in today’s world.
It appears God allows evil to proliferate until the attention of the disobedient is gained. In many instances throughout history, the evil has reached levels so horrific people have given up hope of survival. Life as they once knew it appears to be lost and they see no way of ever regaining those levels of prosperity and happiness once known.
Only a return to the one true God of creation and salvation can save a people and a way of life. Evil, at times appears to rule, but it does not have to be that way and it does not have to last forever. Eternity is in God’s hands, not the evil one.
We must always teach that eternal salvation is attained by a faith based belief (Ephesians 2:8) in Christ Jesus crucified (Matthew 27:35) for the remission of sin (1 John 1:9) and resurrected (Matthew 28:6). The survival of life as we have known it depends on it.
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary.
