Hebrews 11:6But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
The children of Israel wanted to be like the surrounding nations so they asked Samuel for a king. They desired a visible king over the invisible God. Saul dishonored God on two occasions (1 Samuel 13 and 15), which caused God to reject him. The writer of Chronicles summarized his life as follow: “So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance” (1 Chron. 10:13).
Abraham contrasts the life of Saul because he is dubbed the father of faith. God had promised this elderly patriarch a son. Although Abraham had his struggles, he chose a path of faith, and God honored him immensely through the birth of Isaac and an innumerable multitude to follow. Paul offered this analysis about Abraham, “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was able to perform” (Rom. 4:20-21).
Several decades ago I heard a great definition of faith. It states, faith is taking God at His Word and acting upon it. There are two paths that you can pursue. Like Saul, you can be faithless and disappoint your Maker. The other way is to imitate Abraham and cling to God’s promises. The writer of Hebrews informs us about the importance of faith (Heb. 11:6). Wise men still seek Him and embrace His Word by faith!
– Pastor Ken Burge Sr.