He was a man after God's heart initially and thus Israel was mighty and blessed under his stewardship. However this wasn't the case for his entire kingship, he lost the correct focus near the end of his era.
God revealed his successor, an insulting gesture if king Saul was the one in charge; but he wasn't, and he saw that revelation as offensive. It was no longer God's Kingdom; but rather, the focus switched to King Saul's Kingdom. It was no longer stewardship, it became a monarchy: a monarch of his own life.
He tried to retain his place and fought David's army - the Lord's army, and lost a humiliating battle; dying at the hands of his most hated nemesis: the Philistines.
It was no one's fault but his. His focus was distorted during the process of serving God.
John the Baptist had followers, people who were eager to listen to him preach about the coming of Christ. He had all the attention, all the "glamour" and all the authority in his speeches.
Until this man Jesus really came, John the Baptist was left to nothing. His followers followed Jesus, people stopped consulting him and went for the real deal. But John the Baptist humbly followed and continued serving the Lord till his last breath - his death also a result of serving God.
John's focus was never swayed: he knew he was the steward from the start, and never the star. He knew God was the star and he laid down his life just to attribute all glory to Him.
Today as we consider these 2 characters in the bible; let us reflect whether our focus have swayed in any manner; that an implementation of a certain structure such as ministry, programs, events or even a kingdom like Saul's, can make us lose our focus of why we started the structure in the first place.
It might not be as extreme as fighting God head on, but mild possessiveness, personal agendas and even serving as a habit can become a hazardous reagent in our spiritual life.
I end with a verse reminding us that the best man in the wedding is happy that the groom is the star of the show, and not stealing the limelight from him. God must increase, and we must decrease.
The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.
John 3:29-30
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