I wanna show you something interesting.
Take a look at these different versions of verse 1 from 1st Samuel Chapter 13
“Saul reigned 1 year,
and when he had reigned
2 years over Israel…..”
(King James Version)
“Saul was 40 years old
when he began to reign,
and he reigned 32
years over Israel……”
(New American Standard Version)
“Sha’ul was — years old when
he began his reign, and he
had ruled Isra’el for two years…”
(Complete Jewish Bible)
What in the world is up with all of this wild and wacky variation?
We’ve got three authoritative translations with three totally different renderings of the same verse…
And the Complete Jewish Bible doesn’t even mention Saul’s age even though his age is obviously called for?
So what’s happening here?
So here’s the first thing you should know.
Nobody knows how old Saul was when he assumed the throne.
And when I say nobody, I mean nobody man.
Any scholar worth his salt who says he knows is lying right through his teeth.
Because we possess absolutely ZERO ancient source documents or manuscripts that give a specific number.
So this has got to be some kind of copyist error…
Or Saul’s age was deliberately left out.
And if it was a copyist error or left out, this most likely occurred way before 250 B.C. when the Greek Septuagint was written…
And even then Saul’s age was probably excluded because whatever Hebrew manuscript they were translating from also didn’t contain it.
Ya feel me?
So here’s the deal.
If whatever Bible version you own contains Saul’s age, you can be sure of two things.
It was inserted in modern times…
And that number (usually 40) is pure speculation.
It’s just a guess.
Having said that, given that Saul had a full-grown son named Jonathan, he was most definitely in his middle age.
So yeah, between around 40-45 would be about right.
I’d actually say it’s more accurate to say he was older than 40.
Okay, so here’s the takeaway I’m getting for today.
We’re going to soon see this middle-aged King behave in a manner that is both immature and ungodly.
In many instances, Saul is going to seem like an ego-driven, emotional little child.
And that contrast will become even clearer when compared to the young David who will eventually supplant Saul as King.
So the takeaway here is Godly wisdom has nothing to do with your age.
An older person who has lived a life without God’s word could be just as spiritually immature as a young and rebellious child.
And the opposite is true.
Even a young child or a young man who has been exposed to God’s word possesses more wisdom and spiritual maturity than those many years older than him.
This means that studying God’s Word is the ultimate shortcut to the wisdom that leads to deep fulfillment and prosperity both in this life and the life after.
Done.
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