Monuments

May 3, 2019

The story of Saul never ceases to trouble me. Samuel’s command to wait 7 days was given in1 Samuel 10:8, but his rebuke is Saul for not waiting doesn’t come till 13:8-14, some two or more years later. The text of 1 Samuel 13:1 is corrupt; what we have is, “Saul was … years old when he began to reign; and he reigned … and two years over Israel.” The first number is totally missing, and the second is incomplete, leading to much confusion over the chronology of the events recorded here. The time frame doesn’t add up, but the overall message is clear: Saul’s pride got the best of him; even to the point of building a monument to himself (15:12). He was no longer “little in his own eyes” (15:17). 

Building monuments to ourselves is more common than we imagine. These days they are unlikely to be made of stone or bronze, but they are self-promoting monuments just the same. Politicians pose and posture, especially when campaigning. Preachers look to build the bigger and better church or ministry. Professors publish, compete for trophies. Rare is the person who deflects glory to another, but it’s still true: the greater we make of ourselves, the lesser we make of God, which is always a recipe for disaster.