God’s Perfect Timing
1 Samuel 31 – 2 Samuel 2
Paul J. Bucknell
Saul’s pitiful end | David’s new beginning | Questions
Never Frustrated
God is never frustrated by our choices, even if they are completely foolish and shortsighted. However, we suffer because of our poor decisions. God’s perfect timing shows how He works everything out in the end, for His purposes are never stopped by man’s sin. He always carries out His supreme and glorious will, including man’s stubborn sins into His overall plan when needed. Usually, we look back and think, “Oh, it could have been so much easier if I just..." But today marks the beginning of the future. Let us be obedient and faithful, demonstrating that God’s will is best (Rom 12:2).
Our choices shape our lives for better or worse. Disobedience exposes flaws in a person’s character, while obedience—the willingness to follow the Lord’s commands rather than one’s own—demonstrates a person’s virtue.
Since this article briefly covers three chapters, we will focus on two main themes: Saul’s tragic end (1 Sam 31) and David’s fresh start (2 Sam 1-2).
1. A Pitiful End - Saul (1 Samuel 31)
Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua the sons of Saul (1 Sam 31:1-2).
6 Thus Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men on that day together. 7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, with those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled; then the Philistines came and lived in them” (1 Sam 31:6-7).
There is no doubt that verse 6 records one of the saddest scenes in the Holy Scriptures: “Thus Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men on that day together” (31:6). All the promise associated with Saul’s anointing and installation as the first king of Israel faded into a harsh awakening that even leaders fail, and that God’s words to the disobedient Israel about a king were very true. Had Saul faithfully followed the Lord as king, Israel would have grown and prospered.
Of course, Saul’s failures didn’t end with the death of his own family. One disaster after another unfolded because of King Saul’s neglect. A leader’s neglect treacherously leads many down a tragic path. Let’s look at this horror that never needed to happen:
- Saul and his three sons untimely died.
- The Philistines defeated Israel and occupied their cities.
- Many Israelites died, and others fled, losing their homes.
- God’s patience with Saul was clear, but it ended in disaster when he inflicted a self-inflicted wound that killed an entire city of priests and their families (Nob).
The Book of 1 Samuel highlights Israel’s failed attempt to find the right king to lead them. Their effort did not succeed. Saul looked impressive and didn’t have a large group of officials advising him, but power went to his head and corrupted him. David, too, wasn’t the perfect king, so the wait for the true Messiah would continue into the future. At the same time, however, we notice two big questions that stand out in our minds.
- Why was God so patient with Saul?
- Why did the Lord not install David earlier to solve the problems of Saul?
Why does God allow these things to happen? We will answer each of these questions shortly, but it’s important to remember that foolish decisions bring about problems that wouldn’t exist otherwise. The world already suffers from excessive rudeness, yet Saul, a believer of God and anointed by the Lord, allowed the evil one to spread his wicked devices upon God’s people. How desperately sad!
Why was God so patient with Saul?
I don’t think anyone would say that God was impatient with King Saul after reading about his life. Perhaps, someone might point out God’s rebuke of Saul’s early sins, but definitely not later, when Saul wasted his strength chasing after David. Saul became blind to God’s wise placement of David because he was filled with jealousy. We then wonder, “Why was God so patient?” You see, God had the power and wisdom to change everything. However, once the Israelites, in their unbelief, chose a human ruler instead of God, their decision was bound to seem wrong.
First, we acknowledge that the Lord unquestionably exercised His patience. He saw His priests being destroyed by Saul, who used a foreigner (Doeg) to assassinate them and their families. God gave Saul His Spirit, but Saul misused it for his own glory. Moreover, Saul constantly disobeyed the Lord. One might think that all of this would push the Lord to His patience limit, but it didn’t. The Lord waited patiently, even recording these events for us. God revealed a greater truth here: Man cannot save. Yet, God maintained His patience despite the rise of evil.
Second, the Lord endures unjust situations. This point is very interesting—some people are outraged by the evil the Lord tolerates. But when we read the scriptures carefully, we see in many places that the Lord’s wrath is still stored up or that once evil has accumulated enough, God releases the full punishment. One reason for the delay is for us to recognize the consequences of our sin, while another reason is to prompt us to cry out to God for salvation. Unless God’s grace becomes very clear to us, we will despise our appreciation for His work. That is why we boast about the gospel or the cross—because there we see how wicked our sins truly are. Jesus, His only Son, had to die for us. The Lord has endured many unjust situations where abuse and pain increased because of man’s pursuit of personal goals instead of God’s.
Personal Reflections
Just because we have power and authority as a boss, parent, or elder, it does not mean we always need to immediately set things right. We have a larger goal. By putting aside our anger, we can become a means for God’s greater work of mercy. “For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). God’s mercy is linked to His patience. If the Lord lacked patience, there would be no mercy because patience involves withholding His wrath. Without mercy or patience, immediate justice would be demanded for God’s righteous anger.
1) The Lord hopes for and works towards our best.
God is on our side. It might not seem that way, but He placed His image in us, and through His redemption plan in Jesus, He is trying to restore it. God’s grace was very clear in His dealings with Saul. That’s why we ask, “Why put up with him?” But by using David, the Lord was trying to remove his jealous spirit so he would turn back to Him. Although he was touched for a moment, Saul did not learn his lessons. We see God giving every chance in the book and more.
2) The Lord demonstrated His extreme mercy (Rom 9:22-23).
Every time the Lord showed patience, He demonstrated His great mercy. As Romans 9:22-23 teaches us, this is one of the main goals of the redemptive plan. God didn’t fully punish man in the Garden but tolerated sinful people because He chose to show His mercy and redeem us for His glorious purposes. God is emphasizing the greatness of His love to His people. This then serves as a model for us: be patient, kind, and forgiving.
By setting aside our anger, we become instruments of God’s greater work of mercy.
Personal Reflections
If you believe you can’t tolerate unjust situations or “intolerable” people, then consider the Lord who has been patient since man disobeyed in the Garden of Eden. And God’s mercy is far greater because He sees the hearts of everyone! Patience allows for mercy, restoration, and eventual success. Justice is coming, but by delaying it, mercy has its time of influence.
Patience allows for mercy, restoration, and eventual success.
Why did the Lord not install David earlier as king?
God knows men’s hearts and trains them so they can stand strong and faithfully serve Him. Even with this training, though, David would fall again. The point: God prepares, but leadership carries specific risks. With King Saul’s obvious incompetence and unwillingness to follow basic orders, why did God not replace him with David, who was already anointed? Besides showing mercy, there’s another reason behind God’s strategic delay.
David was doing an excellent job as a great general, killing tens of thousands of enemies. He was the obvious choice. Moreover, God had already chosen him, filled him with the Holy Spirit, and loved his heart. So why not make him king now? Instead, the Lord allowed Saul to reign for forty years, including many years after he disobeyed, leaving David, who was promised, gifted, but tested. By keeping Saul alive, God delayed the actual crowning of David as king (which finally occurred in 2 Samuel 2).
People put confidence in appearances. You can see how the people believed David could do it. But that is the very problem. The people could not see the areas where David was not well-trained. So while the people rallied behind David, saying “He can do it!” he sure looked like he would do better than Saul. His men also placed a lot of pressure on David, such as the time he was in the cave and could have killed Saul. David also had to work on his own self-confidence: “I can do it better!” He was being tested with pride. Who would disqualify David with all the awards he received? Remember Goliath, the Philistine he killed with a sling? Everything seemed to be in David’s favor except for God’s purpose!
God’s purpose was not just to show mercy to Saul, serving as an example of His compassion, but also to properly prepare David. David had flaws that the Lord needed to address, or he risked becoming like Saul. The same pattern occurred with Abram, who twice traded his wife for a sister to save his own life. Their marriage was struggling. So, although David experienced much success, he was not fully prepared to be king. These flaws didn’t mean David lacked a heart after God or that he didn’t do many good things. However, Satan would like us to stumble over our faults and never recover. The Lord reaches out His hand to lift us up and guide us on the right path. God’s training involves careful preparation. Here are a few “fault lines” in David’s character:
- In 1 Samuel 21, David behaves like a madman. What was he thinking?
- In 1 Samuel 25, David had a hot temper toward Nabal.
- In 1 Samuel 27, David sank into a state of discouragement and aligned himself with an enemy king (Achish).
Although these flaws may seem minor on their own, they come under intense pressure when someone becomes a leader. Remember Saul? His insecurity was evident early on when he hid behind the baggage. As time went on, his insecurity grew, especially when people spoke highly of David. The evil one exploited this vulnerability and other forces to seize Saul’s mind and his kingdom.
Lesson: The Believer’s Patience
Let’s then consider, through God’s forbearance towards Saul and David, that we as believers should all be patient like our God and exercise mercy.
- Love is patient (1 Cor 13:4)
- We care more about the person than our convenience
- Our purpose goes beyond the immediate scene. We are not just trying to correct the obvious wrong, but also have a greater goal of extending mercy.
- We show mercy to extend God’s grace. When we encounter troubles, those are the moments when God’s love and mercy shine the brightest.
- Be firm with expectations yet gentle. Stick to our standards but also recognize times of infraction as opportunities to be kind and helpful. After all, we are sinners too!
- An example might be how a father is angry with his wife or child, or vice versa. Someone has done something wrong, maybe deliberately. The standard has been challenged, but under the broader idea of patience is the opportunity to show mercy and forgive.
- Of course, we must not exercise mercy in a way that disregards or diminishes justice. Great care must be taken with those non-profits that make handouts seem like they are deserved, so that God’s mercy is not perceived or felt. Saul never learned his lesson. All of us should be humbled by all the ways God’s mercy and grace are shown to us.
- Don’t take God’s mercy for granted and ignore His lessons. Sadly, Saul never learned his lessons.