1 Samuel 15-17

Samuel must have had so much hope that Saul would be a great leader, blessed by God. The young king started out so well. But it wasn’t too long before Samuel began seeing the signs that surely disappointed him:

Saul’s impatience. Saul’s audacity to offer sacrifices. Saul’s lies. Saul’s excuses for disobedience.

Oh, Saul often said the right things, and I believe Saul probably meant what he was saying at the time. But Saul’s commitment to God didn’t go very deep. In the end, Saul became his own god, and Samuel had to wash his hands of Saul. God was moving on, and Samuel had to choose whether to follow God or stay with Saul. Samuel chose God.

But Scripture tells us Samuel mourned his loss. Saul had become a friend, perhaps like a son to Samuel. Samuel was a fan, rooting for the success of the king. But whatever hope Samuel had placed in Saul died.

And it hurt.

What do you do when hope dies? How do you handle the hurt and disappointment, perhaps betrayal? Even though Samuel had placed his hope in Saul, the ultimate hope Samuel had was in God.

People fail us. Circumstances change. We aren’t even beyond disappointing ourselves. But God never fails. His plans are always best.

And if we have our hope in Him, we have our hope in the One who will never let us down. When hope dies, we grab tighter to His hand and realize hope hasn’t really died at all.