Half Empty, Half Full
1. The Philistines attacked Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them. Many were slaughtered on the slopes of Mount Gilboa. . . .
8. The next day, when the Philistines went out to strip the dead, they found the bodies of Saul and his sons on Mount Gilboa.
9. So they stripped off Saul’s armor and cut off his head. Then they proclaimed the good news of Saul’s death before their idols and to the people throughout the land of Philistia.
10. They placed his armor in the temple of their gods, and they fastened his head to the temple of Dagon.
11. But when everyone in Jabesh-gilead heard about everything the Philistines had done to Saul,
12. all their mighty warriors brought the bodies of Saul and his sons back to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones beneath the great tree at Jabesh, and they fasted for seven days. 1 Chronicles 10:1, 8-12
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When you see a glass filled to its halfway mark, is it half empty or half full? In fairness, the answer probably has more to do with how thirsty you are. And whether you see the glass as half empty or half full, you’re still only getting half a glass of water.
This reading tells us about the death of King Saul, the halfway man. Even in dying Saul makes a bad choice. Was Saul half empty or half full? You decide.
What matters here is that his devotion to God is halfhearted. As you read, note how Saul’s lackluster devotion influences his actions and leadership as king—in the end leading to severe consequences for himself and his family.
Saul made two mistakes in the way he lived—he actively did wrong, and he failed to do right (1 Chronicles 10:13-14). He actively did wrong by disobeying God’s instructions (see 1 Samuel 13:1-14; 15:1-23). He passively failed to do right by neglecting to ask God for guidance as he ran the kingdom.
Our responsibility to obey God is much the same—both passive and active. It is not enough just to avoid what is wrong; we need to actively pursue what is right. How can we do this? We can avoid doing wrong by keeping God’s commandments—worshiping God alone, telling the truth, being faithful to a husband or wife, being content with what we have, loving our enemies. We can actively pursue what is right by seeking God’s guidance through prayer and his Word. In addition, we should take advantage of opportunities to serve God and others.
