Saul and David would have never imagined in their youth, that one day they would become the king of Israel, until they met Prophet Samuel. It was God’s favour that came upon them and not because they were the bee’s knees.

After Saul led Israel to victory over the Philistines with God’s help, he soon began to take pride in his accomplishments. When the Philistines were pressing forward to make war with Israel, he had to wait for Samuel the priest to come and offer sacrifice to God before they could go to war. Thinking that he needed to gain respect from his people before they get scattered, he did the priest’s job without waiting for Samuel. His pride was hurt and he thought that God would understand him. (1 Samuel 13: 5 - 12).

David on the other hand, always seemed to have a different attitude than Saul. He prayed to the Lord in 2 Samuel 7: 18 – 22, ‘Lord I really don’t deserve any of this. It is you, who has blessed me so much; and what more can I say to Thee? There is none like Thee and no God besides Thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears’.

 Whether it was a rough or a smooth passage he went through in his reign, he always had the attitude of gratitude towards God. He did not become too big for his boots and remained very humble and thankful to God. Not for nothing did God declare that, ‘David was a man after His own heart’.

Pride and disobedience made Saul fade away into oblivion, while David because of his humility, obedience and gratitude towards God became God’s all-time favourite king. 

A throne was prepared for Saul to be made king while David was prepared by God for the throne.

Thought for the day: The attitude of gratitude propels a christian to higher altitudes.