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    The reign of Saul begins with war. It is this war, and the conflict with the Philistines that followed, that fulfilled the prophecy that Samuel gave to the Israelites in 1 Samuel 8 regarding having a king. It is this very same war that would eventually be the downfall of Saul and would establish David as king of Israel and the house from which the Savior would come.
    The lesson to be gained from the reign of Saul is that God uses sinful men and their actions to fulfill His purpose. The comforting reality is that, even in our sinful state, God will use us to do His will. When He calls us by Grace to faith, He sets aside our sinful nature through the blood of Christ, and like Saul, we are anointed for God’s purpose through Baptism to do His will.
    As a result, we can be sure that God will present us with opportunities to work for His Kingdom and His Righteousness, even when we sometimes stumble or fall. Even then, God will use our stumbling and falling to build our faith and further His kingdom, and to that hope we can cling and remain firm in our faith.
DLH
