Christian Living

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November 5, 2011 – Playing the Fool
21 Then Saul said, I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have erred exceedingly. – 1 Samuel 26:21 AMP

King Saul was a very handsome man and a head taller than any other man in Israel. He was like no other man in Israel. Yet beneath his tall and polished exterior he lacked a heart towards God. He failed to follow God’s commands, murdered priests, and even tried to kill his anointed successor, David, on several occasions. Here he finally admits a truth about himself we all knew: he had played the fool.

I know of several times in my life when I have been foolish. I won’t give specific details of each event, because the stories would get boring and even redundant after a while. Plus, it would exceed the entire Bible in length. I can say that one of the biggest regrets I have in my past has been that I did not put God and my family first. When Marlo and I were married and started our family, I was a workaholic and also involved in numerous civic organizations in the community. When I was not at work, I was away several nights a week at meetings. When I came home, if it wasn’t too late, I would help put our little ones to bed. I was so obsessed with work and community that I didn’t even care about spending time with my wife Marlo and seeing the desire of her heart: her desire of wanting me to be a godly husband and father who would put our family first above everything but God. I lost all those years of my life and can never get them back. I played the fool.

Have you ever played the fool? Maybe you haven’t slaughtered priests like Saul did. Maybe you didn’t neglect your family like I did. But playing the fool can involve just about anything. Driving eighty in a thirty-five zone is unwise. Lighting a match to a pile of dry leaves in the backyard with a gusty wind is idiocy. But like Saul, one of the most ill-advised things we can do is to not listen to God.

We can learn a lot from Saul about foolishness. When he was told to completely destroy the Amalekites he listened to the people rather than God (1 Samuel 15:24). That one mistake alone cost he and his family the rule of the kingdom of Israel. Have you ever acted that way? Have you ever let your friends or even society influence your actions? I know I have. I can also tell you when I did, that the outcome was not what I envisioned. Many times it ended in failure. I look back and know that if I would have just listened to God or even looked to Him at the outset, then things would have turned out differently.

How do you not play the fool? First and foremost you have to seek God. You must repent for your sins, then believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Lord of your life and the Savior of your soul. Afterwards you must choose to listen to Him and follow His directions. Read the Word and learn all you can about Him.

Things don’t end there. Even after his admission of stupidity, Saul consulted with a medium to seek advice from the dead prophet Samuel. Then, at the end of his life, instead of dying valiantly in battle, he committed suicide. The last act of his life violated one of God’s Ten Commandments: Saul murdered himself.

Another interesting point I would like to bring to light is how David responded in this passage. Saul asked David to come back into his service, saying he would do David no more harm. But reading further in First Samuel shows that David was still afraid of Saul and did not return to him. Have you ever acted like Saul, repented, and then expected everything to suddenly be perfect? Don’t expect that. If you have harmed someone, like Saul had harmed David, don’t expect them to come around as soon as you repent for your actions. It is impossible for someone who has hurt others to heal their pains: only God can do that. However, those who have caused the pain should do everything in their power, with God’s help, to regain trust in areas where it had been violated. Saul never had a chance to regain David’s trust: he killed himself in the heat of battle. If you have played the fool, fight to regain trust you have lost. Never throw in the towel like Saul did.

If you are admitting today for the first time that you have ever played the fool in your life, repent and follow God. Remember that true repentance includes a change of life. To keep from playing the fool all over again means you have to seek God and listen to Him in everything you do. To not listen to God is following in the footsteps of Saul. Whose footsteps will you follow?

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