Love does not Boast: Part 3

Giving up first place

A vaunting spirit is invested in being first. It is important to the boastful person that they be seen, that others take notice of them and their successes. The boaster wants everyone else to see how great they are. They are easily offended when others take their place in the limelight. They must be first and they will not share their fame with others. This was certainly the case with King Saul. King Saul was obsessed with what others thought about him. He saw himself as preeminent among the Israelites and he wanted others to see him that way as well. So when a young shepherd boy stole the hearts of the people, Saul became greatly offended.

“It happened as they were coming, when David returned from killing the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with musical instruments. The women sang as they played, and said, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.’ Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and he said, ‘They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?’ Saul looked at David with suspicion from that day on.” (1 Samuel 18:6-9)

Because of Saul’s need to be first, his love for David changed to suspicion on that day. Eventually, Saul’s suspicion of David grew so deep that he would on several occasions try to kill David. The final years of Saul’s life were spent hunting down David. Instead of living life and enjoying the blessings of God, Saul was consumed with finding and killing David, for whom the women had ascribed ten thousands and Saul only thousands.

King Saul is an example of what happens to one who insists on being first, but there are other examples in the scripture of people who were willing to be second. Here are but three such examples.

“So Abram said to Lot, ‘Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left.’” (Gen 13:8-9)

God had blessed Abraham and Lot to the point where the land could not support the two of them. Therefore Abraham decided that it was necessary that the two of them split up, one to the left and one to the right, to find larger land for their flocks and herds. Abraham, being Lot’s uncle, could have insisted on choosing first, taking for himself the best land, but instead he let Lot choose first. “Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar. So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other.” (Gen 13:10-11) Abraham let Lot choose first and Lot chose for himself the best land. How could Abraham so easily give up first choice and accept what was left? It was because Abraham had a promise from God. God had promised Abraham an inheritance in the land of Canaan, it was his according to promise. Abraham did not have to fight and claw for the promise land, it was already his and, regardless of who chose first, it would remain his. Abraham could let Lot go first because he trusted God for his lot and portion. His inheritance was not according to his might or strength but according to God’s promise and His faithfulness. In the same way, when we learn to trust God for our lot and portion, we will find that it is easier to let others be first, to let them have their 15 minutes of fame, to let them hear the praise and adulation of men. When we realize that it is impossible to loose what God had promised, then we can relax and let others go first.

More to come… David Robison