By all outward appearances, King Saul seems to be a part of Israel.
He was still sitting on the throne.
He still went on about how he was fighting God’s wars.
He would show up at the sacrifices and give nice speeches.
He constantly buddied up with the priests.
He used nice religious-sounding words that tickled the ears of all those present.
By all surface appearances, Saul appeared to be a man loyal to God and His Kingdom Israel.
I’m pretty sure Saul continued to see himself as a legitimate part of God’s people.
But it was an illusion.
The spiritual reality was that God had removed Himself from Saul…
And He would never return.
Let me make things crystal clear here.
From God’s or the spiritual perspective, Saul was no longer part of Israel.
Saul may have come from Israel.
But he wasn’t part of Israel anymore.
Why can I say this with such confidence?
Because being a part of Israel ain’t just a matter of physical genealogy…
It ain’t just a matter of race or ethnicity…
It’s a spiritual issue!
Or let me frame it this way.
How in the world could Saul consider himself a member of Israel or God’s Kingdom, and yet be completely lacking God’s presence?
The answer is from a spiritual perspective he couldn’t.
And the spiritual ALWAYS takes precedence over the physical.
Let me share a verse from the New Testament that clearly articulates this spiritually perverted phenomenon of looking like Israel but not being part of Israel.
Check out these verses from the Book of Romans and pay close attention to the parts I bolded and italicized.
“As it is written:
‘God’s name is blasphemed
among the Gentiles because of you.’
Circumcision has value
if you observe the law,
but if you break the law,
you have become as though
you had not been circumcised.
So then, if those who are not
circumcised keep the law’s requirements,
will they not be regarded as
though they were circumcised?
The one who is not circumcised
physically and yet obeys the law
will condemn you who,
even though you have the
written code and circumcision,
are a lawbreaker.
A person is not a Jew who is one
only outwardly, nor is circumcision
merely outward and physical.
No, a person is a Jew who is
one inwardly; and circumcision is
circumcision of the heart, by the
Spirit, not by the written code.
Such a person’s praise is not
from other people, but from God.”
-Romans 2:24-29
Holy cow, is this a scathing indictment or what?!
Keep in mind that Paul is talking to physical or ethnic Jews here.
Note the part where he says “A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly”.
In other words, he’s saying a Jew can’t proclaim they’re a member of God’s Kingdom just because they’ve been circumcised or are ethnically Hebrew or Jewish.
That dog ain’t gonna hunt homies.
Anyway, the point I wanted to make is that I’d say King Saul was a PERFECT example of a person who was an Israelite in the flesh but one who was cut off from God’s spiritual Israel.
He may have received the circumcision of the flesh…
But he had not received the circumcision of the heart…
And that was all that mattered in terms of redemption and salvation.
Ya, feel me?
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“And do not think you can say to yourselves,
‘We have Abraham as our father.’
I tell you that out of these stones
God can raise up children for Abraham.”
-Matthew 3:9
“If you belong to Messiah,
then you are Abraham’s seed,
and heirs according to the promise.”
-Galatians 3:29
“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
And do not begin to say to yourselves,
‘We have Abraham as our father.’
For I tell you that out of these stones
God can raise up children for Abraham.”
-Luke 3:8
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