When Disappointed, Let It Go!

During my free I enjoy watching TV, I just love animal documentaries. What I like about them is that they take me much closer to nature than I can ever go myself. There are a lot of things that I would not have known if it wasn't for these documentaries. I want to encourage you to watch them; you will learn a lot about nature.

One day I was watching a certain documentary about Baboons and I was stunned by what I saw. I saw Baboons walking around with dead babies on their back. The mother Baboon would still love and care for its baby as if it is alive. When the lifeless baby falls down, the Baboon would just pick it up and throw it on its back again. It walks around with it until it reaches the state of decomposition; when it began to literally fall apart. Some would even go to the extent of trying to put the decomposed pieces together. I wondered to myself, is there something wrong with their sense of smell. Decomposing flesh stinks. Honestly, I believe there is. Only at a time when it becomes impossible to carry it, because of its advanced state of decomposition, only then would it leave the remains and move on.

Even when I could clearly see that this baby would not grow and be a part of the mother's life. The mother was not willing to let go, in fact, she was actually willing to live with the decaying baby on her back. I failed to understand this. I want to suggest to you that these Baboons and the Prophet Samuel we have just read about today have a number of things in common. Something didn't work the way they both expected, they were very much disappointed, they could not do anything to change what had happened and they simply could not let go of it. This may not only be the Baboon's struggle, it may also not only be Samuel's struggle, but it may also be our struggle too. This is what has led us to our theme today; when disappointed JUST LET IT GO.

It all started when the Israelites requested for a king. They wanted to have a king over them simply because they just wanted to be like other nations. This, being their sole reason, God was not pleased with it. God himself was their king, but now they want someone else to rule over them. But nevertheless, God graciously grants their request.

Through Samuel, Saul becomes king over Israel and people were very happy. Things began to take a turn in the wrong directing when Saul was sent by God to destroy the Amalekites. God had a personal problem with these people he wanted them to be completely destroyed and considered Saul was the one to do it. When he was given the mission, Saul did not do as instructed, he spared same animals because they were good and also the Agag the King of the Amalekites; I can easily understand why he speared some animals, but I struggle to understand why he spared the king. Agag must have been really handsome.

As a result, God was disappointed with Saul. The Bible says " . . . And the Lord was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel" 1 Samuel 15:35. This does not mean God has just realised that he has made a mistake and is sorry about it, he didn't know that things would turn out like this. Numbers: 23:19 (KJV), "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" This means, however, that God was not happy with Saul and he had to dispose him. Repenting to men is a response to their sins and to God it is the same, a response to men's sins.

Back to our story, God was disappointed with Saul and so was Samuel. Samuel was so disappointed that he mourned for Saul. It didn't end there; he never went to see him again until the day he died. If you see people who have been friends, who have assisted one another in life cutting off their relationship like this, it shows the complexity of the matter.

But why was Samuel so disappointed that much? God had not rejected him. This is very true! God had not rejected Samuel, but remember that it was Samuel who brought Saul to the people of Israel. God introduced Saul to Samuel and Samuel introduced Saul to the people. Saul was accepted by the people based on Samuel's recommendation. Now, if you recommend me for a certain position in an organisation and suppose I go there and perform wonders. How would you feel? You would feel great and happy. Let’s turn the table around, what if I then go there and make a mess of everything I touch. How would you feel? Not good because it affects your reputation also. I believe there was a similar kind of attachment between the two. Saul's success was also Samuel's success and Saul's failure was also Samuel's failure.