And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
(1 Samuel 13:5-7 ESV)
After an initial surge in popularity and power, King Saul started to lose influence when he called for an attack on the Philistines. Not only did he take credit for his son Jonathan's victory, he also stirred up the Philistines, who had been kept in check during the days of Samuel. Now they are back with a vengeance, and though the people of Israel were "behind" him", literally, they were not very confident in Saul's ability to lead them to victory. Saul's polls were slipping fast, and rightfully so. Sometimes, in order to make a name for ourselves, get our way, or defend our position, we will push our agenda and seem to succeed, only to bring a backlash of reaction. We lose credibility, and, as we will see, end up having to try to find someone else to blame. May we do a better job of counting the cost and seeking God's will first, so people have a reason to support us. And may we choose our leaders on the same basis.
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