1 Samuel 11:15: “So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.”

May 20th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

This was probably the finest spiritual moment in King Saul’s entire life. It wasn’t because he had succeeded in assembling the nation for war, nor that they had won a great victory over the Ammonites. This was his finest moment because he chose to overlook criticisms and deal fairly with some of his own people who had spoken against his reign. The king could have taken his revenge, but he refused to dampen the spirit of the day with self-serving actions. Best yet, King Saul was unwilling to take personal credit for the victory over the Ammonites. He acknowledged that it was God who had given His people the victory, and he allowed his detractors to go unpunished.

At this moment it seemed that Israel had a good king ruling over them, but the clouds were already gathering. The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 5:17: “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” How we must continue to fight this battle that wages back and forth, every day, in each and every one of us.

There is a familiar old fable that speaks clearly about this struggle. One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson, “My son, there is a battle between 2 wolves inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good. It is love, joy, peace, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, nobility, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. His grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked, “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee replied, “The one you feed.”

“LORD, help us to feed our spirits and not our flesh, making good choices. We want to grow in You this day.”