Enlightenments From the Striving of the Children of Israel

Enlightenments From the Striving of the Children of Israel

The Story of Saul

Saul’s followers were a believing group from among the Children of Israel who had committed themselves to the command of God. It would not be fitting for God to leave those who had devoted themselves to His command without granting them relief. They did not accept popular sovereignty or elections as a means of choosing a king. Rather, they asked God to appoint a king for them because they believed in God’s sovereignty and rejected its satanic alternative, the sovereignty of the people.

God said:

Have you not considered the assembly of the Children of Israel after Moses, when they said to a prophet of theirs, “Appoint a king for us so that we may fight in the path of God.” He said, “Perhaps if fighting were prescribed for you, you would not fight.” They said, “Why should we not fight in the path of God when we have been driven from our homes and separated from our children?” But when fighting was prescribed for them, they turned away except for a few of them. God is Knowing of the wrongdoers.^[74]

Can any believing community be entirely free of hypocrites? It was these hypocrites who then objected to God’s command:

Their prophet said to them, “God has appointed Saul as a king over you.” They said, “How can he have kingship over us while we are more entitled to kingship than he is, and he has not been given abundance of wealth?” He said, “Indeed, God has chosen him over you and increased him abundantly in knowledge and in body. God gives His kingdom to whom He wills, and God is All-Encompassing, Knowing.”^[75]

Then Saul went forth with those who strove in the path of God to fight and to raise the word of God.

When Saul set out with the soldiers, he said: “God will test you with a river. Whoever drinks from it is not with me, and whoever does not taste it is with me, except one who scoops up a handful with his hand.” But they drank from it, except for a few of them. Then, when he crossed it, he and those who believed with him said: “We have no strength today against Goliath and his troops.” But those who were certain they would meet God said: “How many a small group has overcome a large group by God’s leave. God is with the steadfast.”^[76]

Then came the divine test, to distinguish the good from the corrupt and to reveal the merit of the truly virtuous within this believing group: “Whoever drinks from it is not with me, and whoever does not taste it is with me, except for one who scoops up a handful with his hand.”^[77]

It was not a matter of thirst and drinking water. Rather, it was a matter of this group’s faith in God and in God’s vicegerent on His earth, and of submitting to him and obeying him. It was also a matter of certainty that God would grant support and victory to those who believe in Him and His vicegerent on His earth.

Thus, these groups appeared on the battlefield: one group that responded to God’s command, whose members did not care whether death befell them or they went forth to meet it. Concerning them, God said: “Those who were certain that they would meet God said, ‘How many a small group has overcome a large group by God’s leave. God is with the steadfast.’” The second group’s feet faltered when they saw the vast size of Goliath’s army, but they struggled against this inner setback. As for the third group, they had already lost the battle within themselves and found nothing to say but words of defeat, because they had been defeated internally. They said, “We have no power today against Goliath and his soldiers.”